Last week, the St. Joseph High School volleyball team accomplished the only feat last year’s 43-1 and undisputed state championship squad failed to do: win the season opener. After dropping last season’s opener, the Falcons won 43 straight, including the NJSIAA Central-South Sectional title before beating St. Peter’s, the NJSIAA North champ, to claim the state’s ultimate prize. With all but two starters gone from last season’s record-breaking team, the Falcons knew they would be tested right from the start against county rival East Brunswick at the season opener April 1. After losing the opening game 25-19 to the Bears, St. Joe’s rallied to win the next two games, 25-23, and win the match 2-1.
“The win was a great momentum builder for this year’s team,” St. Joe’s head coach Miguel Cabrita said. “East Brunswick has a strong team, and a lot of the preseason attention in the various local papers centered on their chances of winning the division. It was nice to see we could play with them and pull out the win.”
Led by returning starters Bobby O’Grady and Dan Vaccariello, the Falcons improved to 2-1 on the young season the following day after a tri-meet against Southern Regional and West Windsor-Plainsboro North. St. Joe’s lost to Southern in two straight before defeatingWestWindsor in three. O’Grady and Vaccariello are both on the left side this spring.
With O’Grady moved from middle to left side, senior Jose Monsanto fills the vacancy at middle. At center is senior Ryan Jago. Junior Matt Lajiness is one of the team’s top setters and fearless blockers, with classmate Nick Yip starting at the libero position.
“Nick is a fantastic defender and a strong passer,” Cabrita said. “We have a number of great passers and great defenders on this year’s team. Ball control should be a definite strength for us. Many of the guys on this team have been playing with each other for years now, and the guys gel really well as a result.”
With O’Grady and Vaccariello on the left side, Greg MacDonald is expected to supply the power on the right side.
“We’re growing into our offense, and we seem to be improving quickly,” Cabrita said. “I’ve seen some really solid play so far, and hopefully this will continue.”
With another jam-packed schedule, the Falcons should exceed 40 matches for a second consecutive year. Last year’s win total of 43 was a state record for any sport and is likely to remain unbroken for some time.
This week the Falcons will have their hands full against the likes of South Brunswick and Christian Brothers Academy. Near the close of the month, the team will travel to the Windy City to compete in the Smack Attack Invitational at Brother Rice High School in Chicago. The event will run April 24-25.
“We usually travel out of state once a year,” Cabrita said. “This will be our first trip to Chicago, and it will give us the opportunity to play against some of the best teams in the country. Out-of-state tournaments are always a good opportunity for us to play some tough competition and see where we can improve.”