An archeologist may have an easier time digging for ancient ruins than he would finding the last time Secaucus High School didn’t have a dominant girls’ volleyball team.
Indiana Jones could cross the threshold into the Temple of Doom long before he could uncover the last season that the Patriots didn’t totally romp their way through practically every volleyball team in sight.
And it happens every year at this time in October. The leaves change colors and fall. The temperatures dip. Parents take their kids to novelty shops to buy masks of the president to wear on Halloween. And Secaucus wins volleyball match after volleyball match.
It happened for eons when the legendary Maria Nolan was the head coach, leading the Patriots to umpteen NJSIAA state championships and continued when Sheila Ulrich Rivera took over and just kept the winning going, winning two more state crowns as well in 2005 and 2006.
Three years ago, another former Patriot volleyball standout, namely Tiffany Aciz, returned home to take over the program.
Aciz was the Hudson Reporter Athlete of the Year in 2001, when she was a three-sport standout (volleyball, basketball and softball) and First Team All-State volleyball player. It was a time when there was only one Athlete of the Year honored, not one male and one female like there is now, so Aciz’s accomplishments were outstanding.
Now 26 years old, she’s now known as Tiffany Meyer, after having recently been married.
But she’s not that removed from being just one of the many Secaucus multi-talented athletes that excelled in three sports. Also, it wasn’t that long ago that Tiffany Aciz Meyer was a standout volleyball player at Montclair State.
“I think that really helps,” Meyer said. “They can relate to me more because they know I was once like them. They ask me a lot of questions, about volleyball, about sports, about school. They ask me about being nervous, about getting prepared for matches. They definitely can relate.”
But do they know just how talented their coach was when she was a student at Secaucus like them?
“I’m not really sure,” Meyer said. “I still play a little with them and one said, ‘Hey, you can still hit and play.’ But I’m not sure if they know the background that much.”
If they read this, then they do now.
There was another fact about Tiffany Aciz Meyer that should standout out. During her playing days at Secaucus, she lost just one match.
“We were 111-1 when I was a player here,” Meyer said. “I’m trying to instill what I had to do as a player here into them, trying to give them the mentality you need to be a good player.”
It seems to be working, because once again, just like the seasonal change, the Patriots are rolling toward November. They currently own a 14-2 record as they begin play this weekend in the annual Hudson County Tournament, a gathering that Secaucus has literally owned since all of the current members of the roster were even born.
“We have a good mix of returning players and newcomers,” Meyer said. “It really keeps the court stable. We have a new freshman setter and a senior playing varsity for the first time. It’s really a good mix and a good balance.”
Meyer was asked if the current players feel any pressure trying to live up to the expectations of the past.
“I don’t think they think of the pressure,” Meyer said. “I just worry about getting the girls to play better and then eventually, the good things that happened in the past can continue. It’s not even a focus for us.”
Leading the way for the Patriots is junior middle hitter/setter Shannon Waters, who is a three-sport standout in the same three sports as Tiffany Aciz was in her heyday.
“Shannon is just naturally athletic and she leads by doing,” Meyer said. “She carries out doing her three sports well because she always works so hard. She can definitely be a force on offense and I believe she’s athletic enough and smart enough to take it to the next level.”
The other middle hitter is junior Alexis Waters, who is Shannon’s cousin. On this team, it just seems like everyone is related to another in some capacity.
“Alexis has gotten better every day and she’s become more aggressive,” Meyer said. “There are times when she’s really hitting the ball down hard. She’s also our best defensive player.”
Senior Courtney Piccini is an outside hitter who Meyer likes for her strategic approach.
“Courtney is more of a placement hitter,” Meyer said.
The freshman setter has a very familiar last name in Secaucus annals. She’s Danielle Roesing, the younger sister of former Secaucus great athletes Eddie, Cory, and Bobby. Cory Roesing was the 2007 Hudson Reporter Co-Female Athlete of the Year and is currently playing volleyball as a junior at Caldwell College.
Roesing is also somehow related to one of the Waters’ cousins, but it’s too complicated to find out how.
“I’m sure Danielle has to feel some of the pressure being part of that family,” Meyer said. “She’s just a freshman, but she’s learning. She already has great game sense and is a smart player.”
Senior Tara Roarty is a key defensive player, while senior Marissa Eck is a solid opposite hitter.
“We have a diverse team where the girls can play different positions,” Meyer said. “Like Marissa Eck used to be a setter and she’s still good there if we need her.”
Junior Andrea Lunapiena is another opposite hitter. She’s also solid defensively and is one of the Patriots’ best servers. Senior Samantha Ghem comes off the bench to add defensive strength.
After the Hudson County Tournament, where the Patriots are once again the top seed, they will prepare for the NJSIAA Group I state playoffs, where teams like Bogota and Cresskill loom. Cresskill defeated the Patriots earlier in the season, while Bogota sent the Pats packing from the playoffs last year.
“Like every year, there are a lot of good teams in the states,” Meyer said. “I think the goals are always the same. The girls are hungry to see William Paterson [the site of the NJSIAA state finals]. We’re hoping to get there.”
It’s all part of the regular ritual, just like it seemingly always has been.
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