By Tim Morris
The Colts Neck High School boys volleyball team has a lot to look forward to.
“We’re really having a great season,” Cougars head coach Glenn Jansen said. “We can play anybody. I’m excited for them moving forward.”
Forward would be to the postseason tournaments, where the Cougars have the chance to leave an impression.
First up is the Shore Conference Tournament that begins May 6. The Cougars’ goal is to make it to the May 12 semifinals and finals at Georgian Court University in Lakewood.
Colts Neck is 11-4 on the season and with a second straight 2-0 win over Howell High School is alone in first place in the public school division of the Shore Conference A North Division. The Cougars’ only division losses have been to non-public Christian Brothers Academy (CBA).
The Cougars have taken on a tough nondivision schedule that Jansen believes will make them battle-tested for tournament play. Colts Neck’s four losses have all been to teams ranked in the top 10 in the state: Saint Joseph High School of Metuchen, CBAy and Hillsborough High School. They Cougars have beaten strong Greater Middlesex Conference teams like J.P. Stevens High School and Old Bridge High School.
In their J.P. Stevens match on the road, the Cougars trailed, 21-12, in the second set after winning the first, 25-22. They won nine straight points on their serve to tie the match and closed it out, 25-22, winning 13 of the last 14 points. They did this even though J.P. Stevens has one of the state’s most imposing players in 6-foot-6 Kyle Mackiewicz, who is headed to Penn State University.
The Cougars first showed their potential at the Bloomfield Tournament the first week of the season. They went undefeated in their bracket, beating St. Joe’s along the way (teams play one-set matches in bracket play).
“This year, we have the perfect blend of senior leadership, players who play club volleyball and exuberant, quality underclassman,” Jansen said. “It’s the best of everything.”
That’s why Jansen believes his team has proved it can compete with anyone in the state.
The cornerstones of the Cougars are seniors: outside hitter Spencer Matthews and setter Lucas Inglis, who both are college bound — Matthews to Alvernia University and Inglis to Ramapo College.
This year, Matthews has 127 kills, 56 digs and 24 service aces. Inglis has 321 assists.
Junior outside hitter Nick Panicali is catching the eyes of college scouts. He has 140 kills and 36 service aces. He and Matthews have dominated the net.
Senior libero (defensive specialist) Jordan Kemp has 85 digs.
Middle blocker Luke Lallo, a senior, has a team-high 22 blocks and 47 kills.
The conference tournament begins with first-round games May 6. The round of 16 is May 9 and quarterfinals are May 11. All these matches are on the home court of the highest-seeded team.
Howell (7-6) and Freehold High School (6-6) will likely be in the field as well.
The Rebels are led by the net play of Brian Downey and Kyle Bosko.
Freehold has been sparked by the all-around play of Harry Biddle.
Colts Neck’s victories over J.P. Stevens and Old Bridge bode well for the Cougars later this month when the NJSIAA state sectional tournaments roll around. Their tough schedule, along with the conference tournament, will be great preparation as the team looks to go deep in Central Jersey, Group IV.