Josh Wilets
After a 2023 season where we saw some fantastic volleyball in New Jersey on the boys’ side, we look ahead to 2024. Let’s see how the New Jersey Boys volleyball top 20 looks headed into opening serve on April 1:
- Scotch Plains-Fanwood
- The Raiders won group 3 and the Union County Conference championships a season ago, something that team leaders Tim Ennis and Ryan Pierson will try to do again. Head Coach Brock Hor has lots of talent and a balanced roster, which sets SPF up for strong seasons this year and beyond.
- Southern Regional
- Last year’s Group 4 and Shore Conference champions headline this season’s first top 20. Coming off a 31-1 season in 2023, this juggernaut is set up well to possibly take Group 4 again. Jack McKenna and Dane Calsyn look to be the hitters who will carry most of the weight, as they are experienced seniors and return a combined 287 kills between those two players alone.
- Old Bridge
- The Knights won the Greater Middlesex Conference and finished as group 4 runners-up. Look for Massimo Roco and Nicholas Do to step in and lead the team with a strong setter/middle-hitter connection. Old Bridge is a hungry team and will look for an outside to step in to replace Blake Krapf.
- St. Joseph (Metuchen)
- St. Joseph (Metuchen) were Group 2 champions and GMC runners-up to Old Bridge a season ago. The Falcons are led by setter Nicholas Drake who recorded 568 assists last season. This team will be out for revenge against Old Bridge and will try to repeat as Group 2 champs.
- Summit
- The Summit Hilltoppers are led by returning senior Oliver Hogan. Hogan had a monster season in 2023, racking up 325 kills, 25 blocks, and 38 aces. Summit finished as runners-up in both the Union County Conference and group 2, and they are poised to get over the hump and earn a banner!
- St. John Vianney
- Last season, the St. John Vianney Lancers ended as Group 1 champions. Lots of production from last season graduated, but Nickolas Huzar will be a force. The Lancers will look to redeem themselves this season, as they were defeated by Howell in the Shore Conference semifinals a season ago.
- Bridgewater-Raritan
- The Panthers of Bridgewater-Raritan defeated Ridge in straight sets to win the Skyland Conference title but were swept by Southern in the Group 4 championship game. Junior Harry Fromberg, as well as a strong senior class, will return and give lots of teams trouble throughout the duration of the 2024 season.
- Livingston
- The Livingston Lancers won the Super Essex Conference championship with a win over Bloomfield a season ago, but were defeated by Bridgewater-Raritan in the group 4 semifinals. Coach Dan Kim will have a competitive team, even though the Lancers do not have a lot of returning players who made an impact last season.
- Hackensack
- The Comets ended last season with a 24-3 record, but 2 of those losses came at the worst of times. Hackensack lost to Fair Lawn in 3 sets in the Bergen County championship game and lost to Scotch Plains-Fanwood in the Group 3 finals. This team returns all but one player from last season, and the Comets are hungry to win some banners this season.
- Harrison
- The Blue Tide won the Hudson County championship and lost to Passaic Charter in the Group 1 tournament last season. Most of Harrison’s production from last season graduated in 2023, which means Coach Nick Landy will have to find some new pieces to try to replicate what they did a season ago.
- Fair Lawn
- The Cutters finished last season with a 24-6 record, winning the Bergen County championship in the process. Lots of production returns for Coach Peter Zisa, including setter Tomer Akad. Fair Lawn is also looking forward to seeing Benjamin Braudo and Christos Tsakarakis take control as two of the team’s best hitters.
- Colts Neck
- The Cougars lost to Scotch Plains-Fanwood in the group 3 finals, finishing with a 21-5 record. Jacob Buss and Eric Lukenda look to lead this team, as a hitter and libero, respectively. Look out for Krister Leya to break out for Colts Neck as the Cougars look to try and win the Shore Conference and the Group 3 tournaments.
- Passaic Charter
- The Passaic Charter Panthers finished with a record of 24-5 in 2023, including a runner-up finish in the Group 1 championship. Anthony Matute was a stud last season, racking up 168 kills. Passaic Charter will not be an easy out this season, look for the Panthers to make a run in the group 1 tournament as they did a season ago.
- Passaic Tech
- The Bulldogs defeated Wayne Valley to win the Passaic County title last season and ended with a 23-3 record. Nate Addison will need to be rock solid if Passaic Tech plans to win the county championship again, and the Bulldogs will have their sights set on winning a Group 4 championship.
- Pinelands
- Pinelands finished with a record of 22-7 and were swept in the South Group 2 finals last season. Lots of production remains on the roster, including Matt Davis (OH), Andrew Albright (DS), Dan Brunke (S), and Ethan Woods (MB) and that’s not even the end. Look for the Panthers to really make a run at a banner in both the Shore Conference and Group 2 tournaments.
- Manchester Township
- The Hawks finished with a 20-4 record in 2023 and will lean on outside hitter Jan Tracz to carry a huge load this season. Tracz mashed 241 kills and recorded 40 blocks, 48 aces, and 126 digs. Manchester Township has a great opportunity to compete for a Shore Conference title this season.
- Howell
- The Howell Rebels will be looking for revenge against Southern, as Howell lost to Southern in a 3-set thriller in the Shore Conference finals. Brent Romano and his 217 kills return for Howell, while Bryce Ferrandino will look to break out for the Rebels.
- Ridge
- The Red Devils finished 15-8 last season and were runners-up in the Skyland Conference championship. Ridge has over 250 kills returning from last season, headlined by Preston Shanosky. Watch out for the Red Devils—this team has a ton of talent.
- Northern Burlington
- The Greyhounds ended with a 25-5 record won the BCSL championship and lost to Colts Neck in the South Group 3 finals. Northern Burlington returns a majority of their starters and will have their sights set on winning the BCSL and making a deeper run in the Group 3 tournament.
- Vernon
- The Vikings were runners-up in the NJAC championship game and Vernon will return lots of production from last season. Josh Jean, Pearse Esposito, Ben Jurewicz and Tristan Santiago lead the way in terms of returners for Vernon. Look out for Victor Silva to make a big impact as one of the team’s outside hitters this season.
Under consideration:
- Randolph
- Bergenfield
- Bloomfield
