Powerzonevb.com Week Six Top 10 Rankings

powerzonevb.com Week Six Top 10

Week 6 Top 10

1. East Brunswick
2. St. Josephs
3. Old Bridge
4. Southern
5. Fair Lawn
6. Don Bosco
7. Lakeland
8. Eastern
9. Peter’s Prep
10. West Windsor-Plainsboro South.

1. East Brunswick (17-2). Preseason rank: 3. Week One: 2. Week Two: 2. Week Three: 2. Week Four: 3. Last Week: 4. The Bears become the latest team to take over the top spot after beating the previous No. 1, St. Joseph’s in a three-gamer on Monday. They await the results of Tuesday’s game between St. Joes and Old Bridge to find out their seeding for the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament.

2. St. Joseph’s (20-2). Preseason rank: 2. Week One: 1. Week Two: 1. Week Three: 1. Week Four: 1. Last Week: 1. The Falcons suffered their first loss to a New Jersey team on Monday when they were beaten by East Brunswick.

3. Old Bridge (19-3). Preseason rank: 6. Week One: 5. Week Two: 5. Week Three: 5. Week Four: 2. Last Week: 3. With the way the top four teams have been playing musical chairs, it’s very possible the Knights could take over the top spot on Tuesday by beating St. Joseph’s. A victory in that match would mean they’ve beaten East Brunswick, St. Joes and Southern in their most recent meetings with those teams. If they lose, the stay right where the are.

4. Southern (24-4). Preseason rank: 1. Week One: 6. Week Two: 6. Week Three: 6. Week Four: 6. Last Week: 2. The Rams dropped a three-gamer to Old Bridge in the final of their tournament on May 6. They beat Williamstown 25-15, 25-10 on Thursday.

5. Fair Lawn (17-3). Preseason rank: 5. Week One: 3. Week Two: 3. Week Three: 3. Week Four: 4. Last Week: 5. The Cutters have rebounded from a tough day at the Super Six Showcase with five straight wins, including a 25-14, 26-24 victory over Livingston on Tuesday.

6. Don Bosco Prep (15-0). Preseason rank: unranked. Week One: unranked. Week Two: unranked. Week Three: 10. Week Four: 10. Last Week: 7. The Ironmen continued their rise with an 18-25, 26-24, 25-23 victory over Montclair on Monday.

7. Lakeland (15-2). Preseason rank: unranked (teams to watch). Week One: unranked. Week Two: unranked. Week Three: unranked. Week Four: unranked. Last Week: 8. The Lancers haven’t lost since a 1-2 start in the first week of the season. They handled Passaic, 25-16, 26-24 on Wednesday in the Passaic County Tournament semifinals.

8. Eastern (18-3). Preseason rank: 7. Week One: 4. Week Two: 4. Week Three: 4. Week Four: 5. Last Week: 9. Brian Bertucci had 7 kills and three blocks as the Vikings beat Moorestown 25-15, 25-14 on Thursday.

9. St. Peters Prep (20-2). Preseason rank: unranked (teams to watch). Week One: 9. Week Two: 9. Week Three: 8. Week Four: 8. Last Week: 10. The Marauders host their tournament today, with a field that includes No. 2. St. Josephs.

10. West Windsor-Plainsboro South (12-5). Preseason rank: unranked. Week One: unranked. Week Two: unranked. Week Three: unranked. Week Four: unranked. Last Week: unranked (teams to watch). The Pirates beat Bridgewater-Raritan on Thursday, May 4. Bridgewater beat last week’s No. 6 team, CBA, on Thursday.

Teams to watch: Wayne Valley (big win over Clifton in Passaic semis on Wednesday. They face No. 7 Lakeland in the final tonight at Clifton); Bridgewater-Raritan (defending champs likely clinched a state tournament berth with 25-17, 25-18 win over CBA on Thursday); J.P. Stevens (likely to earn fourth seed in highly competitive GMC tournament); Clifton (reached Passaic County semis before slipping against Wayne Valley); Passaic (the other Passaic County semifinalist).

