Photos by Jerry Simon: Bloomfield vs. Livingston, April 2, season opener.
BLOOMFIELD, NJ – The Bloomfield High School boys’ varsity volleyball team has enjoyed tremendous success over the years under head coach Louis Stevens. Last season, the Bengals reached the final of Essex County Tournament, losing to Livingston to come up short in their bid for a repeat County title. The team also advanced to the semifinals of the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 1 state tournament for the second year in a row, losing to Lakeland, to finish with a stellar 22-5 record.
This season’s Bengals are poised to have another strong season.
“This year’s team has a good combination of experience with some newfound athleticism and talent,” Stevens said. “I have high hopes for this team and expect them to be the front-runners for this year’s (Super Essex Conference-American) division title (won in 2016 and 2017) and the County title (won in 2016, lost in finals in 2017). We have the physical potential to compete for the State Sectional title (lost to Wayne Valley in semifinals in 2016 and Lakeland in semifinals in 2017). If we can learn to balance our offensive system and not rely completely on our outside hitters, we can keep teams off-balance because we have good hitters at both sets of pins.”
Bloomfield defeated Livingston, 25-12, 25-23, in the season opener April 2 at BHS.
Here is a look at this year’s Bengals:
Seniors:
Kyle Barrow; #3, three-year varsity player, two-year starter. “An outside hitter/potential setter, Kyle is our most balanced player, capable of playing multiple positions,” Stevens said. “He is used to playing at a high level of competition due to his four-year stint on the varsity basketball team (sectional champions in 2017) and the fact that he has two older brothers that played volleyball for me. He is a steady player with an even keel about himself. However, he does have a competitiveness to him that comes through in big-game situations. I will be relying on him a lot to become a leader for this group.”
Barrow had nine kills in the season opener.
Daniel Chavez; #10, two-year varsity starter and outside hitter. “Daniel is the one player on our squad that plays club volleyball,” Stevens said. “He has the potential to be an explosive player for us once he learns to pick his spots on when to unload and when to make a smart/safe shot. Dan is capable of taking over games for us and last year led the team in the offensive categories.”
Chavez had six kills and four digs in the season opener.
Dante Thomas; #13, second-year varsity and starting middle blocker. “Dante has good size and athleticism,” Stevens said. “His inexperience sometimes comes through when a point lasts a while. I will need him to start scoring more points in his attacking to keep the other side honest and not automatically start doubling on the outside hitters. He has improved and continues to do so.”
Darwin Mizhirumbay; #1, first-year player. Though he did not play at all the last three years, Mizhirumbay has a natural instinct to playing defense and is a good passer, according to Stevens. “I expect him to be an important player for the team in the back row defense,” Stevens said.
Tommy Carleo; #5, second-year varsity, reserve right side hitter/ backup setter. “Tommy has played the past two years on the Junior Varsity team. A lefty, he is capable of being a complementary hitter and a backup setter,” said Stevens. Carleo will see time in most games as a defensive player for the Bengals’ starting right side.
Juniors:
Jayson Lopez; #8, first-year varsity, starting setter. “Jayson has a lot of talent and the potential to become one of the best setters to come out of Bloomfield High School,” lauded Stevens. “He needs to get faster with his feet, but he has soft hands and sets a clean ball. Jayson also has the ability to be a front-row hitter as he has decent size. Most likely will be running a 5-1 offense with the occasional 6-2 depending on the opponent.” Lopez is a good server who can become a great server with more work and consistency, added Stevens.
Lopez had 20 assists in the season opener.
Christian Voicu; #6, second-year varsity, starting right side. “Christian is the tallest member of the team this year at 6-5 and is a lefty which is a huge plus for right-side hitters,” said Stevens. “He has improved dramatically in his overall skill set.” Voicu needs to be more consistently explosive when he hits, but is improving on his power and improving as a blocker, noted Stevens. “He has the potential to become a big time player.”
William Robinson; #15, first-year varsity, back-up right side hitter. “Will has played JV volleyball the past two years and while not the most skilled, his athleticism makes up for some of his shortcomings,” Stevens said. “A good hitter who has the potential to become much better, he is our hustle and energy guy.. He will see time during the season against some teams either in a 5-1 set backing up Christian or as the second-right side hitter in a 6-2 offense.”
Youssef Khafagy; #7, first-year playing volleyball.
“Youssef is one those athletes that should have been playing volleyball since his freshman year,” said Stevens. “He now knows this to be true. He actually regrets not playing, because he didn’t know it would be this much ‘fun’ as he stated. Youssef is a clean slate with low level skills that are getting better EVERYDAY! He is very athletic and is starting to make an impact on the court in practices and scrimmages. He will be one of the starting middle blockers.”
Rocco Iacovone; #11, first-year varsity, backup setter. “Rocco is most likely going to be a starting setter for the JV team,” Stevens said. “He will back up Christian in a 5-1 and possibly be the second setter in a 6-2. Good hands. Experience will help him develop.”
Sophomores:
Matthew Fong; #4, first-year varsity, potential starting libero. A definite defensive specialist, Matt is one of the few people who came to Bloomfield with some volleyball knowledge and experience and it showed right away. He played JV last year as a freshman and this year will be a key component to our back row defense,” Stevens said.
Fong had eight digs in the season opener.
Nikkoli Samonte; #9, first-year varsity, backup left side hitter/defensive specialist. “Nikkoli is an athletic sophomore who will start on the JV team. He has the potential to see court time on the varsity level as a left side hitter or a defensive player,” said Stevens.
The Bengals will host their annual Bengal Invitational this Saturday, April 7, at 9 a.m. The tournament features 20 teams, including BHS, divided into five pools. The participating teams are Ridge, St. Joseph, West Orange, Bridgewater-Raritan, Coventry, Rhode Island; Livingston, Linden, Hunterdon Central, Christian Brothers Academy, North 13th St. Tech, Clifton, Fair Lawn, Bayonne, Piscataway, Montclair; St. Peter’s Prep, Colonia, Harrison, and Fair Lawn.
Bloomfield schedule
April 4, at Montclair, 4 p.m.
April 7, Bengal Invitational at Bloomfield HS, 9 a.m.
April 10, Golda Och Academy, 4 p.m.
April 11, North 13th St. Tech, 4 p.m.
April 13, Ridge, 4 p.m.
April 14, at Livingston tournament, 9 a.m.
April 17, at Belleville, 4 p.m.
April 19, East Orange Campus, 4 p.m.
April 23, at East Side, 4 p.m.
April 25, at Livingston, 4 p.m.
April 26, at St. Joseph of Metuchen, 4 p.m.
April 30, Shabazz, 4 p.m.
May 2, Montclair, 4 p.m.
May 4, at North 13th St. Tech, 4 p.m.
May 7, Belleville, 4 p.m.
May 9, at East Orange Campus, 4 p.m.
May 10, JP Stevens, 4 p.m.
May 14, at Piscataway, 5:30 p.m.
May 17, Lakeland and Fair Lawn, 4 p.m.
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