We'll announce the Player of the Week every Tuesday throughout the season.
Two players will be selected from each of the 13 conferences, but coaches are free to submit nominations to the email address below.
Check out our Player of the Week for the first time in May, from April 30th to May 6th.
B.C.S.L.
Omar Hussein Sr., Northern Burlington
Hussain took over as the Greyhounds' main outside weapon this season. Last week, he led the conference with 35 kills. Northern Burlington made big strides last week in games where she had 13 kills, including against Southern and Livingston. Hussain also had eight kills in the rematch against WWP North.
Andrew Zimekki Sr., Cinnaminson
Zimeki has consistently led Cinnaminson's offense throughout his senior year. Last week, he finished with two of his best games of the season. He totaled 22 assists against Burlington Township, followed by 20 assists against Cherry Hill East, both wins for Cinnaminson. Zimecki has found her improvement and is playing her best volleyball heading into the postseason.
big north conference
Adrian Nemeth Sr., Clifton
Nemeth put together one of the best weeks of the season as Clifton improved to 3-0 and improved to 15-3 overall with a conference-high 80 assists, plus 10 kills, four blocks and 13 digs. Ta. He had 30 or more assists in back-to-back games for the first time in his career, finishing with 32 assists against North Bergen on Thursday and 31 assists against Wayne Valley on Monday. The senior is in the midst of a career year and has already set career highs in assists (391), aces (19), blocks (20) and digs (43).
Shar Nasher Sr., Bergenfield
Nasher's big week with 38 kills and 12 digs helped Bergenfield bounce back as the Bears won all four games last week. His two best games came at the beginning and end of the week. He totaled 11 kills last Wednesday against Teaneck and had 10 kills, one block and three digs in a two-set sweep against Bergen Catholic on Monday.
cape atlantic league
Xavier Vasquez, Sr., Absegami
Vazquez continues to rack up assists, leading the CAL with 89 assists, 21 service points and 14 digs over the past seven days. He also reached his career 700-assist milestone with a 12-assist performance against Barnegat on Monday.
Jonathan Ho Sr., Oakcrest
Ho set the tone for Oakcrest's defense last week. His 27 digs were second in the CAL during this period, and he also added 24 digs, nine service points, and seven aces. In his win over the Tritons last Tuesday, he tied a career-high for digs in a game with 13 goals and added 12 kills. He had a similar performance on Friday with nine kills and eight digs in a three-set win against Cedar Creek.
Greater Middlesex Conference
Aiden LeCourse Jr., North Brunswick
North Brunswick has won three of its last four games, with Lucoce completely taking over on offense. The outside junior hit a new gear last week. It started with 19 kills against Perth Amboy, followed by 17 kills and six digs against East Brunswick. Lucose had her best game of the season on Monday as North Brunswick defeated Iselin Kennedy. The team drove Lukoce to the finish line, totaling 24 kills and eight digs, a season high.
Troy Markle Jr., Old Bridge
Markle developed into one of the state's best setters in his first year as a primary starter. He has 410 assists so far this year and led GMC with 133 last week. The Knights continue to maintain a 19-0 record this season. Last week, Old Bridge defeated Scotch Plains vs. Fanwood in a top-three showdown, with Markle recording 20 assists, four digs and five service points. He added 25 points as Old Bridge defeated Ridge in straight sets.
Hyalu
Gabriel Montoya Jr., Union City
Montoya was a force on Union City's offensive line last week, racking up 29 kills across the HCIAL, while also contributing 15 service points and three aces in three games. In last Thursday's win over Hoboken, he tied a season high with 12 kills. Throughout the week, he accounted for just under half of Union City's total kills.
Eric Baquilima Sr., North Bergen
Baquilima has been the ultimate difference-maker in North Bergen's eight games, with the Bruins winning seven of those games. In two games last week, he led the HCIAL with 46 assists and matched his career-high in kills last Wednesday against Clifton (four goals). His 17 assists against Carney on Monday helped provide the blueprint for a key win that would ultimately put the Bruins in first place in the American Division.
NJAC
Kayden Krzyzak Jr., Vernon
In the NJAC Tournament, the middle team was strong, led by Kushizak. The junior middle played his best game of the season in the most important moments. Krzyzak had 15 kills against Jefferson, helping Vernon win its first NJAC tournament title. He was difficult to defend in the center and showed great power when the team needed it most.
Jack Schild Jr., Jefferson
Jefferson advanced to the NJAC Tournament finals for the second time in three years. It started when Shildt totaled 39 assists and 10 digs, knocking out reigning champion Randolph. Schild had 27 assists and eight digs in the Classic finale against Vernon.
NJIC
Roger Chavez Jr., Garfield
In four games this week, Chavez dished out an astounding 99 assists, helping Garfield improve to 17-1. He was also incredibly efficient, recording at least 21 assists and no more than 27 assists in each match, and the Boilermakers went 14 straight games without losing a set. He has improved so far in his first year as the starting setter, totaling 377 assists.
