Passaic County Tournament Finals
Saturday, May 18th at Clifton High School in Clifton 12pm | bracket
1-Passaic Charter (19-3) vs. 7-Passaic Tech (11-12)
how did they get here
Passaic Charter: Passaic Charter, the top seed in this bracket, received an automatic bye in the quarterfinal round and faced No. 8 seed Lakeland. The Panthers were tested, and although they escaped with a two-point lead in the first set, they pulled away a little in the second set and won the match by five points. In the semifinals, the Panthers faced fourth-seeded West Milford, winning in three sets for the sixth time this season. After taking the first set, the Panthers lost the second set by three points, but then rallied and won four points in the third set to advance to the championship game.
Passetech: Seventh-seeded Passaic Tech's advance to the finals was decided by an upset. The Bulldogs didn't have to go through that in the first round, as they defeated No. 10 seed Patterson Ertz in two sets in the first round, but they had to face No. 2 seed Clifton in the quarterfinals. Despite losing the first set to the Mustangs the day before, the Bulldogs ended up winning the next two sets by an average margin of just over four points. The win was the biggest upset in the quarterfinal rounds of the county and conference tournaments this season. And in the semifinals, the Bulldogs won again, defeating third-seeded Passeic in two sets. Unlike in the quarterfinals, Passaic Tech had solid control in this match, outscoring Passaic by a combined score of 50-37.
championship history
Passaic Charter: Passaic Charter, which just debuted in 2018, will be making its first appearance in the championship game of the Passaic County Tournament. Prior to this year's event, the Panthers' last appearances were in the semifinal round in 2022 and 2023, losing to Passaic Tech and Wayne Valley in both. The Panthers won the North, Group 1 title last season, the first in school history, and will look to add to that collection with a county title.
Passetech: Passaic Tech is back in the finals for the third season in a row and will once again be looking to be crowned champions. Last year's title was the first in program history as the Bulldogs conquered their past demons and finally won the title after several quarterfinal round exits the previous year. Returning to the championship game in what was seen as a down year for the program is a great accomplishment.
Featured players
passaic charter
Anthony Matute Sr.: Matute was a big hit last season with 168 kills and 66 aces, and he improved even more in his senior year. He has 273 kills this season, and while his offensive play has improved tremendously and his service numbers have dipped as a result, it's still an impressive number. He ranks third on the Panthers in service points (98) and first aces (45) and is tied for sixth in the state in aces.
Damian Gutierrez Sr.: Gutierrez is playing an extended role on the court for the first time this season and is improving as a result. After recording only 14 kills all of last season, he had 129 kills as a senior and has been a consistent offensive force for Passaic Charter. He has been playing his best volleyball of the year in May, averaging 6-7 kills per game throughout the month so far.
Albert Nova, Thor: One of only three sophomores on Passaic Charter's roster, Nova is having a breakout year and looks to be one of Passaic Charter's next great players. Masu. He is one of three players on the roster with at least 100 kills this season and is third on the Panthers with 117 kills. He also showed his strength from behind the service line, recording 104 service points, the highest in Passaic Charter, along with 27 aces.
Isaac Acevedo Jr., S: Passaic Charter needed a new setter this season and appears to have secured it in Acevedo for the remainder of this season and the entirety of next season. He has 486 assists so far this season and could reach 500 in the finals. He's also a model of consistency, with double-digit assists in all 22 of Passaic Charter's games this season, including a 26-assist performance in the semifinal round win over West Milford.
Passaic Tech
Nate X. Addison Sr., Ohio: Addison played a big role on Passaic Tech's championship-winning team last season as a junior and will be relied on even more this season. He answered the call and even transitioned from middle blocker to outside hitter. Addison, who had just 90 kills last season, has 198 kills this year and still has 31 blocks, showing a strong defensive presence. He is looking to improve on his previous season record in this category (30) set last season.
Mr. Kacper Nieradka, Senior MB/O: With so many hitters leaving last season's team, there was a need for newcomers to step into bigger roles. Nieratka isn't necessarily a rookie like he was on last year's team, but he's seen more court this season, and that's paying off for the Bulldogs. His 96 kills rank second on the team, but what really stands out are his 31.5 blocks. Between him and Addison, Passaic Tech can turn the tide of a game in an instant based on its defensive play.
Elliot Rivera, Thor, S/DS: Rivera is one of several sophomores on this season's roster, but perhaps the one with the biggest impact. The Bulldogs' new starting setter has 431 assists this season and is playing her best volleyball of the season in May. He has finished with less than 20 assists in a game only twice in the last month, but has combined for 73 assists in the Bulldogs' three tournament games so far.
key factor
Passaic Charter: step up in depth
Throughout the tournament, Passaic Charter had to rely heavily on Matute. Matute accounted for 38 of the Panthers' 71 kills between the quarterfinals and semifinals. Nova and Gutierrez follow with 10 and 12, respectively. He has two of them. The first is that it shows directly how well Matute has played this season and how far his charter in Passaic can go by playing at this high level. However, there was some uncertainty throughout the tournament as the last two matches were so close. For a team running on the momentum and experience from last season's championship run, other players may need to step up a little more Saturday afternoon.
Passetech: Keep feeding and trusting the big hitters.
To win championships, teams need top performing players. That doesn't mean a player like Addison couldn't perform well all season. He was, and still is, very consistent in his play. But now, Nyeradka has improved greatly, recording 25 kills and four blocks in all three matches of the tournament. His two-man units like this can quickly change the perception of the game offensively, and his Passaic tech is currently getting great play from Addison and Nieradka. If Rivera continues to feed these two, and he will, points will come to the Bulldogs.
prediction
Passaic Tech 2, Passaic Charter 1
Donovan Hugel can be contacted at: dhugel@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X @Donohugel.
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