Bears regain their spot as state’s top volleyball team
By richard jerome
Staff Writer

Aside from sheer elation, the East Brunswick High School volleyball team’s recent state championship victory over St. Joseph’s of Metuchen offered the Bears a large measure of redemption.

"We proved something to the doubters who said we were too small and that we didn’t have the talent," said coach Greg Rutz, whose 29-2 team beat the Falcons, avenging an earlier defeat, 7-15, 15-5 and 15-12.

"And in the championships, they showed a lot of pride and courage coming back after losing the first game," he added.

The Bears took the title with a balanced, all-around effort. Senior center Mike McAndrew played consistently all spring, making key kills, blocks and jousts right through the states.

Senior Kyle Morales, in the middle, did "everything you asked him to do," Rutz said, and battled hard in the finals.

And another 12th-grader, Mike Rakowski, performed with guts and steadiness.

Two juniors, Greg Hunter and Tony Yates, combine to make a forceful, complementary duo.

"Greg is our best defender, passer and digger," said Rutz, who is assisted by Charlie Ginex. "Tony is our best offensive player. They’re good friends and they played a lot together in the off-season."

In the final, St. Joseph’s jumped on top with an impressive 15-7 win. The Falcons jumped out to a 6-1 lead and never looked back, as the Bears struggled with their rhythm and passing game.

But in the second game it was the Bears who dominated, as the Falcons struggled with their passing game. East Brunswick found its groove in that game, and appeared poised to run St. Joseph’s out of the gym in the third game.

But the final game was anything but easy for the Bears. The Falcons showed resiliency by stepping their game up to match East Brunswick’s level of play.

The game was tied at 9-9 when the Bears ran off five straight points to claim a 14-9 lead. After St. Joe’s held off the game-winner five times, East Brunswick finally clinched the title with a two-hand winner from Hunter over the outstretched arms of a Falcon defender.

It may be a sports cliché, but in this case, Rutz said, it’s apt: the main attribute that made champs of this Bears team was character.

"They showed heart, and tons of desire," he said. "The final match was a see-saw battle, but the kids kept going with the punches and letting their momentum and ability win out."

With the win, the Bears secured their fourth state title in the last seven years, and further cemented their status as the top volleyball program in the state. They have advanced at least to the state semifinals in each of those seven seasons, and have come a long way since the program’s inception in 1994.