A hush fell across the court when it was revealed that Coach Ms. Denise Morrow would not be returning to Edison High in 2023. After many years of leading the school’s volleyball program, her well-deserved retirement meant the team needed a new coach. Fortunately, any feelings of concern or dread over the sport’s future quickly dried up when it was announced that Mr. Jason Wernlund would be taking the helm as varsity coach. He promised to revamp the program into one of elite status.
The starting lineup consisted of three sophomores and two juniors. Many teams saw Edison’s youth and likely underestimated them at various points during the season. But the players only used that as motivation as the season opened against JFK. After squeezing out a win in the first set, Edison dropped the next two sets and lost their first game. Mohammed Haady ‘24 led the team with eight kills alongside five digs. The Eagles went on to take care of business with their next two games, dominating a solid Woodbridge team in two sets and beating rival North Brunswick in three. Ajit Sivakumar ‘25 led the team with a total of 24 kills over those two games.
The South Side then faced the daunting task of taking on Old Bridge, a team that has won the last four state championships and were well on their way to winning it all again this year. But in the loss, the Eagles held their own against the Knights, as Sivakumar (the sophomore) managed six kills alongside eight digs from libero Kirtan Amin ‘25. The team now sat at .500, feeling discontent and hungry for Ws after facing the #8 team in the state.
And the squad never looked back. Edison soared over Piscataway, New Brunswick, Plainfield, Perth Amboy, and JFK for five consecutive victories. Sivakumar and Haady, the Eagles’ dynamic duo of outside hitters, combined for 73 kills in that impressive span. The team rose to an imposing record of 7–2 as Coach W’s promise was beginning to come to fruition.
The hot streak was followed by a bit of a slump as the Eagles lost three of the next four games (all losses were on the road). Sivakumar, however, remained relentless. Over the tough week, he averaged over eleven kills per game to earn EHS athlete of the week.
That kill streak had infused energy into the Eagles, who went on another win streak, tallying up to twelve in the win column, and dropping only one set over the four back-to-back landslides. Kanishk Ragimanu ‘25 (yet another sophomore on this budding Edison squad) led the Eagles in kills in two of those four games as he began to make a name for himself.
On senior night, people flocked to the game in numbers which Taylor Swift could only get in her wildest dreams (…yes, that was an exaggeration). But in terms of how Edison played in the game, they were certainly on par with Swift in a concert (now that…that was also an exaggeration, but a lesser one for sure).
The rest of the schedule was filled to the brim with Red Division teams, and the Eagles only pulled off one win in the home stretch to reach a final record of 13–11 (overall). They went 10–3 in the GMC, and won the White Division.
Sivakumar finished the season with 200+ kills and digs, being named 1st team All-Division and 1st team All-Conference, ranked 29th overall in the entire state of NJ. Brady Boslet ‘24 ended the year with 100+ career kills and 300+ digs (110th in the state). Haady finished with 100+ kills and digs, Amin amassed 239 digs, and Pranav Ashok ‘25 tallied 372 assists.
So, had Edison effectively taken the first step in Coach Wernlund’s plan for change and success? The numbers and accomplishments should speak for themselves. And with this young team’s drive and passion to win, one can only imagine what’s in store for the next few years.