Elan Tapper Jr., Garfield
This week at NJIC, Garfield swept POTW honors thanks to Tapper's performance. His 56 kills were the most in the conference last week, followed by his 27 kills. He had double-digit kills in all four of Garfield's games and also added 22 digs.
olympic conference
Oscar Galka Jr., Pennsauken Polytechnic Institute
Garza has consistently been a mainstay of Pennsauken Tech's offense during its 10-3 campaign thus far. Last week, Galka got a chance to show off her abilities on the outside, recording four kills, 14 assists and four digs against Camden Academy Charter. He had a season-high 17 assists in the previous game against Paul VI.
Michael Suarez, Sr., Cherry Hill West
Suarez has been a big asset for Cherry Hill West over the past two years. Last week, he had double-digit kills in each match and continued to put up even bigger numbers as the week progressed. He started with 11 kills against Seneca, followed by 12 against Shawnee. Suarez finished the week with a season-high 15 kills, and Cherry Hill West ended the week with another undefeated run.
super essex conference
Timothy Smith Jr., West Caldwell Institute of Technology
Smith again provided a boost to West Caldwell Tech's play this week, both offensively and defensively. He led the SEC in both kills (41) and digs (33) and added six blocks, 19 service points, and five aces. He had 14 kills and 15 digs in the Eagles' three-set loss to Milburn in the Essex County Tournament semifinals, marking the third time this season he reached double digits in both kills and digs in a single game.
Patrick Pribiszewski Jr., Milburn
Pribiszewski has been dominant this season at the opposite and middle blocker positions for Milburn, and last week he had his best performance of his high school career. Not only did he total 36 kills in three games for Millburn, he also set a new career high with 23 kills in a win over West Caldwell Tech in the semifinal round of the Essex County Tournament. The Millers totaled 42 kills in the match, with Pribiszewski getting more than half of them.
coast meeting
Shane Ferrera Sr., Howell
Ferrera has transitioned perfectly into the setter role in Howell's place. He has had double-digit assists in every game this season, with over 20 assists in all but two games. This week, he led the Shore team in assists, including a season-high 42 assists in the win over Holmdel. The Rebels have won six straight games in conference play. Ferrera finished the week with 30 assists against Central Regional and 29 assists against Pinelands.
Trevor Van Valkenburg Sr., Jackson Liberty
The Jaguars won 16 games this season, and Van Valkenburgh was their primary outside returner. He has 190 kills this season, one of the best in the Shore Conference. Last week, he had 14 kills and six assists against Egg Harbor and added 12 kills against Pinelands. Van Valkenburgh has played against better teams, including 12 kills against St. John Vianney.
skyland conference
Joshua Orihuela, Sr., Watchung Hills
Orihuela played well defensively for Watchung Hills, putting up big numbers all season. That includes a season-high 14 hits in the win over Edison. Watchung Hills has won six of its past seven games. Orihuela provided stability at the center of the defense.
Preston Shanosky Sr., Ridge
Ridge tested itself last week against three teams ranked in NJ.com's top 10, and Shanoski performed well throughout. He had eight kills in back-to-back games against Bridgewater-Raritan and Bergen Tech, and finished with nine kills and six digs in the Scotch Plains-Fanwood game. The Red Devils achieved double-digit wins again this season, and Shanoski was at the center of it all.
tri-county conference
Gavin Batterman, Thor, Williamstown
Batterman, a sophomore in his first year as the starting setter, had his best week of the season as Williamstown won three of four games and dished out 84 assists in the conference. He had at least 20 assists in each of those games, including a huge 21 assists as the Braves defeated rival No. 14 Kingsway in three sets on Monday afternoon.
Tyler Wagner Sr., Clearview
Wagner set a career high with 12 assists in a three-set win against St. Augustine last Tuesday. On Thursday, he nearly broke that record with 11 kills and four more digs as the Pioneers defeated Gloucester Tech in three sets. In three matches this week, the senior had 28 kills, seven digs, 11 service points and three aces.
union county council
Daniel Ennis, Thor, Scotch Plains Fanwood
Ennis stepped up as a sophomore as the Raiders' No. 2 hitter. He performed well in the biggest game of the season, Scotch Plains vs. Fanwood. This includes a fight with Old His Bridge, where he finished with 10 kills and 5 digs. This was one of two games last week in which he had double-digit kills.
Sebastian Lorenzo Sr., Westfield
Westfield played in three games last week, and Lorenzo averaged 23 assists per game. He also added 25 service points. The Blue Devils were 3-0 in those games. Lorenzo had 24 assists, seven digs and nine service points in the win over Summit. He had 24 more assists against Hillside and had 22 assists and 10 service points against Linden.
Donovan Hugel can be contacted at: dhugel@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X @Donohugel.
Greg Patuto can be reached at: gpatuto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X @GregPatuto.
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