WEEK 5 TOP 10

A little late, but here we go. Records through Monday's matches.

1. Southern (23-0). Last week: 1. Week 3: 2. Week 2: 3. Preseason rank: 3. The Rams have now beaten nearly every top team in the state, and will get their chance vs. Bayonne on Saturday at the Super Six. They put up a better block than nearly every team they play, but still have solid ball control skills. They also serve more aggressively than most teams. Another win over East Brunswick on Saturday makes Southern the unchallenged top seed in the NJSIAA South/Central playoff bracket.

2. East Brunswick (16-1). Last week 2, Week 3: 1. Week 2: 1. Preseason rank: 2. Of the top South/Central teams, the Bears play the least aggressive schedule. Often, the best competition they're getting in a given week is at their practices between their first and second string. They'll face some tough teams at the Super Six, where they'll get their second chance against Southern. But even with a victory, the Rams' strength of schedule may be too much to overcome when it comes time for seeding.

3. St Josephs (14-5). The Falcons finished 7th at the tournament in Ohio over the weekend, where one of their losses was to the 4-time defending state champions from the host state. Their loss to South Brunswick doesn't hurt them much because of all their victories over the other top teams.

4. CBA (14-3). St. Peters' wins over Old Bridge and Fair Lawn help the Colts move up because of their victory over the Marauders early in the season. There are many similarities between Bayonne and CBA. Neither team is very big, but both are highly skilled. Teamwork is also a strength for each, and they also play hard on every point. The Colts won't give up against anybody. They play Old Bridge on Saturday.

5. Bayonne (19-0). The Bees have a big match with St. Peters on Thursday, where the top seed in North Jersey will probably be decided. Wins or losses at the Super Six probably won't mean much for seeding, but will show where the Bees stand against the top teams.

6. St. Peters Prep (20-5). Every loss for the Marauders has been to teams ranked ahead of them. They face their biggest match of the season on Thursday when they host Bayonne.

7. Old Bridge (9-6). The Knights lost twice - to St. Peters and Southern - at Southern's tournament last Saturday to drop them in the rankings. They still are one of the most feared teams in the state, but haven't really put together a complete match against any top team. The Greater Middlesex Tournament, which starts next week, might be their last chance before the state tournament to show that they can live up to their potential.

8. Fair Lawn (16-4). The Cutters have also failed against every top team they've faced. They have two solid options for setter John Bashan in Artem Makarenko and middle Alex Bylinkin, and right side Matt Agnew has also been able to put the ball down. But they just don't seem to be able to finish against the top teams.

9. Clifton (16-1) The Mustangs played Passaic Valley in the Passaic County Tournament on Wednesday. Their record is nice, but the only top 10 team they've played is Old Bridge, which accounts for their one loss. Matches against St. Joes and Bridgewater were canceled.

10. South Brunswick (13-4). The Vikings have to get some kind of credit for the win over St. Joes. Plus, they've beaten Hillsborough as well.

(I'll add in the extras, like previous rankings and such, when I get a chance!)
Fred

Southern stays unbeaten; St. Peter's beats Fair Lawn

By Fred Siegle

MANAHAWKEN - It's looking more and more like the road to the NJSIAA finals is going to go through Southern Regional for the South/Central bracket, and Hudson County in the North bracket.

Southern, No. 1 in the the Powerzonevb.com rankings, won four matches Saturday to capture the title at the Southern Invitational, staying unbeaten for the year. They beat St. Peter's (19-5) in the final, but the Hudson County power showed that it may be the only real challenger to unbeaten Bayonne, their Hudson County counterpart, for the No. 1 seed in the north by going 3-1, including victories over Fair Lawn and Old Bridge, which were both ranked higher.

Old Bridge, ranked No. 4, lost to St. Peters in pool play and also lost to Southern in the semifinals, and went 2-2 for the day. Fair Lawn, ranked No. 5, lost to Southern in pool play and St. Peters in the semis and also was 2-2. Cherry Hill West (1-3 for the day) and Williamstown (0-4) were also at the tournament.

Southern's Nolan King was named the tournament MVP, registering 28 kills for the day, including 12 in leading the Rams to a comeback win over Old Bridge in the semis, and 5 in the final against St. Peter's.

The Rams beat Old Bridge 25-22, 25-17, but the Knights had a 7-1 lead in one of the games before King took over.

