Here is the story by Greg Patuto For NJ Advance Media
When you are at the top for so long, you will get a team’ best every time out.
That is what Scotch Plains-Fanwood, No. 2 in NJ.com’s Top 20, has dealt with over the last half a decade. It was no different in the final round of the Union County Tournament against No. 9 Summit.
“You never know when it’s going to be your last,” Scotch Plains-Fanwood head coach Brock Hor said. “Union County is roaring. As the conference keeps rising up, we have to rise with it. I tell the team to enjoy the moment and enjoy the ride.”
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5/18 – 7:00 PM Boys Volleyball Final Summit 0 Scotch Plains-Fanwood 2
Top-seeded Scotch Plains-Fanwood defeated second-seeded Summit 25-15, 25-15 to win its fifth-consecutive Union County Championship on Thursday night at Kean University in Union.
“Five is a good number. Five in a row. I love it,” said junior Tim Ennis, who finished with 11 kills and seven digs.
“We work hard every year to win this tournament. We just keep getting better every year and evolving, whether we lose seniors, and we have a chance every year if we play to our ability.”
This was a rematch of the county final from 2018, which is when the Raiders began their streak. These are two teams that know each other well as Scotch Plains-Fanwood (26-1) defeated Summit (18-5) twice in the regular season.
“At this point, it’s like we show up, they show up, and we play,” Hor said. “We knew Summit was going to come in here fired up. At that point, you can’t really plan and they can’t plan for us. We know each other so well. We know how we match up so it’s all about going out and playing.”
Early on, the Raiders were able to take advantage of some mistakes by Summit.
Scotch Plains-Fanwood led 13-5 early on and was able to build a double-digit lead later in the set. Summit attempted to make adjustments and came out hot early in the second.
“Sometimes we come out flat in that first set,” Summit head coach John Ross said. “We’ve done it all year. I don’t know what it is. If I did, we’d play a little better in game one. Often times, the adjustments we make is having guys know where they need to be. The communication has to be between the libero and my outsides. When that goes down, you see what happens in game one.”
The Hilltoppers scored the first four points of the second set but Scotch Plains-Fanwood was up for the challenge.
The Raiders were able to score the next five points to take the lead. Teams went back-and-forth to a 10-10 tie before Scotch Plains-Fanwood really took off.
“We know how to stay composed when we fall behind,” senior Nicholas Schmidt said. “It just comes down to everyone coming together, taking a deep breathe, and moving on. We all come together and focus on getting one point at a time and doing our jobs out there.”
Ryan Adams (21) of Scotch Plains-Fanwood is presented with a game ball after regsitering his 1,000th career dig during the Union County boys volleyball final between Summit and Scotch Plains-Fanwood at Kean University in Union on Thursday, May 18, 2023John Jones | For NJ Advance Media
Zach Chung totaled 11 digs during the victory, giving him 382 on the year. In the process, he went over 1,000 in his career. Chung is part of what Scotch Plains-Fanwood calls its “core four” with Ennis, Schmidt, and and Jeremy Zimmerman.
Schmidt totaled 18 assists and six digs while Zimmerman finished with four kills.
“Tim is the only one left behind and it is impossible to replace the other three we will be losing,” Hor said. “We have a lot of talent that has been supporting this year. They know what their jobs will be next year. We have a lot of young, talented underclassmen that I’m excited to see. We have so much home-grown talent that makes me confident for next year.”
Summit won 11 games two years ago with a young squad. Now, it has logged back-to-back 18-win seasons and there is still time left here in 2023. What this group has done has set the tone for the program moving forward.
“The senior leadership is the best I’ve ever had, by far,” Ross said. “They know what it takes. You have to focus on making yourself a better volleyball player. I want athletes. They need to make some commitment in the offseason to make themselves better volleyball players and I think they’re ready to do that. That’s what the underclassmen have seen.”
The Raiders continue to be the class of Union County and will now move on to their next goal. This is an experienced group that has been able to handle expectations and secure wins when it matters most. Where the experience comes into play most is never being satisfied and always searching for ways to improve moving forward.
“Everyday at practice, I always tell the team that there are things we can get better on,” Ennis said. “There’s nothing that we’re perfect in. We know that we have flaws and as long as we practice those flaws, we’re going to be the best that we can be.”
“We put high expectations on ourselves,” Schmidt said. “We have a lot of talent and it’s all about how we’re going to use it. Our coaches help us bring it all together in practice and I think we’re hitting that level. I think we’re rolling into states and we can keep it going.”
