When North Arlington boys volleyball coach Genevieve Dwyer thinks about her team’s upcoming state tournament game, she can’t help, but think about where this program has come from.
Just three years ago, Dwyer and her assistant, legendary Rutherford girls volleyball coach Helen Antzoulides, and the Vikings had just completed their inaugural season, one which saw North Arlington struggle its way to a 1-19. Now, with Dwyer in her fourth season and then-freshmen Andre Rincon and Jordan Nogueras now as senior captains, the Vikings are 16-6 and about to play their first ever home state playoff game on Wednesday when it hosts Jefferson.
“It’s been truly an amazing experience to watch it built,” said Dwyer, who played at North Arlington and is also the girls head coach in the fall. “In the beginning, we went 1-19, you see the players feel defeated and you almost feel defeated yourself. But to have them come back year after year and push themselves to be the greatest they can be.
“It’s an experience like no other. I would not trade it for the world. There’s nothing more rewarding than to watch something be built from the ground level to where we are.”
North Arlington has achieved this success thanks to a heavy emphasis on offensive balance and position versatility. No one fits that description more than Rincon. The 6-foot-1 senior splits his time between opposite hitter and setter, and has thrived in both spots with 69 kills, 165 assists and 117 digs.
Jackson Dorsett, a junior, is the other setter, who is the more prototypical high school setter. He has 231 assists and 109 digs.
“I think both of our setters bring in different points of view,” Dwyer said. “Andre is an opposite and setter combination, so he does see things as a hitter. Jackson has that more setter, straightforward approach. They both read the court very differently and read the hitters differently. I think it’s good because they’re able to see different points of view and work with each other as a team.”
At outside hitter is Emanuel Cardona, a 6-foot-3 junior, who has emerged as the Vikings leading hitter with 140 kills to go with 142 digs and a team-high 23 aces.
“He’s really coming to his own.,” Dwyer said. “He’s strong enough to just put the ball away whenever, but he’s also smart enough where he knows where there’s open spots. He’s so versatile and he’s just reading the court constantly.”
Shane Crudele, a 5-foot-9 junior, better known for his play on the football field, has 110 kills and 117 digs at the other outside hitter position. Another junior, Taylor Adragna is at opposite when Rincon is at setter and, in limited action, has 66 kills and 18 blocks. Pablo Scala, a senior, brings additional depth on the outside.
The 6-foot-0 Nogueras is a three-year starter in the middle, but has also seen extensive time on the outside and in the back row, allowing him to produce 67 kills, 25 blocks and 147 digs. North Arlington’s attack has added a whole new dimension this season with the development of junior Aidan Rafferty as the other starting middle. The 6-foot-3 Rafferty is in just his second year of any organized volleyball and first on the varsity level, has a team-best 26 blocks to go with 32 kills himself.
North Arlington does not employ a libero, but Dwyer feels they have a true anchor defensively on the back line with junior defensive specialist Lorenzo Soto.
While this is the third year in a row qualifying for the state tournament, this year was the first time the Vikings earned a top eight seed and a home playoff game. North Arlington will be the seventh seed and will host 10th-seeded Jefferson in the first round of the North Jersey, Group 1 tournament. The winner will face the winner of Hoboken and Vernon in the quarterfinals on Friday.
“It feels like it hasn’t fully hit me yet,” said Dwyer. “There’s so many times this season where I’ve been in shock at just how far we’ve taken this program and how much the boys have grown. It’s almost unbelievable.”
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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.)