March 28, 2010
New team, same goals for Bees
Sophomore Kris Kucza is one of five new starters for Bayonne this season.
Click Here for photos from Bayonne Practice.
By Jason Bernstein
Editorial Director
BAYONNE – Replacing five starters from last year’s Hudson County championship squad won’t be an easy task for the Bayonne volleyball team.
While the challenge of replacing so many players may seem daunting, the expectations remain high for the Bees team which may be lacking in experience, but might be one of the biggest in the state.
“By far the biggest team we’ve ever had,” said senior Rich Boyle about Bayonne’s size. “We just have to use our height to our advantage because a lot of teams don’t have our type of height.”
At 6-foot-1, Boyle is one of the shorter members of an intimidating Bayonne front. Joining Boyle in the starting lineup are seniors Matt Strzala (6-foot-5), Rafal Kierznowski (6-foot-3) and Arthur Kosakowski (6-foot-3).
Boyle and the rest of the team know that height alone will not propel a team which went 25-2 a year ago back to the NJSIAA North final where they lost to St. Peter’s Prep last season.
“Size does matter, but you still have to get the blocks up,” Bayonne coach Pat Longo said. “You still have to play base defense, you still have to do the little things. You have to serve, have to pass. As long as we can put everything together, it’s great to have this size.”
How this team will mesh together is the big question entering the season as Boyle is the lone returning starter for the four-time defending Hudson County champions.
Strzala, Kierznowski and Kosakowski are all first-time starters. Joining them will be a pair of sophomores in Kris Kucza and Konrad Budny along with junior libero Jeric Pimentel.
The lack of experience on the roster has pressed Boyle, a three-year starter, into a leadership role. It is a role that he has embraced despite the heavy pressure that comes along with it.
“I like to be the leader on the court,” Boyle said. “That’s my biggest focus this year. I want to be a leader.”
“He’s just a very athletic, strong kid,” Longo said. “If somebody’s down, Richie’s the guy who brings the team together. He really shows a lot of leadership on the floor as the captain. I really like the role he’s been playing on the floor.”
Boyle’s contributions go beyond leadership and maturity. His leaping ability helps put him at the forefront of a collection of skilled hitters.
Seniors Michael Perno and Sean Ryan along with junior Khaled Abdelaal provide added depth to a team that Longo feels can go 12 or 13 deep this season.
So many new faces may lead one to lower the expectations, but that isn’t the case for the Peninsula City squad. While the faces may be new, the goals are not any lower for the Bees.
Longo has been pleased with the way her team has handled a challenging scrimmage schedule and that the talent is there to make another deep playoff run.
“I think we’re young, I think we’re inexperienced,” she said. “I think we’re going to get better game-by-game. We just have to do the little things and hopefully our size and our athletic ability comes into play.”
“I believe with the talent that we have, our individual talent, once we bring that talent to a team environment we can play with any team in the state,” added Boyle. “I really believe that.”