NOTES
All’s Wellington: Add Lakeland coach Russ Kniewel to the Wellington Perez fan club. Perez had 23 kills and 3 aces against the Lancers in Lakeland’s 13-25, 25-20, 25-18 victory over Newark East Side on Thursday. He also had 19 kills in East Side’s 25-21, 25-12 win over West Essex on Tuesday.
“I’ll tell you what, I wouldn’t want to play them (Newark East Side) again,’’ Kniewel said. “That team is going to be a tough out in the state tournament. Out of the players I’ve seen, he’s the best player in North Jersey, he can do everything – serve, pass, block and hit. The way we beat them was we didn’t serve him.’’
Fred Siegle is the communications editor and reporter for powerzonevb.com. <fsiegle@powerzonevb.com>

Week Five Top 10

Powerzonevb.com Week Five Top 10

1. St. Josephs.
2. Southern
3. Old Bridge.
4. East Brunswick.
5. Fair Lawn.
6. CBA
7. Don Bosco
8. Lakeland
9. Eastern.
10. St. Peter’s Prep

1. St. Josephs (19-1). Preseason rank: 2. Week One: 1. Week Two: 1. Week Three: 1. Last week: 1. The Falcons went 4-0 at their Super Six, beating Southern, Bridgewater-Raritan, Fair Lawn and Cherry Hill East.

2. Southern (19-3). Preseason rank: 1. Week One: 6. Week Two: 6. Week Three: 6. Last week: 6. The Rams move closer to where they started the season after a super showing at the Super Six Showcase on April 29. They beat Old Bridge, Fair Lawn, and Cherry Hill East there, and lost a close one to No. 1 St. Joes.

3. Old Bridge (14-3). Preseason rank: 6. Week One: 5. Week Two: 5. Week Three: 5. Last week: 2. Libero Scott Behnke had 13 digs and middle Lance Rogers registered 7 blocks in a 25-23, 25-14 win over J.P. Stevens on Wednesday. Rise to the top was thwarted a bit with a loss to Southern at the Super Six Showcase on April 29.

4. East Brunswick (14-2). Preseason rank: 3. Week One: 2. Week Two: 2. Week Three: 2. Last week: 3. Southern’s win over Old Bridge knocks the Bears down another spot, but they could move to the top on Monday with a victory at St. Joes, which beat them earlier in the season. Won three matches at the Eastern quad on April 29.

5. Fair Lawn (14-3). Preseason rank: 5. Week One: 3. Week Two: 3. Week Three: 3. Last week: 4. Had a tough day at the Super Six, but rebounded Tuesday with an emotional victory over Clifton. Setter Jon Bashon knows where to go when he’s in trouble – leftside Vlad Livshits had 21 kills against Clifton. “Vlad’s our leader,’’ Bashon said.

6. CBA (9-6). Preseason rank: 9. Week One: 10. Week Two: 10. Week Three: 9. Last week: 9. The Colts have slipped a little with middle Steve Santangelo out with an ankle injury, but all the losses except a week-one three setter against Williamstown have come against ranked teams. Most recent loss was Thursday against No. 3 Old Bridge.

7. Don Bosco Prep (12-0). Preseason rank: unranked. Week One: unranked. Week Two: unranked. Week Three: 10. Last week: 10. The Ironmen continued to cruise with a 25-11, 25-14 win over Belleview on Wednesday. Setter Matt Oczkowski had 6 blocks in the win.

8. Lakeland (11-2). Preseason rank: unranked (teams to watch). Week One: unranked. Week Two: unranked. Week Three: unranked. Last week: unranked. The Lancers are on a 9-match winning streak, including a victory over Wayne Valley, which beat them in the first week of the season. They play Wayne Hills in a Passaic County Tournament match on Monday.

9. Eastern (14-3). Preseason rank: 7. Week One: 4. Week Two: 4. Week Three: 4. Last week: 5. The Vikings had a tough quad on April 29, losing to Clifton and East Brunswick. They did beat Livingston, however.

