April 15, 2010
Harrison sweeps County Prep
Senior Matt Surmacz had three kills and two blocks to help lead the Blue Tide.
Click Here for photos from Harrison at County Prep.
By Jason Bernstein
Editorial Director
JERSEY CITY – To find the answer behind Harrison volleyball’s turnaround this season, one only has to look towards the front.
The intimidating front-court trio of junior Rahim Douelfakar and seniors Matt Surmacz and Chris Osiecki helped key a 25-17, 25-19 victory over County Prep yesterday as the Blue Tide (7-2) are just one win away from matching their total of a year ago.
“It’s a tremendous advantage because those guys can block and hit,” Harrison coach Nick Landy said. “It’s hard to match up against us with that kind of height and skill.”
“They were pretty long and vertical,” Hurricanes coach Nicholas LaVolpe said. “They had some big kids and anytime the ball came up, they can just pound it.”
In his second year of organized volleyball, Douelfakar has established himself as one of the better hitters in the area. The 6-foot-3 junior led Harrison with six kills, two blocks, two aces and 11 service points in the win. Two of those kills came in a deciding 7-1 Harrison run late in the second game.
“I’m a lot more comfortable than last year,” Douelfakar said. “I just feel completely comfortable. We run a lot more plays that we weren’t able to last year.”
Douelfakar, a three-sport player for the Blue Tide, is one of a handful of players who are relatively new to the sport. David Passos (five digs, five assists) and Gabriel Luzbet (three digs) are first-year players.
Despite that lack of experience Douelfakar, Luzbet, Passos as well as Ricky Touzet (four kills, four digs) have quickly adapted thanks to their athleticism and experience in other sports.
“The new guys are real athletes and I’m a firm believer that if you’re an athlete, you just get things done. Even though they’re new, they have a lot of experience in other varsity sports. I think that’s the key. They’ve all played a lot of sports and I think that helps them.”
“It took us a week or two for us to get all the plays down,” Surmacz said. “The last two or three years it was really (difficult), but this year we got it so fast and so quick.”
Surmacz and Fernando Arias (three kills, two blocks), a pair of four-year starters, have played key roles in the transformation on the court.. Both have been a source of experience and Surmacz, who had three kills and two blocks, in particular has emerged as an on-court leader and teacher.
“Matt’s done a great job of that, being a true captain and leader out there,” Landy said. “He’s almost like a third coach out there. He’s pretty smart kid, a good student and he really makes sure everything is perfect on the court. He knows the game well and helps everyone that is new.”
Osiecki (five digs, three kills) has provided another source of experience for Harrison. Of all the reasons for the Blue Tide’s turnaround in 2010, none might be bigger than the addition of Osiecki, who moved into the district from Poland. His size and setting skills have given them a dimension that may have been lacking. Osiecki was a setter in Poland, but has filled a void at hitter this year.
“I think we’ve filled (the hole at hitter) and then some because of his knowledge and he’s very coachable,” Landy said. “He’s got a ton of experience playing volleyball.”
“We finally have size this year, something we didn’t have last year,” said Douelfakar, calling Osiecki the missing piece. “We have Chris and he just finished off the package.”
Davon Streeter, one of three freshmen to see significant playing time, led the way for County Prep (1-4) with three kills. Reynaldo Ferreira had 10 assists, two digs and two aces, while Mansoor Aziz added a trio of aces in defeat.
Freshman Davon Streeter had a team-high three kills for County Prep.
1st |
2nd |
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| Harrison Blue Tide (7-2) | 25 |
25 |
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| County Prep Hurricanes (1-4) | 17 |
19 |
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