NJP has established a new feature called “Quick Set” where we ask NJ’s best high school volleyball players a quick set of questions and feature the answers daily on the site. Congratulations to the players selected and we appreciate the time taken to jump in and share their thoughts. (Players: Watch your IG messages for future invites) The questions will change throughout the season and we expect some players will repeat as being a part of this content in the future. Let’s applaud these role models for representing NJ’s best!
April 21, 2023
Nick Schmidt is a senior setter for the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Raiders. He is one of NJ’s premier players and has committed to play volleyball collegiately at Stevens Institute of Technology. He is currently the #1 player in New Jersey per the NJP Player Rater issued April 15, 2023.
Tell us about your team this season.
Thank you! I think our team is looking very strong this year. We have kept many of our strongest players from last year. Jeremy, Zach, Tim and I are our captains. Our biggest losses from last year were our middles, but we have had 3 solid players step up to fill that roll. We have also had a nice addition of players come up from JV to create a lot of depth with our team this year, including Mikey Wojcik, Kieran Barker, and Jay Patel. A senior that will make a big impact on our team is Kevin Indoe, who is a force in the front row. One freshman that made the team this year is Dan Ennis, Tim’s younger brother. He is already making an impact and we expect a lot from him this year. Everyone on our team has the skill and ability to start, and that is what will make our team so powerful this year. Coach Brock Hor does an excellent job of observing how our team meshes together and plays our best lineup.
Which schools are your biggest league rivals?
The biggest rivals in our county are definitely Union, Westfield, and Summit. Union has always been strong and will be again this year. Summit has been growing in strength for the past few year and will shine more this year. Westfield is another school that has been developing, and I think they will surprise everyone this year.
Tell us about your opening game of the season!
Our opening game was against Roselle and we won. Roselle is a new program and will definitely be growing the next couple of years.
What’s the best part of being on your school’s volleyball team?
The best part about our high school team is the chemistry between everyone. Every practice and game everyone comes to compete, but we are also able to have fun and enjoy playing volleyball.
What big games are you looking forward to playing in this season?
The big games I’m looking forward to this year are against Southern, our game against Bridgewater and our game against Old Bridge. These are definitely our toughest opponents this year and I know a bunch of the guys on all three of those teams. These will be fun matches, and hopefully clear up who the best in the state is this year.
It’s a changing landscape this season as far as state champs go. What’s your take?
This year NJ will be split up into Groups 1-4, and north and south sections in each. It is going to be interesting on how these new groups churn out 4 state champs this year.