By Warren Rappleyea
North Brunswick Township High School’s boys volleyball team is sitting atop the Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) White Division and owns an overall record of 13-3.
The Raiders are just two victories shy of matching last spring’s total of 15 wins and are coming off a solid 2-0 (26-24, 25-19) triumph over West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North in a match that saw junior Bryan Ezeonu lead the way with 11 kills, while fellow junior Sree Yasa posted eight kills to go with a block and an assist.
Coach Jim Biolsi’s team has spread the scoring wealth around. Shiv Rittan tops the Raiders with 105 kills, followed by Ezeonu with 87 kills. Sophomore Kumal Narula has contributed 62 kills, Yasa has added 61 kills and junior Rohan Mahadik has 47 kills to his credit.
Max Santana has been solid in keeping the ball in play with a team-leading 117 digs. Yasa and Warren Hilliard have pitched in with 65 digs apiece, and sophomore Abhishek Shetty has produced 60 digs.
As expected, setter Ryan Jennings leads North Brunswick with 322 assists. The junior also leads the team with 32 aces and has 62 digs and 22 kills.
“It’s been a total team effort,” said Biolsi, whose team has won eight successive matches following a loss to J.P. Stevens High School April 15. “Everyone does a little bit of everything. We don’t depend on any one player, so our versatility is a big plus.”
In other volleyball action, South Brunswick High School halted a five-match losing streak with a 2-0 (25-14, 25-17) victory over Rancocas Valley Regional High School May 3. Todd Blackburn led the way with nine kills, a pair of aces, a block and a dig, while Tsriztan Oliver pitched in with eight digs and an assist.
The Vikings lost a 2-0 (15-25, 14-25) decision to Saint Joseph High School of Metuchen April 5 despite a nine-kill, seven-dig effort from Sanger Mehta. The following day, Mehta and Eric Savage scored 12 kills each to lead South Brunswick past Edison High School, 2-0 (25-19, 25-21). Danny Sun had 20 assists in the win. The Vikings are 8-9 on the season.
Softball
On the softball diamond, South Brunswick won its only game last week, 1-0, over Hillsborough High School. Carly Rybinski singled in Samantha Knehr, who had doubled, with the game’s lone run. Rybinski raised her average to .500 and picked up her 16th RBI — both tops on the team — in the process. Nicole Majewski went the distance, scattering four hits.
North Brunswick’s softball team won its third game of the year April 30 against Woodbridge High School, 7-6. Katrina Lauri had two hits, two RBIs and scored a pair of runs, while Kayla Scher had two hits and an RBI. The Raiders held off a furious Woodbridge rally in the bottom of the seventh inning to preserve the win.
North Brunswick is coming off a 4-3 loss to Spotswood High School May 5. Angela Colandrea had three hits, including a solo home run, and Allison Ward singled in a pair of runs. Scher whacked a two-run homer May 2 in a 12-4 defeat at the hands of Bishop George Ahr High School.
Baseball
The Raiders dropped a 4-1 decision to Monroe Township High School May 2. Damian Ortiz was 1-for-3 with an RBI, and Roger Gomez had two hits. North Brunswick’s record is 6-9.
South Brunswick’s baseball team won five straight before falling to Colonia High School, 8-1, May 7. Anthony Sjolund tossed a six-hitter when the Vikings beat Sayreville War Memorial High School ace Pete Soporowski, 2-0, May 5. Ryan Moran and Keven Reyes each drove in a run.
Jordan Trimpett’s two-run single highlighted a 5-2 win against Old Bridge High School May 3. Garrett Byrne singled in a run, and Chris James had one hit and scored two runs. Eight different players had hits for the Raiders, and Brandon Siroki earned his third win on the mound.
South Brunswick also downed Old Bridge the previous day by a count of 5-3. Thomas Leavy doubled in a run, and Siroki drove in a pair of runs in the win. Sean Nally also drove in a run. The Vikings’ record stands at 12-7.
Girls lacrosse
North Brunswick remained undefeated with a 14-9 victory against Watchung Hills Regional High School May 5. Tatum Altman led the way with five goals and three assists, and Samantha Mehalick added four goals to go with three assists.
Altman notched her 500th career point in a 22-10 win over Gill St. Bernard’s School, as she tallied seven goals and six assists. She has 309 goals and 199 assists in her career. Mehalick, who surpassed the 500-point mark earlier in the season, picked up eight goals in the win. Her career totals are 394 goals and 131 assists.
The Raiders also downed West Windsor-Plainsboro North, 20-3, May 5, with Mehalick netting five goals and Altman scoring four times. Midfielder Victoria Tucci had a strong week for North Brunswick, scoring seven goals and adding 13 assists.