North Jersey Female Athlete of the Week carries on program legacy

Sofia Guzman embraces the championship heritage of Secaucus girls volleyball.

Not long after the program captured its New Jersey-record 20th state championship on Nov. 16, the senior recalled a preseason tradition that coach Dylan Caruso has emphasized since his 2021 arrival.

“We do an overview of our Secaucus legacy, because volleyball is a big thing at our school,” said Guzman, the North Jersey Female Athlete of the Week, presented by HSS. “It’s really nice to see, because we realize it’s bigger than just the 12 of us in the room.

“It’s also about the hundreds of girls who played before us who are still interested in seeing how we are playing and how we are upholding their legacy.”

So, how did the outside hitter put together her most dominant performance of the season in the Group 1 final against Raritan? Selective forgetting.

“I really do look at our legacy, and it definitely does give me motivation… but sometimes, it does get a little stressful when you think about how many people [won titles] before us,” Guzman said. “So, in our pregame meeting, I just told our teammates, ‘Don’t only think about the legacy, also think about the 12 of us in the room.’ Because we’re also doing it for each other in the present.”

By focusing on that, the Patriots turned in a performance that will be remembered for a long time. Their 25-13, 25-9, 25-5 sweep of Raritan showcased two players with double-digit kills (Guzman had 24, middle Olivia Jasiczek 17), two with double-digit digs (16 for Guzman, 13 for libero Avalyn Torres) and four who served at least one ace apiece (Sarah Veloz and Isabella Pablos both had three).

“Our setter-hitter connection was working really well that game,” Guzman said. “Especially with our middle Olivia Jasiczek, and same for me, and also Isabella Pablos had some really good kills as well. And of course, we can’t do that without a pass, so our passers were just doing everything they can to keep ball off the floor, even sacrificing their own bodies.”

This highlights another example of what makes Secaucus so successful. Mentioning the teammates is more than mere name-dropping. Caruso corroborates that the girls are genuine.

“When somebody you know gets named Player of the Week, and you look at my kids, they’re all celebrating like they just won it, because they’re so happy for their teammates,” he said. “And you can’t coach that. That is not a coachable trait.”

One of the reasons Guzman stands out is her ability to implement the things she learns quickly. Her first foray into volleyball didn’t happen until eighth grade, and even then, it was at the urging of best friend Abigail Brescia – a setter who went on to play at St. Dominic in Jersey City.

“She kind of made me go of my comfort zone to try it out, because I actually didn’t want to try out at first,” Guzman said with a laugh. “But I realized the first day that I really liked the sport.”

Her cousins, Gabriella and Camilla Pimentel, both played for the Patriots, so naturally she was familiar with the program. Her eighth-grade coach, Danielle Roesing, comes from another Secaucus volleyball family.

Through all of this, Guzman realized she could carve out her own legacy.

“It just was eye-opening to me how a bunch of other girls weren’t able to serve other the net, but I was one of the only ones able to right away,” she recalled of her first few practices. “So I was like, ‘Oh, maybe I am good at this, so I should try it out and give it a chance’.”

Guzman would like to keep giving it a chance at a college where she can study residential architecture. Kean in Union is one such possiblity.

Her varsity legacy already is quite secure.

“I’m the oldest of my siblings to come to Secaucus,” Guzman said. “But I have a younger sister who plays for the JV team.”

Sofia Guzman

Sport: Volleyball

School: Secaucus

Class: Senior. Age: 17

Accomplishment: Guzman led her team to a 3-0 sweep of Raritan in the Group 1 state final, as Secaucus won its first championship in 11 years. She posted her fourth double-double of the playoffs (24 kills, 16 digs) to finish her four-year career with 760 kills and 822 digs.