NUTLEY, NJ – The Nutley High School girls’ varsity volleyball team defeated Caldwell in the season opener Sept. 8 at home, giving Jenna Dwyer her first win as the new Raiders head coach.
The Raiders won the first set, 25-17, and engaged in a tight second set before prevailing, 28-26, to win the match.
Leading the way for the Raiders this season are senior outside hitters Jessica Robinson and Sara McEnery; sophomore setter Natalia Bascunan; and senior middle hitter Melanie Chasmar.
Robinson is a very big contributor both offensively and defensively, said Dwyer. McEnery had seven kills in the win over Caldwell and “will do well for us at the net and with her serving,” said the coach.
Although she is young, Bascunan is doing “very well for us all over the court and acclimating well to the varsity level play,” Dwyer said.
Chasmar is a very consistent player and a great server, added Dwyer.
The Raiders’ chemistry on the court has been a key strength.
“They help each other physically with their volleyball skills, but they also help each other mentally,” Dwyer said. “They pick each other up and are very motivating towards one another. Everyone gets along and they feed off each other’s intensity.”
Dwyer also said senior setter/captain Emily Luberto “is very motivating and a leader on the court.”
The Raiders, indeed, are looking forward to the rest of the season.
“Our goals are to win, but also to develop as student-athletes,” Dwyer said a day after the win over Caldwell. “Sports taught me so much about the real world and I hope to instill the same experiences in my players. We would love to make it to the state tournament because we have not made it in the past couple years and we would love to go farther than the first few rounds in the Essex County Tournament. After last night, I have high expectations for this team. They play so well together and I told them that if they believe they can, then they will. This team has a lot of potential with both underclassmen and upperclassmen.”
Dwyer is a 2009 NHS graduate. She lettered in volleyball, basketball, softball (two years), and track and field (one year). She attended Montclair State University and graduated in 2014 with a degree in Biology.
Dwyer is a seventh-grade science teacher at John H. Walker Middle School. She is currently pursuing her master’s in Biology with a concentration in Education at MSU.
Dwyer was the junior varsity coach for the NHS girls’ volleyball program for five years before becoming the head varsity coach this season.
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