POWERZONEVB.COM PRESEASON TOP 10
Another year, time for another Top 10. Some quick notes:
There seem to be a lot more quality teams this year. Most of the top teams are better, some are greatly improved. The senior class this year might be the best ever. There are 11 new teams this year, with 46 in the North section and 46 in the Central-South section when it comes time for the NJSIAA Tournament. The area designated as Central-South by the NJSIAA continues to include most of the top teams.
1. St Joseph. The Falcons have three key starters - middles Drew Colon and Paul Konopacki and right side Keith MacDonald - back from the team that won the state championship last year. And they are probably even better than they were. Transfer Marcin Midura, a 6-4 left side, is an impact player and one of the biggest hitters and has one of the best jump serves in the state. Junior Eddie Rossiter, a year-round player, will be the other left side. Senior Aidan Nemergut will play libero and anchor the defense.. The only question mark for the Falcons is who the setter will be, but either senior Richie McCobb or junior Steve Brandenburg will be able to get the job done once coach Miguel Cabrita decides. The other top contenders should be wary after St. Joes, which has always had the talent, finally put it all together and finished strong last year. They open the season at No. 4 Old Bridge on Thursday at 5 p.m., then host a quad match with St. Peter's, Southern and CBA on Monday, April 9.
2. East Brunswick. As usual, the Bears will field a quality lineup and will have plenty of depth on the bench. They have more seniors who are top players - Eric Corpus (left side), Travis Heilman (left or right side) Kyle Barry (setter), John McLaughlin (middle), Dan Korten (libero or left side), Sameer Sood (left or right side), Brian Gieser (middle or setter) and Julian Millan (libero) - than they have starting positions. And they have juniors - Alex Rigley (middle), Christian Portera (middle or left side) and Greg Zegarek (left side), and Brian Murphy (setter/right side) - who are also top players who could start. Sophomore Mike Kvidahl is 6-6 and athletic and plays year-round and is likely to work his way into the starting lineup, probably at right side, sometime during the season. The Bears' bench at any given time would be a top 10 team in the state. The biggest problem they face is a tendency to falter at the end of the season that has developed over the past few years.
3. Southern. I may have been a year too early when the Rams started as the pre-season No. 1 team last year, because too many of their key players were juniors. This year, those players are seniors and they may be ready. Southern is big - Fran Hodgson (middle) is 6-6, Bryan Batiste (middle) is 6-5, Jeff Elsasser (left side) is 6-4, and Nolan King (right side) and Steve Bischoff (left side) are both 6-3. Hodgson, King and Elsasser have years of experience. Hodgson will be a force blocking and hitting, King is a big lefty hitter from the opposite position, and Elsasser is probably the most improved player in the state and might have the best jump serve when he's on. Setter Steve Vaughan, a junior, has worked hard in the offseason.
4. Old Bridge. The Knights have the state's most dominant player, 6-8 right side Lance Rogers, and two top-of-the line middles in seniors Joe Nemeth and Elvis Obi. Libero Scott Behnke also returns from last year's team, which made it to the South semifinals with a loss to East Brunswick. Setter Matt Guzzo, a junior, has good hands and instincts. The outsides, seniors Eddie Bucior and Tom Mullan, are unproven, but good athletes. The Knights joined the state's elite teams last year, and this year they'll show they're likely to stay. They get things started with a bang, since their first match is Monday (April 2) at East Brunswick at 10 a.m., then they host St. Joes on Thursday at 5 p.m.
5. Fair Lawn. The Cutters lost only one starting senior from last year's team, which lost in the North semifinals in an upset against Clifton and will be the odds on favorite to win the North crown. The team will be led by senior setter John Bashan, one of the best in the state, and Artem Makarenko, who will play either middle or left side.
6. St. Peter's. The Marauders have a go-to hitter in senior Matt Whitford and one of the state's best passers and defensive players in libero Kevin McNerney. The rest of the starting lineup, setter Gil Estupinian, left side hitter Jerry Santer, and middles Nick DeBenadictis, and Miles McCann, are all solid. The Marauders lost the Hudson County Tournament title to Bayonne last year, so one of their first orders of business will be to get that title back. The Mauraders will get a good test on Monday, April 9, when they face St. Joes, Southern and CBA in a quad match at St. Joes.
7. CBA. After a 14-6 season last year, the Colts are ready to join the state's elite. Senior Brendan Corley was the setter last year but moves to right side and will be the team's go-to hitter, including when he's in the back row. Senior Austin Hagaman takes over at setter and is one of the state's best. Tom Celiano (middle) and Adam Smith (left side) also are returning starters from last year. Smith has one of the most consistent and tough jump serves in the state. Junior Justin Legrottaglie (middle) and sophomore Neil Slattery (left side) will be the other starters. All the CBA starters played club during the off-season, most of them on the same team.
