Pirates need one win to reach state tournament
By: Justin Feil
The West Windsor-Plainsboro South boys’ volleyball team is out of its mid-season slump.
That in itself is enough to fuel high hopes for the remainder of the year.
"We came together as a team a few weeks ago in practice," said Pirate senior Dan Barsky. "We got to the finals in the Southern tournament. Then, the day after was Hunterdon Central. I probably played my best game of the season.
"We played together. When our team plays together and we play as a team, that’s when we win. I have faith in our team to go all the way to the finals in states if we play to our best level."
The Pirates will need to win either today’s game against Watchung Hills or Tuesday’s game against archrival West Windsor-Plainsboro North to qualify for the state tournament cutoff for being .500. They fell to 9-8 with a 2-0 loss to Bridgewater-Raritan on Tuesday, one day after handling Hunterdon Central and three days after reaching the finals of the Southern Regional Invitational before falling to the hosts. The Pirates are only in a must-win situation after fighting through their struggles.
"We started out good and then we had a slump in the middle where we lost to some teams we probably shouldn’t have," said WW-PS head coach Michael Adams. "All those teams we saw in the tournament, we got beat by both J.P. Stevens and Old Bridge. My guys were itching to play them again. We lost to them during the slump.
"It was almost like a confidence thing," he added. "They lost their confidence for some reason. They had a bad match against some teams that weren’t as strong and it just carried over. I wish I knew all the answers as a coach. They’ve been gradually gaining it back."
Making the Southern finals and then playing so strongly in the first two days of the week was a step in the right direction.
"They lost their confidence but they’ve got it back," Adams said. "They showed that they had it against Hunterdon Central and even against Bridgewater. As long as we passed their serves, we were OK. Then we missed some serves and you can’t do that against them."
Barsky is hoping that the Pirates can continue to move in that direction as they prepare for the state tournament. One of the captains along with fellow seniors Chris Quinlan and Rob Cave, he helped bring the Pirates through their slump.
"We tried to motivate the team and bring it back together," Barsky said. "When we play bad, we play with our heads down."
On a Pirates team that is devoid of height, there’s not far to look down. They know they can’t be looking down, however, if they’re to advance in the state tournament. They have to look to each other.
"We’re all individually very talented," Barsky said. "We’re probably the most undersized team in the state. I’m the tallest one. I’m 6-2. We play as a team. We get every ball up. Everyone motivates each other.
"We really rely on our back row defense. Even though our guys in the front really step it up, it’s hard for them to get as high. We have to work together."
Barsky himself is in a different role this year. Last year, he was a middle, but has developed into the Pirates’ go-to guy this season. It’s been a job he’s done well.
"We had a really big hitter outside last year," Barsky said. "He put most of the weight on his shoulders. I’m taking the responsibility this year. But people that know volleyball know if you can’t spread out the set, it doesn’t matter. It’s definitely thanks to the team too."
Adams gives Barsky credit for fulfilling his new role. It’s just what is expected of a senior.
"He’s our go-to guy," Adams said. "He steps it up. He’s the big one that led us to the win against Hunterdon Central."
Barsky is looking for anyone to lead the team to big wins as they get into the biggest part of the season. After the state cutoff, the Pirates will have a key tune-up match with Southern and a final send-off against WW-P North before setting their sights on the state Group III prize.
"There are a lot of good teams in the state," Barsky noted. "If we play the way we played the beginning of the year, when we got to the semifinals of the Eastern Tournament and at the Southern tournament, we got to the finals, we can definitely go all the way. As long as we play together as a team."
WW-P South is out of its slump, and what didn’t kill it has made it stronger. Barsky believes that the Pirates are back to playing at least the way they did in the beginning of the season, when they started out with such promise. Now they’re back to that point.
"If not the same level, even better," Barsky said. "We have a new lineup. We have a good chance of making our way through states."

