Randolph Boys Volleyball celebrated Senior Night with a win against Dover, 2-0, and a pre-game ceremony honoring the four seniors on the team on Thursday, April 11.
“It was a great day to celebrate and recognize Hunter Kasper, Marko Aksentijevic, Ramon Fernandez and Michael Barrera for their dedication and effort not only this year but previous years as well,” head coach Erik Novack said.
During the match, the first set was close and competitive. The Rams were down during the first few minutes but found their momentum and bounced back, ending with a Randolph win, 26-24.
“I knew we were going to win, but we just had to get into a steady rhythm,” junior captain Kevin Tinio said after the game. “After a shaky start, we managed to find our rhythm and secure a win.”
In the second set, Randolph dominated, ending it with a 25-18 win.
“I think our team played incredibly well against Dover despite not putting in a lot of our starters,” Kasper said of the team’s strategy during the second set. “We were able to work well as we moved players on and off the court and to different positions.”
Tinio had 17 assists in the game, which led to his new personal record of 700 career assists. Kasper led with 11 serving points and 8 kills with sophomore Cole Cantada behind him with 5 serving points. Fernandez and Cantada contributed with the most digs.
“Looking ahead, our strategy involves a focus on identifying and addressing our team’s weaknesses after a game and working on them in practice,” Tinio noted.
The night was also one of reflection, as Novack and the team’s senior players looked back on their time in the program.
“I would describe my volleyball career as a Ram as ultimately fulfilling,” Kasper said. “I have seen a lot of incredible players come and go, and I want to end this year on a good note for the program.”
“One word to describe my Randolph career as a Ram is ‘SHAPE,’ as Coach Novack once taught me,” Aksentijevic said. “SHAPE is an acronym that stands for attitude, positivity and engagement on a team, and how players act daily toward each other and the coaches. When someone’s down, we remember what SHAPE is.”
Novack praised the current seniors for their hard work and loving personalities. “I am grateful to be able to continue to coach these seniors and get to know them better than I already do,” he said.
The Rams’ next game is on Tuesday, April 16 @ Vernon High School.