8. Bayonne. The Bees upset St. Peter's in the Hudson County Tournament last year, and have almost their entire starting team back. Their one drawback is lack of height - they may field a starting lineup with no player over 6-feet tall - but they'll try to make up for that with speed and control. They have legitimate hitters in senior Justin Beaumont (left side), junior Coco Ostorga (right side) junior Danny Kochanski (middle) and junior Krystoph Bogdan (middle) for senior setter Mark Gacki to feed, and Gacki is very good at spreading the ball around. Senior James Capello (libero) and either Michael Vasquez (senior) or Michal Kucza (sophomore) will be the other left side. The Bees worked hard in the off-season, playing in several leagues and also playing for club teams, and that should help pay off.
9. Moorestown. The Quakers finished 17-10 last year and has a solid starting lineup which could help the team become the leaders in the Olympic Conference down in South Jersey, where the competition for the top spot will include Eastern and Cherry Hill West. The starters will include seniors Jon Pelosi (left side) Andrew Sexton (middle) and Ryan Tuck (right side), and juniors Joe Aaron (left side), Skyler Heyman (setter), Will Cosden (middle)and Kyle Sutcliffe (defensive specialist). They'll be seeking to repeat as Olympic Conference Patriot Division champions. The Quakers will get a feel for where they stand against the rest of the state when they play in a quad match at Southern on April 28, where they'll also face East Brunswick and St. Joes.
10. Hillsboro. Only a third-year program, Hillsboro seems ready to make a jump into the group of top teams after failing to qualify for the state tournament by one game last year. Seven of the team's nine varsity players also played soccer. Setter Jared Himelfarb is only a sophomore, but is very athletic. Middles Joe Carotozolo and Sean Kelly are both solid hitters and blockers. Chris Fedroff, Alex Miska and Mike Argueta are solid passers and hitters from the outside. Hillsboro hosts its own tournament on April 14th, with Vernon, Passiac Valley, South Brunswick, Lincoln, Ferris, Toms River North, Hunterdon Central and West Windsor Plainsboro North all set to attend. They'll also play at the East Brunswick Tournament on April 21.
Teams to watch: Bridgewater (coach Corey Romanak always has his team playing at the top of its game at the end of the season and has returning starters Chris Metzger, Andrew Conkin, and Norbert Mikolajewski to rely on). Passaic Valley (a team that has worked hard in the off-season). Lakeland (the Lancers were near the top last year, and have a good group of players to try to blend together this year). Eastern (Brian Bertucci returns for his senior year with the Vikings). South Brunswick (This team started to put things together last year and has a strong core back from that team). Clifton (the Mustangs could be ready to make an impact when the state tournament rolls around). Livingston (Brandt Grobies is one of the state's best setters).
Another year, time for another Top 10. Some quick notes:
There seem to be a lot more quality teams this year. Most of the top teams are better, some are greatly improved. The senior class this year might be the best ever. There are 11 new teams this year, with 46 in the North section and 46 in the Central-South section when it comes time for the NJSIAA Tournament. The area designated as Central-South by the NJSIAA continues to include most of the top teams.
- St Joseph.
- East Brunswick
- Southern
- Old Bridge
- Fair Lawn
- St. Peter's
- CBA
- Bayonne
- Moorestown
- Hillsboro
1. St Joseph. The Falcons have three key starters - middles Drew Colon and Paul Konopacki and right side Keith MacDonald - back from the team that won the state championship last year. And they are probably even better than they were. Transfer Marcin Midura, a 6-4 left side, is an impact player and one of the biggest hitters and has one of the best jump serves in the state. Junior Eddie Rossiter, a year-round player, will be the other left side. Senior Aidan Nemergut will play libero and anchor the defense.. The only question mark for the Falcons is who the setter will be, but either senior Richie McCobb or junior Steve Brandenburg will be able to get the job done once coach Miguel Cabrita decides. The other top contenders should be wary after St. Joes, which has always had the talent, finally put it all together and finished strong last year. They open the season at No. 4 Old Bridge on Thursday at 5 p.m., then host a quad match with St. Peter's, Southern and CBA on Monday, April 9.
2. East Brunswick. As usual, the Bears will field a quality lineup and will have plenty of depth on the bench. They have more seniors who are top players - Eric Corpus (left side), Travis Heilman (left or right side) Kyle Barry (setter), John McLaughlin (middle), Dan Korten (libero or left side), Sameer Sood (left or right side), Brian Gieser (middle or setter) and Julian Millan (libero) - than they have starting positions. And they have juniors - Alex Rigley (middle), Christian Portera (middle or left side) and Greg Zegarek (left side), and Brian Murphy (setter/right side) - who are also top players who could start. Sophomore Mike Kvidahl is 6-6 and athletic and plays year-round and is likely to work his way into the starting lineup, probably at right side, sometime during the season. The Bears' bench at any given time would be a top 10 team in the state. The biggest problem they face is a tendency to falter at the end of the season that has developed over the past few years.
3. Southern. I may have been a year too early when the Rams started as the pre-season No. 1 team last year, because too many of their key players were juniors. This year, those players are seniors and they may be ready. Southern is big - Fran Hodgson (middle) is 6-6, Bryan Batiste (middle) is 6-5, Jeff Elsasser (left side) is 6-4, and Nolan King (right side) and Steve Bischoff (left side) are both 6-3. Hodgson, King and Elsasser have years of experience. Hodgson will be a force blocking and hitting, King is a big lefty hitter from the opposite position, and Elsasser is probably the most improved player in the state and might have the best jump serve when he's on. Setter Steve Vaughan, a junior, has worked hard in the offseason.
