Belleville volleyball coach John Spina knew he had a senior-heavy group with plenty of varsity experience… in sports other than volleyball.
So while most of this group is better known for their play in football or basketball, over the past two weeks they certainly have made a name for themselves in volleyball.
Belleville has opened the season with six straight victories, five of them in straight sets. The winning streak, highlighted victories over state-ranked Livingston and West Caldwell Tech, has the Buccaneers now ranked No. 15 in the state by NJ.com.
“I think they’re just playing and having fun and doing really good at being good teammates for each other and keeping each other motivated and being dedicated to sport,” Spina said. “More so than anything, I think the reason they’re succeeding so much is because they’re all friends, they all trust each other, and they’re really, really, really athletic and physically gifted.”
Five different players have 20 or more kills so far this season, a testament to the Bucs’ depth. Leading that attack has been senior outside hitter Kalib Lanquindanum. The 5-foot-9 Lanquindanum has been a huge surprise this season as he has 55 kills and 34 digs this season, after playing predominantly JV last year.
“He’s just a different player from last year,” said Spina, noting how much more powerful Lanquindanum’s shot has gotten. “He doesn’t shy away. He’s not one of those kids that if he gets blocked, he stops swinging. He’ll just keep swinging and he’s smart enough to mix tips in and do things like that to keep the blockers honest.”
At the other outside spot is sophomore Sean Sharpe, who played in the middle last season. The 6-foot-3 Sharpe, best known for a breakout football season in the fall and a solid basketball player in the winter, has added 25 kills and 30 digs on the year. Senior Jason Dong is the top reserve at outside hitter.
Myles Remata, a 6-foot-0 senior, starts at opposite hitter and has 20 kills with 33 digs.
In the middle, Belleville has as physically imposing of a one-two combo as it has had in recent memory. David Ochoa, a 6-foot-3 senior, has 22 kills with a team-best 17 blocks. While 6-foot-4 senior Caleb Love has 20 kills and six blocks. On a team full of high-level athletes, Love, who missed all of last season due to a football injury, is the most athletic player on the team according to Spina.
Passing to these offensive weapons is one of North Jersey’s better setters in senior Peter Garcia. As a three-year starter, Garcia is one of the few Bucs with extensive varsity experience. Garcia recently picked up his 1,000th career assist and has 130 on the season. He’s also willing to call his own number on offense, recording 13 kills.
“He is an incredible athlete,” Spina said of Garcia, who was originally a baseball player before switching to volleyball as a sophomore. “He can stop on a dime, he can chase a ball that’s far away and get to it and still put up a good set. And he understands the game. He’s very smart.”
Senior Jose Rubio is the libero and has a team-best 61 digs and six aces. Rubio is back after spending a year playing tennis last spring.
On Monday, April 13, Belleville was scheduled to play at Millburn, last year’s Essex County champions. The Bucs follow that with road games at Abundant Life on Tuesday and East Orange on Wednesday before returning home to face Bard on Thursday.
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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.)