September 25, 2009
New faces, same results
Junior Krissia Bernardino had nine assists and four aces in a Bayonne victory.
Click Here for more photos from Holy Family at Bayonne.
By Jason Bernstein
Editorial Director
BAYONNE – With four key starters from last year’s HCIAA Coviello championship team gone to graduation, Bayonne head coach Pat Longo knew that this season would prove to be one of her most challenging ones as a coach. Despite the challenges that come with rebuilding, the wins have continued to come for a Bees squad that swept Holy Family 25-13, 25-11 in a meeting of in-city rivals.
“It is difficult,” Bayonne coach Pat Longo said about the rebuilding process. “You’re trying to build and figure out who should be where position wise. The key is to build chemistry and let them come together as one unit.”
“The expectations are still high,” Zaneta Rusznica said. “We’re still the team with the target.”
With so many new faces in the lineup, it was Rusznica, the one returning senior starter, who came through the biggest on this day. Rusznica’s serve was at its best, as she served the final 10 points for Bayonne (6-1) to end the match.
“I thought she was very dominant with her hitting and her serving,” Longo said. “She hit some nice spots with her serve today.”
Rusznica had four aces during that match-ending streak and finished with 14 service points, six aces and three kills in the victory.
Junior Krissia Bernardino also recorded four aces in the second game and as a team the Bees recorded 12 aces in the match.
Bernardino had nine assists, setting up fellow new starters Franchely Inoa and Johanna Nahrwold, as well as Gabrielle Gerace, a part-time starter a year ago.
Gerace, a junior had eight service points and a team-best five kills and two blocks. Inoa, a sophomore, had eight service points and four kills. Nahrwold, the only other senior on the roster, had three kills.
“I think when you’re young you have to grow together,” Longo said. “I think we’re doing that and I think there’s good chemistry out there.”
The Bees weren’t the only team on the floor in the middle of a massive renovation project. Holy Family (4-3) lost four starters from last year’s HCIAA Seglio championship squad.
The duo of juniors Diane Forker and Jen Grzegorzewski helped propel a 6-2 run to tie the first game at nine-all. Despite falling short in their meeting with the Bees, head coach Michael Cerreta was pleased of his young team’s performance.
“It was a good test for us to see where we are as a team,” Cerreta said. “Now tomorrow we go back to our division play and I told the girls if we play like we did against Bayonne like we do against any opponent in our division, we’ll be ok.”
Grzegorzewski led the way with five digs and four kills for the Falcons. Forker, one of the two returning starters from a year ago, had 10 digs and three kills. Junior Payton Micewicz and freshman Wiktoria Steromiej added four digs apiece. Jessica Kasic chipped in with three digs.
One of four new starters, Payton Micewicz had four digs for the Falcons.
1st |
2nd |
|
| Holy Family (4-3) | 13 |
11 |
| Bayonne (5-1) | 25 |
25 |