10. St. Peter’s Prep (14-2). Preseason rank: Not ranked (teams to watch). Week One: 9. Week Two 9. Week Three: 8. Last week 8. The Marauders slip a bit because of Eastern’s drop. They lost to Eastern the first day of the season, but continue to roll along in Hudson County matches.

Teams to watch: Clifton (loss to Passaic is holding them back); Williamstown (slips out of the top 10 after losing to Clearview on Friday, and also falls some because of Eastern’s drop); Bloomfield (cruised to 25-13, 25-13 win over Hackensack on Thursday); West Windsor South (improved to 9-4 with a win over Bridgewater on Thursday); North Bergen (15-3, with losses to St. Joes and St. Peter’s).

NOTES
SOUTHERN TOURNAMENT: One of the few tournaments where the playoffs count against teams records (they’ll play actual 2 of 3 matches starting with the quarterfinals) takes place at Southern on Saturday.
Old Bridge, West Windsor South, Collingswood, and a second team from Southern will be in one pool, while Southern, Williamstown, West Windsor North, and Washington Township will be in the second.
Crossover playoffs should start around 2:15 p.m., with the second-and-third place teams from the opposite pools facing each other. The winners of those matches will face the first-place teams from the pools in the semifinals, with the winners then meeting for the championship. “The teams are going to get a lot of volleyball,’’ Southern coach Eric Maxwell said.

TOUGH CUT: With the cutoff looming for qualification into the state tournament (teams must have a .500 or better record after games played on Tuesday, May 16), there are a number of teams that will be fighting for playoff berths.
Tops among them: Last year’s state tournament winner, Bridgewater-Raritan. The Panthers’ loss to East Brunswick on Friday dropped their record to 8-9. They have four matches remaining (vs. Hillsborough on Tuesday, at CBA on Thursday, then against Livingston on Monday, May 14, and against Watchung Hills on the cutoff day.

The Panthers will have to go 3-1 in those four matches to earn a chance to defend their title. “We’ve got some winning to do,’’ coach Corey Romanak said. “It’s pretty simple, we can’t lose twice.’’
Bridgewater has played the last week without junior Chris Metzger, the team’s second option after Chris Allen. Metzger has bronchitis and Romanak is hoping he’ll return in time for the match with CBA
Fred Siegle is the communications editor and reporter for powerzonevb.com. <fsiegle@powerzonevb.com>

Week 4 Top 10 Rankings

Powerzonevb.com Week 4 Top 10 Rankings

1. St. Josephs.
2. Old Bridge.
3. East Brunswick.
4. Fair Lawn.
5. Eastern.
6. Southern
7. Williamstown
8. St. Peter’s Prep .
9. CBA.
10. Don Bosco

1. St. Josephs (13-1). Preseason rank: 2. Week One: 1. Week Two: 1. Last week: 1. The Falcons continue to roll, having captured the title at the Rhody Invitational on April 22. They host the Super Six Tournament on Saturday, and will play Cherry Hill East, Bridgewater-Raritan, No. 6 Southern, and No. 4 Fair Lawn there.

2. Old Bridge (8-2). Preseason rank: 6. Week One: 5. Week Two: 5. Last week: 5. The fastest rising team in the state. First, the Knights gave a scare to No. 1 St. Josephs on April 18, then they went three games before losing to East Brunswick in the final of the Bears Invitational on April 22. The Knights proved they are a legit contender on Wednesday with a three-game victory over East Brunswick. The Knights will try to solidify their spot at the Super Six on Saturday.

3. East Brunswick (8-2). Preseason rank: 3. Week One: 2. Week Two: 2. Last week: 2. The Bears slip a spot after losing to Old Bridge. They rebounded with a victory over Bridgewater-Raritan on Thursday. The play at the Eastern quad on Saturday.

4. Fair Lawn (10-0). Preseason rank: 5. Week One: 3. Week Two: 3. Last week: 3. Vlad Livshits had 10 kills as the Cutters beat Livingston on Thursday to move closer to clinching the North Jersey Boys Volleyball League Division 1 title. Will face three other top 10 teams - Old Bridge, Southern and St. Joes – along with Cherry Hill East today at the Super Six.

