NEW TOP 10

By Fred Siegle

Here's the new top 10! Don't count on it staying the same, with some big matches this week including St. Joseph at East Brunswick and Fair Lawn at Old Bridge on Monday April 16.

1. East Brunswick (5-0). Preseason ranking: 2. The reasoning - I just can't jump Southern over the Bears unless they either have a head-to-head or common-opponent victory. That said, the Bears have only been tested by Old Bridge so far, while other teams have been getting better competition. They did win the Eastern Tournament on Saturday with a one-game victory over the hosts. While the Eastern event has always been top notch, its quality took a hit this year with most of the state's best teams going to Bloomfield. The Bears step it up a notch this week with matches against St. Joes, Bridgewater and South Brunswick.

2. Southern (9-0). Preseason ranking: 3. The Rams have the most significant win of the season so far after beating previous No. 1 St. Joes on April 10. They also beat ranked teams CBA and St. Peters that day, and also have a win over Williamstown, which is doing well in South Jersey. They lost, 27-25, to St. Joes in the final at Bloomfield on Saturday, but went undefeated against the rest of the high-quality competition. They host a quad with East Brunswick, St. Joes and Moorestown on April 28, another high-quality day that could shake up the rankings.

3. St. Josephs (5-1). Preseason ranking: 1. The victory over Southern in the final at Bloomfield on Saturday can't erase the match loss to the Rams on Tuesday, but it does show the Falcons haven't let it affect them, either. The truth is, any of the top 3 teams can win when they meet, it's simply a matter of who's more at the top of their game. Junior middle Paul Konopacki led St. Joes at Bloomfield with 23 kills for the day. The Falcons also have already beaten top 10 teams Old Bridge, CBA, and St. Peters.

4. Old Bridge (2-2). Preseason ranking: 4. The Knights opened with a brutal schedule, losing to East Brunswick and St. Joes. But they rebounded with two straight victories since, including a
moved star Lance Rogers to left side, and switched junior Eddie quality win over South Brunswick on Friday. After the two losses, coach Andrew HopmanBucior to right side. Bucior responded with 5 kills in the 25-17, 25-14 win over South Brunswick.

5. Fair Lawn (5-0). Preseason ranking: 5. The favorite in the NJSIAA's North Jersey section has already beaten rivals Lakeland and Wayne Hills. The Cutters were the only top 10 team that was inactive on Saturday (it was their prom weekend), but they jump right into the fire on Monday with a visit to No. 4. Old Bridge. Junior right side Matt Agnew had 6 blocks in the 25-20, 25-18 victory over Wayne Hills.

6. CBA (6-2). Preseason ranking: 7. The Colts move up a spot after jumping into the fire at the St. Joes quad on Tuesday and coming out with a victory over the previous No. 6, St. Peters. They lost to St. Joes and Southern that day. CBA takes another shot at Southern today when the Rams visit in Lincroft. Most of the Colts' players participated in a prom (Colts Neck High School) on Friday night, but they still went 4-1 in pool play at the Bloomfield Tournament on Saturday. They were eliminated in a hotly contested playoff game with St. Peters.

7. St. Peters (4-3). Preseason ranking: 6. The Marauders came out on the short end of the quality quad against CBA, St. Joes and Southern, but rebounded with an easy victory over Lincoln on Friday and a strong showing (4-1 in pool play, advancing to the semifinals before losing to St. Joes) at the Bloomfield Tournament. They visit Bayonne in Hudson County's version of St. Joes vs. East Brunswick on Thursday.

8. Bayonne (6-0). Preseason ranking: 8. The Bees have feasted on the weaker teams in Hudson County so far, but face their moment of truth on Thursday when they host St. Peters. They had a strong showing at Bloomfield on Saturday, going 3-2 in pool play and then beating Livingston in the playoffs before being knocked out by St. Joes. They should get a boost this week with the return of right side Coco Ostorga, who missed their games last week and the tournament at Bloomfield while away on a trip.

9. Moorestown (3-0). Preseason ranking: 9. The Quakers squeaked by Clearview on Thursday with an 18-25, 25-23, 26-24 victory. According to a story by Kevin Callahan of the Cherry Hill Courier-Post, the turning point came with the third game tied 23-23. Ryan Tuck had a kill and Christian DePew finished the match with an ace. In yet another big match this week, the Quakers host unbeaten Eastern on Thursday.

10. South Brunswick (5-1). Preseason rank: unranked (teams to watch). The Vikings take the spot of Hillsborough, which they beat 25-17, 23-25, 25-22 on Thursday. Their only loss is to Old Bridge. They also captured the Hillsborough Tournament title with a victory over Vernon in the final. The Vikings get another big test on Thursday when they visit East Brunswick.

Teams to watch: Eastern (still unbeaten and battled their way to the final at its tournament); Clifton (also still unbeaten); Bridgewater-Raritan (went 3-2 in pool play and advanced to the Gold Division playoffs at the Bloomfield Tournament despite playing without regular setter Andrew Conkin); Vernon (5-0 after beating Wayne Valley on Friday); Wayne Valley (tough day in a tough pool (1-4) at Bloomfield Tournament, 4-1 in matches after losing to Vernon on Friday); Don Bosco (the Silver Division champs at Bloomfield, also still unbeaten in matches).

(Thanks to Coach DeYoung for the correction involving the Vernon-Wayne Valley result).
Also, feel free to email me (fsiegle@powerzonevb.com) with any corrections/questions/comments. You can also post comments on the blog.