BY RICHARD JEROME
Staff Writer
SCOTT PILLING staff East Brunswick’s Tom Kohler goes up for the spike during the Bears’ GMCT final win over rival St. Joseph’s on May 25 in East Brunswick. The East Brunswick High School volleyball team has long been an area power.
But the Bears’ defeat of St. Joseph’s for their third straight Greater Middlesex Conference crown truly proved the club’s mettle. EBHS won the first game 25-23, then saw the Falcons claw back with a 25-18 victory. The Bears then came back to win a hard-fought clincher, 25-22.
“We let down in the second game and they battled — they’re a very good team,” said coach Greg Rutz. “But then our kids showed what they were capable of.”
After the GMCs, the Bears brought their record to 25-2 with an opening-round victory over Bloomfield in the state tourney.
The triumph over St. Joe’s was a bit of payback, as the Falcons earlier this spring broke EBHS’s 52-game winning streak. Spearheading the attack, as usual, were seniors Tom Kohler and Dan Semkowski, who combined for 24 kills and 26 digs.
“Tom has been our go-to guy all year offensively,” said Rutz, who is assisted by Charlie Ginex. “With him on the floor, we’re a very good team. Dan is a consistent offensive threat and a great defensive leader.”
The star duo had plenty of help, however. Senior center Brad Kern came into his own this year, playing with consistency and understanding the offense, while another 12th-grader, Mike Minchella and junior Alon Gitlin, proved an able combo.
“Mike is much better now at blocking and attacking, and Alon is very consistent on defense,” the coach said.
Sophomore Eric Corpus has been impressive, recording six kills and 14 digs in the county clincher.
“He’s the third figure in our defensive triangle,” said Rutz, “a smart hitter who serves and receives very well.”
Rounding out the front-liners, senior Bryan O’Sullivan started slowly because he’d just come off swimming season, but came on as a blocker and offensive player, and had seven kills in the GMC finale. And senior Maciej Bykowski is a consistent server and aggressive all-around player.
“He never lets up,” said his coach.
The Bears will now turn their attention to the state tournament, where they are the top seed, and beat Old Bridge, 25-13, 25-14, on Wednesday in the second round. The Knights had upset Christian Brothers Academy in the first round to earn their shot at the Bears.
The finals are set for June 10 at South Brunswick High School. The Bears are certainly expected to be there, and could very likely meet a St. Joseph’s team hungry for another shot at them.