5. Eastern (10-0). Preseason rank: 7. Week One: 4. Week Two: 4. Last week: 4. The Vikings rolled past Cherry Hill West on Wednesday and won their South Jersey showdown with Williamstown on Monday, 25-21, 18-25, 25-20. They’ll host a quad match that will include East Brunswick, Clifton and Livingston today.

6. Southern (13-2). Preseason rank: 1. Week One: 6. Week Two: 6. Last week: 6. The Rams made the semifinals at the Bears Invitational before losing to East Brunswick. They’ll compete at the Super Six on Saturday.

7. Williamstown (10-2). Preseason rank: Not ranked. Week One: 8. Week Two: 8. Last week: 7. Braves beat Cherry Hill East on Monday and remain second behind Eastern in the Olympic Conference American Division.

8. St. Peter’s Prep (11-2). Preseason rank: Not ranked (teams to watch). Week One: 9. Week Two 9. Last week: 8. The Marauders took 9th at the Rhody Invitational in Rhode Island, capturing the Silver Division title.

9. CBA (8-4). Preseason rank: 9. Week One: 10. Week Two: 10. Last week: 9. The Colts lost to St. Joes on Tuesday, but beat Marlboro on Wednesday. Middle Steve Santangelo suffered a sprained ankle at practice on Monday but should return this week.

10. Don Bosco Prep (10-0). Preseason rank: unranked. Week One: unranked. Week Two: unranked: Last week: 10. Chris Anderson had 10 kills as the Ironmen won their Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League showdown with Passaic on Thursday. The win completed the first half of the team’s schedule.

Teams to watch: Collingswood (9-1, with only loss to Southern); Cherry Hill West (beat Washington Twp. and Cherry Hill East this week); Lakeland (on a 6-match winning streak); J.P. Stevens (won rematch with South Brunswick this week); Hackensack (beat Montclair on Wednesday).

NOTES
Strong signal: Don Bosco setter Matt Oczkowski calls out plays loud enough for everyone to hear during the Ironmen’s games, but he’s not worried about teams knowing what he’s calling for. “I use nicknames and what the set will be,’’ the senior said. “We can’t tell you what they mean, because then our opponents will know.’’
Oczkowski likes to spread the ball around while setting from the 5-1 alignment. “We tried a 6-2 in the preseason, but it didn’t work out,’’ he said. “With the 5-1, we just have so many options, including 10 balls and back sets.’’ When his team found itself in a little trouble in the first game against Passaic on Thursday, Oczkowski just sped up the offense. By the end of the second game, the Bosco hitters weren’t facing much of a block at all. “They were reading us well in the first game,’’ Oczkowski said. “So we just went with more trick plays and quick sets.’’
Halftime: The Ironmen have virtually clinched a spot in the state tournament after having finished the first half of their regular-season schedule unbeaten. But coach Mark Mako doesn’t want his team thinking about the post-season yet. “We’re just trying to take it game-by-game,’’ Mako said. “We’re playing well, and we just want to keep that going.’’
“This is the halfway point and we’ve beaten everyone,’’ senior Chris Anderson said. “The main thing is to keep playing like a team like we’ve been doing.’’

College try: CBA middle Steve Santangelo and Don Bosco’s Chris Anderson are both being recruited by Ramapo College. Anderson visited Ramapo on Friday.
Bergen County Tournament: As of now, the event won’t be held, but Mako said Ramapo college coach Don Vanderbeck has offered the school’s facility if it can be revived. Bosco won the county tournament last year, when it was brought back after a year without one.
“I would love to have it if we can set it up,’’ Mako said. “Don offered the school's gym, we could have it over one or two days, whatever is needed. We just have to find the day(s) when everyone is available.’’
Fred Siegle is the communications editor and reporter for powerzonevb.com. <fsiegle@powerzonevb.com>