Lyndhurst girls volleyball coach Steve Vahalla entered the summer hoping to find solutions to the many question marks left in the wake of graduating seven seniors, including five starters from last year’s North 2, Group 2 championship team.
It didn’t take long for Vahalla to identify sophomore Jaylin Vuono Reid, previously a defensive specialist, as a key part of the Golden Bears rebuild.
“I noticed she was definitely going to take a big leap in the Harrison Summer League,” said Vahalla. “She was starting to become our go-to hitter. Even in the back row, she was passing well, moving her feet well, getting off hard hits. When I started seeing that in the summer I knew that she was going to be a key play for us when the season started.
Fast forward to October and not only has Vuono Reid filled a critical offensive void following the loss of its top four in kills from last year, but she has emerged as one of Bergen County’s better outside hitters.
Lyndhurst has eight consecutive matches and Vuono Reid has led the offense in that stretch with 69 kills, 74 digs, six blocks and nine aces. Among the highlights, Vuomo Reid had a career-high 13 kills in a Sept. 25 win over New Milford and a career-best 16 digs to go with 11 kills in an Oct. 2 victory over Saddle Brook.
Vuono Reid’s strong play and leadership as a floor captain has Lyndhurst at 12-4 and her as The Observer Athlete of the Week.
Through Friday, Vuono Reed had 116 kills on the season, eighth most in Bergen County. She also leads the team in digs with 140.
“I definitely was a little shaky the first couple of games just because I knew I had to step up and take that (leadership) role,” Vuono Reid said. “But I think playing those couple games really helped me see that I am capable of being a leader on the team.”
“My confidence has definitely gone up, as I’ve been playing.”
“As we started playing in the fall, even against some of the tougher teams like Secaucus and Bogota, she didn’t back down,” said Vahalla. “She plays top notch, top level every game she goes into. After those first few games, I knew she was going to take that leap.”
On the court, it’s been a rapid ascent for Vuono Reid, who first started playing volleyball as an eighth grader for North Jersey Volleyball Club and also does competition cheerleading in the winter and track & field in the spring.
With just a year of experience, Vuono Reid, who was a competitive gymnast growing up, was surprised to see herself make Lyndhurst’s varsity roster. Last season, her role was largely limited to playing back row in select rotations and learning behind All-County hitters Asya Akar and Yasemin Ugurlu. It was an experience Vuono Reid felt was vital in her development.
“Having them as seniors when I was a freshman was one of the best things I can ask for,” said Vuono Reid. “They were really good role models and they really helped me become the player I am today. Just playing with them, watching how they handled themselves on the court, I couldn’t have asked for a better senior class.”
Now with five sophomores, two juniors and a senior in Lyndhurst’s eight girl rotation, the Bears are starting a new era, led by Vuono Reid, which it hopes will prove to be as successful as the one that graduated.
As a still relative newcomer to the sport, Vuono Reid feels there is potential to make another big leap is there.
“I feel like there’s so much room to grow with how I play volleyball both physically and mentally,” Vuono Reid said. “I can really use those two years left (after this one) to build on the skill that I already have.”
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Jason Bernstein | Observer Sports Writer
Jason Bernstein joined The Observer as its sports writer in March 2022, following the retirement of Jim Hague. He has a wealth of sports-writing experience, including for NJ Advance Media (nj.com, The Jersey Journal, The Star-Ledger.)