"In that game, he carried us for a little while until everyone else got back on track,'' said Southern coach Eric Maxwell. "We had to fight our way back into it in that game, and Nolan got extremely hot. He kept us close, 2-3 points behind, by siding out. Then we broke through and won.''

The Rams beat St. Peter's 25-10, 25-19. Fran Hodgson had 9 kills and 5 blocks in that match, while Jeff Elsasser contributed 7 kills and 2 blocks. Both were also named to the all-tournament team.

The tournament provided the Rams with their first real test since they took over the No. 1 spot by going undefeated in a quad match with former No. 1 East Brunswick and No. 3 St. Josephs.

"We're just trying to stay consistent,'' Elsasser said. "We know the competition is going to come after us, so we're trying to step up and play better every match, every week. At this point we've played just about everyone, we know what we have to do. And being No. 1 puts extra pressure on us, because everyone wants to beat us.''

St. Peters beat Fair Lawn 25-19, 25-19. Matt Whitford led the way with 11 kills in that match, while libero Kevin McNerney had 10 digs. Both were named to the all-tournament team.

The Marauders lost to Bayonne earlier in the season, but will meet their county foes again on Thursday, probably with the top seed in North Jersey on the line. Bayonne has already beaten the Cutters.

"That's a big game no matter what happened here,'' coach Don Guide said. "But I think North Jersey seeding comes down to that match now. Fair Lawn doesn't have any way to recoup from those losses. There might be another team or two that might think they have a claim to the top spot, but in my mind, whoever wins on Thursday won't have to play away from home in the playoffs until the tournament shifts to neutral sites. (For the final in each section).''

Also named to the all-tournament team were Lance Rogers and Joe Nemeth of Old Bridge, and Alex Bylinkin of Fair Lawn.

Bayonne defeats Fair Lawn

By Fred Siegle

Bayonne staked its claim to supremacy in the north section of the state on Tuesday with a 25-16, 33-31 victory over Fair Lawn.

The Bees, ranked 7th in the Powerzonevb.com top 10, remain unbeaten at 17-0, while No. 5 Fair Lawn suffered its second loss and first against a team from the north. Bayonne has also already beaten St. Peters, another top contender in the north.

"We've beaten both of them, now we have to keep moving forward,'' said senior Justin Beaumont, who led the Bees with 10 kills, 10 digs, 4 blocks and 4 aces. "This shows we're the best team in the north.''

Bayonne still plays St. Peters a second time, on May 10, and will also play in the Super Six Showcase at St. Josephs on May 12. That will feature top teams Southern, St. Joes, East Brunswick, Moorestown and Fair Lawn.

Coco Ostorga had 6 kills, 6 digs and 3 blocks for Bayonne, while Danny Kochanski added 6 kills and 6 blocks. Krystoph Bogdan had 3 kills and 3 digs, James Capello had 12 digs, and setter Mark Gacki contributed 18 assists and 2 aces.

"It was a good match, and the best thing was, we didn't let up,'' Beaumont said. "Against St. Peters, we kind of let down a little in the second game, we got nonchalant. This time we pushed hard all the way through.''

Week 4 Top 10

This is based on matches before Tuesday!

Powerzone has been busy, so I haven't had a lot of time. Here's the top 10, I'll try to add more info when I get a chance - Fred.

1. Southern

2. East Brunswick

3. St Josephs

4. Old Bridge

5. Fair Lawn

6. CBA

7. Bayonne

8. St. Peters

9. Moorestown

10. Washington Township

WEEK 3 TOP 10

Thanks to Charlie Ginex for the photo (East Brunswick's Sameer Sood, the tournament MVP, passes the ball during the Bears Invitational.)

By Fred Siegle

Not many changes here from last week. But some more big matches this week - St. Josephs at East Brunswick today, and both those teams along with Moorestown at Southern on Saturday in a quad match could bring a shakeup next week.

1. EAST BRUNSWICK (8-0). Preseason ranking: 2; last week: 1. The Bears had a relatively uneventful week since the last ranking with wins over Bridgewater, South Brunswick, and West Windsor Plainsboro-South. They also went 13-1 in games as they won their Bears Invitational on Saturday. First real test of the season is Tuesday when they host St. Joseph.

