Sports Recap: Volleyball, Hockey, and Basketball

by Jordan Bitton, SSLI '26

Our Schechter athletes have been playing hard all week, making everyone proud and exited for the upcoming season.

Girls Varsity Volleyball

The girls have been practicing for over a month to prepare for their season, and their hard work certainly paid off! Girls Varsity Volleyball played Magen David in the Lion's Den yesterday and won 3-0. Tonight, however, they played against Central and lost 3-1.

The girls played a great game! (Y. Pedram)

Junior Sarah Shlefstein stated, “One of the best parts of tonight was probably seeing the girls that are new to the game get excited to see us play. Yesterday, we even got to watch them play, and so many new girls made amazing plays—our bench was in tears!”

Last night, Girls Varsity Volleyball dedicated their game to American hostage Omer Neutra. Omer was the captain of the boy's volleyball team when he was at Schechter, and this is the second season Schechter athletes are playing with him in captivity.

Shlefstein added, “When Jodie [Fineman] suggested that we take a video for Omer everyone immediately stopped what they were doing and ran to take the video. This team is dedicated to playing for Omer and to bringing him home immediately.”

Good luck to the Girls for the rest of their season!

Boys Varsity Hockey

Boys Varsity Hockey, also known as the Storm, has been practicing hard for weeks, already playing a handful of games. On Monday, the Storm played DRS, losing 20-0, and, tonight, they played North Shore, resulting in a close loss with a score of 3-6.

Everyone was excited for the game. (Paw Print Live Instagram)

Junior Jonah Resnick explained, “In practice, we always begin the same way. We stretch, and then we all practice shooting as a way to warm up. Then, we get into specific drills and situational work. The thing that sticks out to me in our practices is that there is no animosity towards one another, because whether it’s a senior or a freshman, everybody is learning and trying to get better.”

“Although our game against North Shore did not go as we had hoped, it was a good effort from everybody on the team. Since we are such a small team, everybody gets playing time, and everybody gives their all to make sure they positively impact the game in any way they can,” Resnick shared.

Resnick continued, “Whether it be a goal, a defensive play, or just supporting their teammates. I think that this game showed us what we’re capable of, and we’re gonna carry that with us in our next game.”

Schechter Storm is still trying for their first win of the season.

Girls Varsity Basketball

Girls Varsity Basketball has been putting in the effort in practices and games. Today, the team played against Portledge in the new Schechter basketball home court in Brookville. Ultimately, the team lost 6-88.

Eighth-grader Anna Siegel has been playing on Girls Varsity Basketball since last year. Siegel said, “We improved a lot with defense, but I think we just need to work on passing the ball around and where to be on the court.”

Still, Sophomore Mikayla Rachmanova shared, “Our team dynamic has gotten a lot better, and we are trying our best to work as a team.” Siegel expressed, “It’s fun playing with our team and bonding.” She continued, “When you play with the team on the court…all the feelings go away, and we just have fun.” 

Both girls are hopeful for the rest of the season.

Boys Junior Varsity (JV) Basketball

Boys JV Basketball has been practicing hard and putting their skills to the test. Today, the team played against Portledge, resulting in a loss.

Sophomore Yoni Pedram stated, “The game went better than the past ones. We played better on both offense and defense.”

Junior John Aronnie commented, “Overall, we had some ups and we had some downs, but this was the best game of the year.” Aronnie continued, quoting Kobe Bryant, by saying that “passion is the fuel for success.”

Pedram concluded, “I believe that if we stay out of foul trouble and improve our rebounding, we will begin to play better in future games.”

All of our athletes are working hard to improve their skills and continue their seasons with many successes. Go Lions and Storm!

Jordan Bitton is a writer for Paw Print Now and has been published on the site since November 2022. Jordan is currently a junior at Schechter School of Long Island and can be reached at the following email address: Jbitton26@schechterli.org.