By Wayne Witkowski
Jackson Liberty High School’s new boys volleyball team has been scorched in its baptism of fire, losing its first four games. But coach Brian Chesley sees progress from his young lineup that will have opponents more on guard later in the season.
“We have made huge strides as a team just understanding the game of volleyball,” Chesley said. “As a first-year program it is natural to go through some tough times, but the team has progressed so much on just a month of hard work. Our biggest area of improvement is passing. If we cannot pass, then we cannot run an offense. The team has taken pride in improving our passing game so we can set up our offense and run our plays.”
The Lions were swept in two games by Donovan Catholic High School, St. John Vianney High School, Manchester Township High School and Central Regional High School, but Chesley is encouraged by the performance of a lineup that is building for the future with only one senior starter in middle blocker Bobby Miller.
“[He] not only is a great asset on defense but is one of our strongest hitters,” the coach said.
Chesley also notes improvement in junior outside hitter Justin Mayes.
“He has improved his hitting tremendously, giving us options in our front row and back row attacks,” he said.
Setters Joe Albero, a junior, and Sebastian Navarro, a sophomore, also were praised by Chesley for their steady improvement and their versatility in triggering the attack with the vital element of passing.
Chesley said libero Nick Avilliera “has given us confidence in serve receptions, being our go-to passer and defenseman in the back.”
Other starters include junior middle blocker Mykola Hubchak and outside hitter Austin Wan, who are juniors.
Off the bench, versatile sophomores Jack Lilienkamp, Jay Young and Kristos Pettermerides will contribute in many ways this season in different areas of the court.
“This is the first time this team has ever played organized volleyball,” Chesley said. “The players are adjusting, learning and improving every day. What I like about this team is not only do they come to practice every day and work hard, but they truly want to learn and improve to be successful.
“This team’s biggest struggle is experience. The players are getting better every day, but we only had three preseason scrimmages (against Edison High School, Long Branch High School and Jackson Memorial High School — another first-year program). As we get more experience, we will develop in all areas of the game throughout the season.”
At Jackson Liberty, Chesley has been a coach for football and junior varsity basketball and baseball, but he gave up coaching junior varsity baseball for a head varsity coaching opportunity with the boys volleyball program.
Along with executing individually and blending as a team, Chesley said mental toughness is an equally important aspect, especially amid the challenges of learning and gaining valuable experience while correcting mistakes and establishing fundamentals.
“The key to success this season is our mental toughness,” Chesley said. “We are going to experience failure just like any new program. Keeping our heads up, being mentally tough [and] wanting to fix our mistakes will create success throughout the season.
“Our record truly doesn’t show the steps we have taken to creating a successful boys volleyball program at Jackson Liberty.”
This week, the Lions hosted Wall High School April 11 and Rancocas Valley Regional High School April 13.
