Oh So Close for Belleville Volleyball

The Belleville boys volleyball team had eighth ranked Bayonne right where it wanted. Up 25-24, holding serve and needing just one point to claim the opening game and take a crucial 1-0 lead. But the Bees came off of a timeout and scored the next three points off of a kill, a block and an ace to win the opening match, 27-25. Bayonne held on for a second two-point win in game two, 25-23, extending its winning streak to 14 on Thursday in Belleville.

After losing the opening game, Belleville fell behind early in the second game, but never by more than four points at any point in the contest. The Bucs took a brief lead in the second game on the heels of a 4-0 run, staking the locals to a 14-12 advantage.

Bayonne fought back to retake the lead, and built another four point margin following a Belleville service error, putting the Bees up 22-18. The Bucs scored four of the next five points to tie up the score at 23, but again following a Bayonne timeout, the Bees closed the match with two consecutive kills to get the win.

"We are always are coming from behind, and then we just get there and then we make two mistakes and go down by two. It's always the case in close tough matches," said Belleville head coach Paul Aiello.

Belleville spent most of the first game in front, jumping out to an early 8-4 lead. However, Bayonne tied things up at 11, behind a 7-3 run, making the game a close affair throughout. After a net violation by Belleville, the Bees found themselves up, 24-22, and staring at a win. An ace by Julian Rodriguez and a kill by Tommy Rosario tied the score at 24 for the Buccaneers.  One has to wonder how different the game would've been had Belleville been able to close out the victory in Game 1.

"We would've won this match if we could've closed that out," Aiello said. " We were up 25-24 and they won three points in a row and that really put a hurting on us."

Both Rosario and Rodriguez played very well for Belleville in the contest, particularly Rodriguez, who had some dominant stretches in the loss. Rodriguez earned 12 kills, while Rosario earned seven to go along with two blocks. Luigi Zanoria led the way for Belleville with 16 assists. On Bayonne's side, Kris Kucza had a team-high nine kills.

While Belleville's service game was sound throughout, in terms of not giving away points on errors, the Bucs did not score many points off of the serve, which could've proved to be one of the differences in the game. Belleville had two aces compared to seven for Bayonne, which is now 14-1.

For those who believe in moral victories, Thursday's performance is nothing to be ashamed of and shows that the Bucs are right there with some of the best teams in the state. The game could've gone either way, with a few tips and bounces gone differently, it would've been the Bucs celebrating one of their biggest wins of the year.

"It was good volleyball, I'm the biggest competitor ad it kills me for them to lose, because I want them to just do well and be happy," Aiello said. "But I can't be upset because they have such pride and they are playing better. It's tough matches like this that down the stretch will get us ready to do well in the counties and will get us ready to do well in the state tournament."
Belleville, which fell to 10-4 with the loss, is up next at the Livingston Invitational on Saturday morning, where they will it will get another dose of some of the best teams in the state.