Over the past two-and-a-half years, this current core of the Lyndhurst girls volleyball team has had plenty of success. The success hasn’t made them content though. Instead, head coach Steve Vahalla sees a group that is determined to achieve even more.
“This is their year,” said Vahalla of this group that won 18 games, including one in both the Bergen County and state tournaments last season. “They want to go out with a lot of wins. They definitely want to do something that Lyndhurst has never done before and that’s win a state title.”
The first 10 days have seen the Golden Bears look nothing short of dominant. Not only has Lyndhurst started 5-0, all in two sets, only once have the Golden Bears even allowed 20 points in the set.
“They’re definitely gelling at the right time,” Vahalla said. “I would say we’re definitely ahead of where we were last year at this time. We’re veterans and there are a lot of kids that have been playing together for two to three years. It’s definitely nice to see.”
At the forefront of Lyndhurst’s success is a front line that might be the tallest and most athletic in the NJIC.
Junior Sofia Hechavarria has been one of the area’s breakout stars to start the season. The 5-foot-11, two-year starter has 32 kills and 12 blocks.
“Sofia’s taken a huge leap from last year and there’s been no stopping her these first five games,” Vahalla said. “She hits around the block, she’s tall. She’s definitely a force around the net”
Gianna DeCoro is a returning starter at the other middle blocker.
Sofia’s emergence has allowed Lyndhurst to move 5-foot-11 senior Asya Akar from the middle to the outside. Akar has responded with 33 kills and 19 digs and added a new dimension to Lyndhurst’s offense.
“You have Yasemin (Ugurlu) for the first three rotations and then a team may think they’re going to get a break on the outside once Yasemin gets in the back row, but that’s not the case for when Asya goes up front,” said Vahalla. “”She is just a very good hitter.”
Ugurlu, one of North Jersey’s top jumpers during the Outdoor Track & Field season, has been Lyndhurst’s top offensive player. Ugurlu leads the team with 46 kills and 36 digs so far in her third season as a starter.
The Lyndhurst “big three” has combined for 111 of the Golden Bears’ 114 kills so far and as an added bonus, all three are capable of playing across the backline and in all six rotations.
“We’ve added to our offense with their back row hitting,” said Vahalla. “All three of them are very good at back row hitting. That’s why I definitely like to keep them in the back row. All three of them pass very well too.”
Another veteran is at setter where Kiana Marizan begins her third season as a starter. Marizan already has 96 assists and is on pace to become Lyndhurst’s first girl to record 1,000 career assists.
“She really just continued to improve and get better,” Vahalla said. “She makes the team run and it’s just a well-oiled machine, especially with her setting.”
Sophomore Gabriela Kalisiak has emerged as the starting opposite hitter following a strong run in the Harrison Summer League, which Lyndhurst won for the second year in a row.
Senior Selen Akman is the libero with freshman Jaylin Vuono Reid as the defensive specialist. Sophomore Gabriela Kalisiak and freshman Olivia DeRuvo give Lyndhurst another option off the bench as a hitter.
Seniors Julia Dworakowski and Gianna Penny, sophomores Olivia Syed and Christina Mizeski and freshman Raeleen Ortiz are also vying for playing time.
Lyndhurst was looking to continue its winning ways with three home matches this week, starting with Becton on Monday, followed by St. Mary’s of Rutherford on Tuesday and Weehawken on Thursday.
Future matchups with division rivals Rutherford and Secaucus – traditionally two of the state’s best small school programs loom the week after.
“We’ve handled the first five games very well, I like how we’ve played,” Vahalla said. “It’s definitely going to be a big week for us. We want to prove that we are the top team in our division and the top team in North Jersey, Group 2.”
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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.)