St. John Vianney begins volleyball title defense with big win: 'New season, same standard'

HOLMDEL -- At first glance, it was the same old victorious St. John Vianney boys volleyball team on the court Thursday. The Lancers cruised past win Red Bank Catholic in the opening round of the South Group 1 section postseason, holding their opponent to single digits in both sets as they won 2-0. It was an appropriate finish for the reigning state champions.

Except these aren't those champions. All six starters against RBC were new this season, including one in his first season playing volleyball. It was a testament to the Lancers' mantra for the 2024 campaign.

"New season, same standard. That's our motto for this whole season," said junior Peter Gioacchini. "It really is the basis of what we do every day. We're keeping the same standards and pushing ourselves to the limit, and I think it's showing."

Gioacchini has exceeded that standard in his own right, as he broke the school record for assists in a single season, hitting the mark of 607 in the second set of the Lancers' victory and adding to that record with 616. He was quick to defer to his teammates when asked about the incredible feat.

"It's not just me, I feel like it's the whole team," said Gioacchini. "If we didn't have the great passing from (Alex) Cardenas or (Dominick) Blunda or even Troy (Sheerin) or (George) Farah... It's really just a team effort."

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There was a certain ease to the group as they're not concerned with the burden of repeating as champs. Taking cues from coach Jessica Gadaleta, this is a team that has answered the challenge in their own way.

"Not a single one of them started in any state game last year," said Gadaleta. "All season long, they've carved out their own identity. We try really hard not to compare them to last year because every team has its own culture and energy."

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St. John Vianney showed no letup despite missing their lone returning starter from last season, standout senior Nickolas Huzar. Although there were some occasional errors that led to points for the Caseys, the Lancers seemed to relish in the challenge of extended rallies as they always seemed to win the prolonged points.

"It's just the hard work and practice," said sophomore Troy Sheerin. "Our coach, she's the best. She puts us in scenarios where we can get better every single day."

There's a lot to be said about the work of Gadaleta in terms of the skill building that always seems to occur with the Lancers, but the team's general ease is almost equally important. She also embraces that for many of her players, volleyball is not their primary sport.

"These kids are athletes, they're competitors," said Gadaleta. "And you may not have seen them on a volleyball court before. They've competed on the basketball court and on the hockey rink and on the football field. They bring that same intensity to the sport."

One of those players was Deon Jackson, who will play football at Monmouth next season. After three seasons of playing baseball in the spring, the senior decided to give volleyball a try and excelled as a starter against RBC on Thursday. It's that type of synergy within the broader athletic program that continues to sustain the success.

"How lucky am I to coach guys that are excellent in the sport they specialize in, but also excellent in those secondary and third sports," Gadaleta continued. "To Peter's credit, to (the team's) credit, he wanted to hold them to the same standard as their captain. And they've absolutely met that challenge."

The standard set by Gioacchini is a well-crafted combination of competitive practicing without added tension in games.

"We're all working hard in practice, it's really competitive," he said. "We keep that discipline, we keep that joy when we play."

'You win a state championship when the gym is empty'

Despite being the reigning champs, the Lancers are two-seed in the section behind Cinnaminson. They'll face the winner of Pennsauken Tech and Donovan Catholic next week in the quarterfinal. If there is a target on the reigning champs back, they're not worried about it.

"We just try to cut out the noise and focus on the 13 guys that are here," said Gadaleta. "You win a state championship when the gym is empty. And so that's kind of what we've done, we've just brought that mentality into our practice."

The Lancers on paper appear well on their way to a repeat title, but the reality in the gym is this team will be entirely different from last year's group. But the authenticity of the group is a fascinating nuance as they don't resort to cliches in regards to past success or future goals - they simply take pride in the craft that goes into winning each game.

"We know where we've been, but we're not interested in that," said Gadaleta. "We're interested in where we're going."

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: St John Vianney boys volleyball gets NJSIAA opening round win over RBC