2. Southern (13-0). Preseason ranking: 3; last week: 2. The Rams won their Shore Conference rivalry match with CBA last Monday. Now they can look forward to their big quad on Saturday when they host the No. 1, 3, and 9 teams.

3. St. Josephs (9-1). Preseason ranking: 1; last week: 3. The Falcons continued their ambitous schedule on Monday with a win over No. 5 Fair Lawn. They've already played six of the top 10 teams and will add East Brunswick (twice) and Moorestown this week. Coach Miguel Cabrita has invited Bayonne, the only other top 10 team the Falcons haven't played, to the Super Six Showcase (May 12). The other invitees: Fair Lawn, East Brunswick, Southern and Moorestown.

4. Old Bridge (5-2). Preseason ranking: 4; last week: 4. The Knights reached the semifinals at the Bears Invitational on Saturday, losing in one game to St. Joes. they had compiled a 7-5 record in pool play at the event.


5. Fair Lawn (7-1). Preseason ranking: 5; last week: 5. The Cutters suffered their first loss of the season against St. Joseph on Monday. They'll get another chance against the Falcons at the Super Six Showcase on May 12, when they'll also play East Brunswick, Southern and Moorestown. They reached the final at the Clifton Tournament on Saturday, losing to North Pocono of Pennsylvania.

6. CBA (8-3). Preseason ranking: 7; last week: 6. The Colts' only losses have been to No. 2 Southern (twice) and No. 3 St. Joes. The reached the semifinals at the Clifton Tournament on Saturday, going 6-2 in pool play, and beating Livingston in a 1-game playoff. They lost to North Pocono of Pennsylvania in semis. Brendan Corley was named to the all-tournament team.

7. Bayonne (10-0). Preseason ranking: 8; last week: 8. The Bees won their battle for supremacy in Hudson County with a 25-18, 19-25, 26-24 victory over St. Peters last Thursday. The two teams meet again on May 10 at St. Peters. This weekend, they'll be at the Livingston Tournament.

8. St. Peters (9-4). Preseason ranking: 6; last week: 7. The Marauders drop another notch after the loss to Bayonne, but aren't likely to fall any further in the foreseeable future. They won their pool with a 7-1 record at the Clifton Tournament.

9. Moorestown (6-0). Preseason ranking: 9; last week: 9. The Quakers are the only school in the 18-team Olympic Conference without a loss. They beat Eastern and Washington Township last week, and also captured the title at the Collingswood Classic on Saturday.

10. Bridgewater-Raritan (6-1). Preseason rank: unranked (teams to watch); last week: teams to watch. There's no shame in a loss to East Brunswick. The Panthers beat a quality team in Hillsborough last Thursday. While they barely made the state playoffs last year, Bridgewater seems to be cruising toward the postseason now.

Teams to watch: Clifton (still unbeaten and host Old Bridge on Friday); Livingston (beat Vernon last Friday); Williamstown (knocked Eastern from the unbeaten ranks last Wednesday); Bridgewater-Raritan (beat Hillsborough in a 3-setter last week); Eastern (still a talented team despite back-to-back losses to Williamstown and Moorestown.)

(edited on 4/24 to reflect loss by South Brunswick (to West Windsor South) last week that I hadn't taken into account - Fred).

St. Joseph beats Fair Lawn

By Fred Siegle

METUCHEN - When the games were on the line, St. Joseph's volleyball team was unfazed by the pressure.

In both games against Fair Lawn on Monday, the teams battled back and forth until the score was 18-18. And in both games, the Falcons came through with strings of points to emerge with a 25-19, 25-21 victory.

Senior middle Drew Colon, who finished the match with a solo block, his second in three points, said it was simply a matter of figuring out the opponents.

"Their whole team hits angle, none of them ever hit line,'' Colon said. "It's easy to block when you know where they're going.''

Fair Lawn had a 21-20 lead in game two, but a service error tied the score. Then, Colon had a dig that enabled setter Steve Korbos to feed Marcin Midura (5 kills, 2 blocks) for a kill, Colon put up a block for a point, Keith MacDonald earned his 7th kill of the match, and Colon blocked for the match. He finished with 3 kills and 3 blocks in the two games.

"When it comes down to the crucial points, we have to learn to play the way we've played in the rest of the game,'' Fair Lawn coach Pete Zisa said. "It's all about playing those big points, we need all cylinders firing.''

