Despite playing several different sports growing up, Sofia Hechavarria entered Lyndhurst High School as a freshman feeling she didn’t have a sport of her own. It was that feeling that helped
“I grew up playing almost every sport. Softball, basketball, a little bit of swimming., Hechavarria said. “I really like that my father put me in a bunch of sports, but yeah, I didn’t like the running in basketball, so I was like, that’s just not for me anymore. And softball, I felt because I’m so tall, I felt awkward playing.
“I never really heard of volleyball until I went into high school and I was like, let me just try this out. And everyone’s like, oh, you’re tall, so maybe this will work out.”
Not only has Hechavarria found her sport with volleyball, she has quickly emerged as one of North Jersey’s best players.
The junior middle blocker has enjoyed a breakout season for Lydnhurst this fall. On Oct. 28, Senior Night, Hechavarria and the Golden Bears left the rest of the area no choice, but to take notice when it defeated a Secaucus team, at the time ranked No. 9 in the state, 25-23, 13-25, 25-12.
The victory gave Lyndhurst a share of the NJIC National Division title with Secaucus and was the Bears’ first win against their Hudson County rival since 2022. With one of the state’s premier middle hitters in Olivia Jasiczek on the other side of the net, Hechavarria showed that she too should be on the shortlist of top middles in North Jersey, recording five kills, five blocks, nine digs and two critical aces.
The performance makes her The Observer Athlete of the Week.
“She’s one of our go-to hitters when we need a point. So against Secaucus, if we needed a point here and there or if we were down, she’d get us to kill and we’d be right back in the game,: Lyndhurst head coach Steve Vahalla said. “Monday night definitely opened up a lot of people’s eyes about who this junior middle hitter from Lyndhurst is, and I can’t wait to see what she does in states and her senior year as well.”
Hechavarria’s improvement has been arguably the biggest factor in Lyndhurst becoming one of Bergen County’s top teams this year and one of the favorites in the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2 tournament that begins this week.
As a junior, Hechavarria has more than doubled the amount of kills she’s recorded, going from 83 to 174, while posting career highs in blocks (80) and digs (99).
Combined with senior outside hitters Asya Akar and Yasemin Ugarlu, it gives Lyndhurst one of Bergen County’s top offensive trios.
“She definitely took a huge leap,” Valhalla said. “She plays volleyball year round and I think she wants to be known as well. So she sees all these top players in the state and she wants to make a name for herself and that’s exactly what she’s doing.”
Hechavarria credits the improvements to confidence as gaining valuable experience playing club volleyball throughout the offseason.
“Being confident in the way I play (has been key),” said Hechavarria “I think when I was younger, I was scared and shy and I didn’t really want to call for the ball, didn’t really want to get set, tried to stay away from it. But being confident on the court and knowing how good I am and just thinking about it, I think I just got more confident.”
This past offseason, Hechavarria was playing club DIGS Volleyball in Mahwah before moving over to USANY Volleyball Club in New York. At both places, she was playing predominantly as an outside hitter.
While predominantly a middle, the 5-foot-11 Hechavarria will see some occasional time at outside as she plays all rotations.
With a 21-3 record, Lyndhurst earned the top seed in NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2. The Bears, seeking their first sectional title in more than 25 years, earned a first round bye and will then host the Parsippany Hills-Leonia winner in the quarterfinals 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.)