HHS volleyballers start strong

Finish second in tourney, win first match

By: John E. Powers
   
   PLAINFIELD — Outside Plainfield High School Monday afternoon, the weather was raw and there was threat of rain. Inside, the Hillsborough High boys were taking what they hope is another step toward volleyball respectability in the Cardinals’ main gymnasium.
   Hillsborough head coach Todd Sudol, whose team advanced to the final of the Raiders’ first opening-day tournament last Saturday, is comfortable with the personnel of his team, which dominated the Cardinals 25-7, 25-12. Last year, Hillsborough finished 4-19 – among those losses was one on the road at Plainfield. Hillsborough also beat the Cardinals at home.
   "In the first game (Monday) I pulled my starters toward the end and in the second game I mixed up our starting positions," Sudol said. "It gives the guys an opportunity – like my regular varsity setter to play another hitting position so he can work on his defense. It gives our other kids who don’t normally start for varsity a chance to get in and play, go through the rotations and work on the things we need to work on. We can work on the guys out of the back attack instead of just on the net in the front. We also wanted to run some of our new plays."
   Senior tri-captain outside hitter Conor Corcoran helped put the first game away with seven service points. Junior captain and opposite Mike Argueta had a kill and block as the Raiders took command early in the first game. They didn’t look like a team that finished 4-19 last year.
   "We have improved a lot since last year," Argueta said. "We can all hit. I really think it’s going to be a good year."
   "Communication is the key and team unity," Corcoran added. "We can have the best player on the court and it wouldn’t matter. You have to play as a team."
   Both Argueta and Corcoran were part of the first-ever Raider team last year along with senior middle blocker and captain Joe Sheridan.
   "He (Conor) has a very effective jump serve – I let him go there about five or six jump serves in a row, then had him adjust from there," Sudol said. "It’s hard to simulate in practice game situations, so this is a game situation and you have to let him build confidence as a jump server. He’s one of three that I have who like to do the jump serve, so I encourage them to work on it, especially in a game."
   "My jump serve was a little too hard for them," Corcoran said. "I’m glad we showed so much, considering we lost to this team here. To come out and win big and have everybody play is good."
   Argueta, who leads the team in kills, can play any position.
   "He’s very, very tough to pass off and he’s a leader on the court," Sudol said.
   Sudol said the team will be running a new offense this year. Last year, the Raiders relied on a 6-2 format with two setters on the court. This year, the team has gone to a 5-1 with sophomore Kyle Downey as the setter.
   "He was one of my setters last year," Sudol said. "I groomed him from freshman year last year. I want consistency on the court. I want them getting sets from the same setter. Kyle is young enough so he’ll be running my offense for the next three years."
   Freshman setter Jared Himelfarb came up from the junior varsity to get the Raiders going in the second game.
   "He’s a lefty which is very nice to have as a setter; he’s just as talented and he runs the junior varsity," said Sudol, who is being assisted by Rob Longo, the Raiders’ freshman boys’ soccer coach.
   The Raiders have 19 players this spring, 12 of them are soccer players.
   "I went after the soccer players; they have a very good work ethic," Sudol said. "We have a very good soccer program at our school."
   Argueta, junior Sean Kelly, junior Alex Miska, Downey and Himelfarb are soccer players. He also picked up a few basketball players. Senior Jake Lefevre and freshman Alex Jackson and Tim Gendimenico, a lefty, whose brother, Bobby, swims for Sudol during the winter.
   "We get quality athletes; we’re just teaching them a new sport," Sudol said. "That’s kind of my perspective. That’s how we’re going to build a program into a very recognizable name in the state. They have great reaction time. They are quick on their feet and they know how to think on their feet. A lot of plays in volleyball – like your give and goes — while soccer is foot and eye coordination. This is arm and eye coordination. It’s a lot of the same movements, the same mentalities."
   He added that he’s looking for six athletes to work as one.
   "They’ve really taken to that aspect," Sudol said.
   The Raiders hosted their own opening-day tournament Saturday. Seven teams started the tournament.
   "You played everybody one time and it’s two games to 18," said Sudol, who added that the team will host the tournament on an annual basis. "In the final, it was best of three."
   The Raiders advanced to the final, but were beaten in three games by West Windsor-Plainsboro North, a team they had beaten earlier in the day.
   "It was a tough loss because we bet them previously during the day," Sudol said. "At the end, by 4 p.m. when we played the final the guys were tired. We started at 9. It was a long day and we got a little tired and sloppy. We ended up playing over 12 games. It was good."
   The Raiders beat Passaic Valley two straight games. Passaic Valley beat Hillsborough last year. The Raiders also beat West Windsor North, Newark East Side and Lincoln of Jersey City.
   "I was very pleased throughout the entire day, it just so happens we didn’t win in the final," Sudol said. "To me there were more positives of beating teams that beat us last year – West Windsor North, Passaic Valley and Newark East Side – those are respectable teams. We just faded out toward the end and that’s to be expected at the end of the long day. But we were pleased with our defense and offense and the way we were hitting the ball, passing the ball."