One loss. That’s it. The rest is legendary.

SPF Boys Volleyball is getting ready to enter the Union County Tournament one loss shy of a perfect record. Each player on the team provides a massive effort every game to push the Raiders ahead of their opponent. 

A prime example is junior Nick Schmidt, who recently reached the incredible achievement of 1,000 assists. 

“Getting 1,000 assists was a cool milestone to hit,” Schimdt said. “It’s a representation of my teammates because I can’t get assists without them getting kills or passing me the ball. It also represents the work put in on and off the court to get better.” 

Senior Amir Johnson, who has been a great part of this historical season, addressed the reason why this volleyball team is so special. 

“I think it’s the chemistry that we have on the court at all times,” Johnson said. “I think watching us is a lot of fun. We get along very well and we’re there when everybody falls down. If someone makes a mistake, we’re always right behind them to pick them up and keep moving.” 

The Union County Tournament, which is held at Kean University, has seen SPF Volleyball dominate year after year and the Raiders will look to create the same intensity that has been represented in each of their games this season. The tournament will evoke vigor from the squad and test their perseverance. 

“There is a lot of action,” Johnson said. “Especially on Monday, Union is coming on strong. It’s going to be a lot of hype and it’s just going to be very intense.”

Both Johnson and Schmidt have enjoyed the game of volleyball throughout most of their lives. The intensity that each game brings encourages them to continue to fight for every point and to create opportunities for each teammate to win as many games as possible. 

“I like playing volleyball because I enjoy the atmosphere and the complexities of the game,” Schmidt said. “In my position I control the offense and touch the ball almost every time it comes over the net.”

Having this amount of hype around a particular team is inspiring not only to the players, but the coaches and fans who enjoy watching the growth that this team exemplifies. Every game proves that each player provides a necessary impact on the game. 

“We should win the Union County tournament because number one, we’ve done it before,” Johnson said. “We’ve beaten these teams before, and if we mess up and don’t win, it’s on us, and I think we all know that. We are working so hard to be one of the best teams in Jersey that this Union County tournament should show how good we are.”

“The furthest we have gone in states is sectional semifinals,” Schimdt said. “We are looking to win our first sectional title and compete in the Tournament of Champions. We want to prove that we are a legitimate volleyball program.”

The SPF Boys Volleyball team will look to continue their glory as they play Union, at Kean University, 7:15 pm, in the Union County Tournament, on Wednesday, May 18.