By Jeff Appelblatt
It took just one match for Ryan Walkiewicz, the boys’ volleyball coach at Freehold High School, to be assured expectations should be high this season.
Although the Colonials lost their first match, 2-0 (25-22, 25-20), to Shore Conference A North Division rival Colts Neck High School, Walkiewicz always kept the Cougars on a pedestal.
“Colts Neck is a very tough team,” the second-year coach said. “They’re good. They’re well-coached [and] well-prepared. They have guys that have been in the system for a long time. They’re a solid team.”
Last year, the Cougars picked up 20 wins on the path to a division title and a run to the Shore Conference Tournament quarterfinals, so Walkiewicz only took positives away from the match.
“I liked what I saw from our guys from a competition standpoint. [We were] very competitive and very intense,” Freehold’s coach said. “We were winning in the beginning of the first game for a while, but it slipped through our hands. But we were very close. We gave them a run for their money.”
If the Colonials could contend with the Cougars, maybe they could contend with most teams they see this year.
“That [was] the benchmark. [They were] probably one of the better teams we’re going to see all year,” Walkiewicz said about the Cougars. “So if we come out with the same type of intensity and excitement, i don’t see why we can’t compete with most of the team’s we’re going to see in the Shore this year.”
Sure enough, Freehold bounced back April 6 against another division foe, Howell High School. The Colonials were on the opposite end of a 2-0 shutout vs. the Rebels. Freehold won the first game, 25-20, and the second, 25-23, and was led by 27 assists from Justice Jubilee, nine and seven kills apiece from Dan Cutaneo and Collin Bertscha and seven service points from Joe Elias.
When talking about the team, Jubilee, a senior, was the first player mentioned by the coach.
“One of the guys we’re relying on strong is Justice Jubilee. He’s our setter. He’s been around since he was a sophomore,” Walkiewicz said.
There’s been another pair of players the coach has been relying on most since day one on the floor alongside the setter.
“Two of our middles, Jake Dente and Joe Krauss, have been playing for awhile,” the coach said. “Joe Krauss has been with us since he was a freshman and [Dente] has been with us since he was a sophomore.
“They [and Jubilee] are our three captains, [and] they’re a strong part of the offense.”
However, it’s probably Cutaneo who’s in the toughest position this year for Freehold.
“Dan Cutaneo is our outside [hitter]. He is a very well-refined player,” the coach said. “He [took] over the spot vacated by Harry Biddle.”
Biddle was Freehold’s lone senior last season, and he was the team’s top source for power. He batted down 169 kills in his final year.
With Cutaneo now in that position, Freehold continued winning. The day after the team shutout Howell, it traveled to Toms River High School East and did the same to the Raiders. Toms River East tried hard to make it a three-game day, but the Colonials closed it out in two, 25-16 and 28-26.
On the day, Cutaneo had 10 kills, four service points and three blocks. Bertscha added another eight kills and five service points, while Dente and Krauss had five kills each.
Jubilee did his usual. He set his teammates up and came up with 27 assists.
Walkiewicz is happy with what he’s seeing from his team this year, even though last year’s focal point, Biddle, is gone.
“We graduated an outside hitter who was no doubt our team captain [and] the heart and soul of our team,” the coach said. “But I have a lot of guys right now that are coming [and are] stepping up and are taking over that leadership role.
“I’m looking at a very senior-heavy varsity team this year. A lot of guys have come back from last year. [They] have the experience playing. We went to states last year — we won a play-in round. We played in the first round of the Shore Conference [Tournament]. I’m hoping these guys take their experience, now that they’re seniors, and try to advance a little further.”
It always comes down to one match at a time. Following the wins vs. Howell and Toms River East, Freehold took on Christian Brothers Academy April 10. Next, the Colonials will see A North rival Marlboro High School. The teams will face off in Freehold April 13 at 10 a.m.
