Fourth time not a charm for St. Joe's volleyball
BY SHAWN LAYTON
Staff Writer

METUCHEN - The Saint Joseph High School volleyball team came up short in its bid to win the NJSIAA Central-South Tournament with a semifinal loss to county rival East Brunswick.

East Brunswick avenged its loss in last year's title game to St. Joe's with a 25-27, 25-22, 25-13 victory. For the Falcons, the defeat marked the fourth straight loss to East Brunswick this season.

"The first three losses to East Brunswick were all in two games," St. Joe's head coach Miguel Cabrita said. "Heading into this last meeting our guys were pretty pumped up and they left everything on the court."

St. Joe's was hoping for a repeat performance of last season in which it dropped three straight to East Brunswick before topping the Bears in the state tournament.

"I certainly reminded the team of last year," Cabrita said. "Although we didn't beat East Brunswick we took them to three games and put a scare in them. We were neck and neck with them in the second game, but by the third game fatigue set in and our energy level started to dwindle. As a result, East Brunswick eventually pulled away."

With the loss, St. Joe's said good-bye to senior captains Andrew Colon, Keith MacDonald, and Aidan Nemergut. Colon, the team's middle blocker, was a varsity player the past two seasons and is headed to Providence College in the fall.

"Drew was a natural leader," Cabrita said. "He wasn't always a vocal leader, but he always led by example."

MacDonald leaves a vacancy on the right side with his departure. MacDonald was one of the team's vocal leaders.

"He was a force on the court and we could always rely on him to get the team some points," Cabrita said. "He was a solid hitter for us."

Nemergut enjoyed a solid season, his first as a starter at the varsity level, as the team's libero.

The Falcons will also lose seniors Rich McCobb and James Brand to graduation this spring. McCobb played the center position while Brand was one of the team's critical reserves.

"Rich is super aggressive and he brought a lot of energy to the court," Cabrita said. "He'll go through a brick wall for you."

Brand was the heart of the Falcon bench this season and provided the lineup with some much needed vocal support.

"James showed some great leadership," Cabrita said. "He got everyone fired up and gave the team a boost."

Despite losing some critical components to this year's 25-10 team, St. Joe's has loads of talent returning next year. Junior outside hitter Marcin Midura heads the list of returnees. A transfer this year from Linden, Midura had an immediate impact.

"Linden does not have a volleyball team, but Marcin played a lot in his native Poland," Cabrita said. "He was one of our biggest weapons with amazing offensive skills and a solid jump serve. He should be one of the top players in the state next season."

Juniors Paul Konopacki, Eddy Rossiter, and Kyle Ditmars are also likely to emerge as top players. Konopacki is one of the few Falcons to earn a varsity spot his sophomore year and his experience is sure to be an asset in 2008.

Rossiter saw plenty of back row action early this season before having a breakthrough and earning a spot in the front line.

"This year's juniors have a lot of skill and they play with a lot of energy," Cabrita said. "We should see a lot of production out of such players as Kyle Ditmars and the textbook skills of Eddy Rossiter."