"We gained momentum from our hitting as the games went on,'' MacDonald said. "I thought Fair Lawn played well, and our passing got a little shaky at one point. We have to work on that. But we kept swinging and stayed aggressive.''

Middle Paul Konapacki had 6 kills and 3 blocks for the Falcons, who are ranked third in the Powerzonevb.com top 10 and improved to 9-1.

The Falcons will be tested again on Tuesday when they visit No. 1 East Brunswick in a makeup match from last week.

"It's obviously a big game and it'll be intense, we'll be in their place and I'm sure it will be loud,'' Colon said. "But we know the most important thing will be how well we're playing when we get to the state tournament.''

Artem Makarenko led Fair Lawn, now 7-1 and No. 5 in the Powerzonevb.com rankings, with 7 kills. Alex Bylinkin had 5 kills, and Matt Agnew contributed 3. Setter Jon Bashan had 15 assists.

"We still haven't played our best yet,'' Zisa said. "But I saw some good things today. St. Joes
is a real good team with no weak points.''

EB keeps BI Jug

Thanks to Charlie Ginex for the photo (East Brunswick's Kyle Barry sets John McLaughlin in a game against Old Bridge during the Bears Invitational.)

By Fred Siegle

EAST BRUNSWICK - John McLaughlin warmed up his jump serve in East Brunswick's last pool play game at the Bears Invitational. By the time the Bears were in the final, it was on fire.

East Brunswick beat St. Josephs 25-14 in the final on Saturday to keep the B.I. Jug that goes to the tournament winner and remain the only team to capture the title in the event's three-year history. McLaughlin played a huge role in the victory with two aces and nine service points, with most of those coming because of St. Joes errors or off easy defensive plays for the Bears because of the pressure McLaughlin's tough serves put on the Falcons' offense.

"It started working for me in the second Bayonne game (the Bears' last pool-play game), and I just started getting more and more confident in it,'' McLaughlin said. "Once it started working for me, I just kept ripping it.''

McLaughlin, a senior middle blocker, also started for the Bears last year. But he didn't jump serve then.

"I would try it once in a while in practice, but I always hit it out of bounds,'' McLaughlin said. "It would sail all over the place, most of the time into the wall.''

But he stuck with it at practice this year.

"I've been working on it,'' he said. "Today, it started working in that one game. I start out with just a float, and if we get a point off that I'll go with a harder jumper.''

In the final, McLaughlin's first flurry of jump serves came at the start of the game. His fifth point came on an ace that hit the net and trickled over for his second ace and gave the Bears a 7-1 lead. It also forced the Falcons to take a time out, after which they were able to side out on a kill by Keith MacDonald.

McLaughlin also had a four-point streak at the end of the game, all St. Joes' errors, that made the score 24-13. The Bears, who went 11-1 in pool play in the 7-team event, went on to finish the game with a block by Alex Rigley and retain the jug. Senior Sameer Sood of the Bears was named the tournament MVP.

Since the final was only one game, it won't count on either team's record. But the two teams , ranked first and third in the Powerzonevb.com top 10, will meet with even more on the line on Tuesday in a match postponed from last week.

"Playing them (St. Joes) today gives us a chance to see what they have,'' McLaughlin said. "We know they're a good team and won't lay down. We have to come out just as hard on Tuesday.''

St. Joes was erratic all day, going 7-5 in pool play, which was still good enough for the second seed in the playoffs.

"We were kind of chippy all day,'' coach Miguel Cabrita said. "This really doesn't mean anything, win or lose. It was more about feeling each other out to see what each team can do. ''

The Falcons have a tough week, with a home match against No. 5 Fair Lawn on Monday, the match vs. East Brunswick on Tuesday, a meeting with perennial state power Bridgewater-Raritan on Wednesday, and then a quad match involving the Bears (again), No. 2 Southern, and No. 9 Moorestown on Saturday at Southern.

East Brunswick beat Bayonne (6-6 in pool play, including wins over the Bears and Falcons) in the semifinals, while St. Joes beat Old Bridge (7-5 in pool play). Bayonne beat Bridgewater (5-7) in the quarterfinals, while Old Bridge beat Hillsborough (4-8). West Windsor-Plainsboro South went 3-9 in pool play.