4. Old Bridge. The Knights have the state's most dominant player, 6-8 right side Lance Rogers, and two top-of-the line middles in seniors Joe Nemeth and Elvis Obi. Libero Scott Behnke also returns from last year's team, which made it to the South semifinals with a loss to East Brunswick. Setter Matt Guzzo, a junior, has good hands and instincts. The outsides, seniors Eddie Bucior and Tom Mullan, are unproven, but good athletes. The Knights joined the state's elite teams last year, and this year they'll show they're likely to stay. They get things started with a bang, since their first match is Monday (April 2) at East Brunswick at 10 a.m., then they host St. Joes on Thursday at 5 p.m.
5. Fair Lawn. The Cutters lost only one starting senior from last year's team, which lost in the North semifinals in an upset against Clifton and will be the odds on favorite to win the North crown. The team will be led by senior setter John Bashan, one of the best in the state, and Artem Makarenko, who will play either middle or left side.
6. St. Peter's. The Marauders have a go-to hitter in senior Matt Whitford and one of the state's best passers and defensive players in libero Kevin McNerney. The rest of the starting lineup, setter Gil Estupinian, left side hitter Jerry Santer, and middles Nick DeBenadictis, and Miles McCann, are all solid. The Marauders lost the Hudson County Tournament title to Bayonne last year, so one of their first orders of business will be to get that title back. The Mauraders will get a good test on Monday, April 9, when they face St. Joes, Southern and CBA in a quad match at St. Joes.
7. CBA. After a 14-6 season last year, the Colts are ready to join the state's elite. Senior Brendan Corley was the setter last year but moves to right side and will be the team's go-to hitter, including when he's in the back row. Senior Austin Hagaman takes over at setter and is one of the state's best. Tom Celiano (middle) and Adam Smith (left side) also are returning starters from last year. Smith has one of the most consistent and tough jump serves in the state. Junior Justin Legrottaglie (middle) and sophomore Neil Slattery (left side) will be the other starters. All the CBA starters played club during the off-season, most of them on the same team.
8. Bayonne. The Bees upset St. Peter's in the Hudson County Tournament last year, and have almost their entire starting team back. Their one drawback is lack of height - they may field a starting lineup with no player over 6-feet tall - but they'll try to make up for that with speed and control. They have legitimate hitters in senior Justin Beaumont (left side), junior Coco Ostorga (right side) junior Danny Kochanski (middle) and junior Krystoph Bogdan (middle) for senior setter Mark Gacki to feed, and Gacki is very good at spreading the ball around. Senior James Capello (libero) and either Michael Vasquez (senior) or Michal Kucza (sophomore) will be the other left side. The Bees worked hard in the off-season, playing in several leagues and also playing for club teams, and that should help pay off.
9. Moorestown. The Quakers finished 17-10 last year and has a solid starting lineup which could help the team become the leaders in the Olympic Conference down in South Jersey, where the competition for the top spot will include Eastern and Cherry Hill West. The starters will include seniors Jon Pelosi (left side) Andrew Sexton (middle) and Ryan Tuck (right side), and juniors Joe Aaron (left side), Skyler Heyman (setter), Will Cosden (middle)and Kyle Sutcliffe (defensive specialist). They'll be seeking to repeat as Olympic Conference Patriot Division champions. The Quakers will get a feel for where they stand against the rest of the state when they play in a quad match at Southern on April 28, where they'll also face East Brunswick and St. Joes.
10. Hillsboro. Only a third-year program, Hillsboro seems ready to make a jump into the group of top teams after failing to qualify for the state tournament by one game last year. Seven of the team's nine varsity players also played soccer. Setter Jared Himelfarb is only a sophomore, but is very athletic. Middles Joe Carotozolo and Sean Kelly are both solid hitters and blockers. Chris Fedroff, Alex Miska and Mike Argueta are solid passers and hitters from the outside. Hillsboro hosts its own tournament on April 14th, with Vernon, Passiac Valley, South Brunswick, Lincoln, Ferris, Toms River North, Hunterdon Central and West Windsor Plainsboro North all set to attend. They'll also play at the East Brunswick Tournament on April 21.
Teams to watch: Bridgewater (coach Corey Romanak always has his team playing at the top of its game at the end of the season and has returning starters Chris Metzger, Andrew Conkin, and Norbert Mikolajewski to rely on). Passaic Valley (a team that has worked hard in the off-season). Lakeland (the Lancers were near the top last year, and have a good group of players to try to blend together this year). Eastern (Brian Bertucci returns for his senior year with the Vikings). South Brunswick (This team started to put things together last year and has a strong core back from that team). Clifton (the Mustangs could be ready to make an impact when the state tournament rolls around). Livingston (Brandt Grobies is one of the state's best setters).
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