Oratory Volleyball Postseason Preview
With the 2025–2026 Oratory Prep volleyball regular season now in the books, the postseason is coming up soon. In the program’s third year, the Rams have proved to be a force in New Jersey and are scheduled to face Camden on Wednesday in the first round of the NJSIAA South Jersey Group 1 Tournament. Let’s recap what has happened so far.
Opening the season on March 30 with a 2-0 win against Hillside, Oratory would later fall 2-0 to Elizabeth. In their next four games, they took down both Linden and Mount Olive but lost against Westfield and St. Joseph (Metuchen). At 3-3, the Rams would follow their loss to St. Joseph with a four-game winning streak, defeating Franklin, Plainfield, Roselle Catholic, and Roselle.
A loss to Union on April 17 would be the Rams’ last for 18 days, as they would go on to knock off Linden, Hillside, Roselle, Plainfield, rival Summit, Roselle Catholic, and Glen Ridge before their seven-game winning streak finally ended in a 2-1 defeat against Scotch Plains-Fanwood on May 6. Despite bouncing back with a 2-0 win against Delbarton, they were unable to advance in the Union County Tournament, losing 2-1 in a rematch against Elizabeth. Rams volleyball finished 16-6 after a 2-0 victory against Wayne Valley on May 13, capturing the team’s first-ever Union County Conference Mountain Division title with a 10-0 division record.
Currently, the Rams’ winning percentage is the program’s best ever, at .727. Last year, Oratory volleyball finished 17-8 (.680), and they finished at 5-15 (.250) the year before. During the 2025–2026 season, they won 35 of their 49 sets (71.4%). This quick rise can mostly be attributed to superstar Devon Fernandez. The UC Santa Barbara commit is currently New Jersey’s state leader in kills with 391. Averaging 7.98 kills per set, the outside hitter also leads the team in aces (43) and is tied with Jeremy Yeager for the team high in service points (26). However, Fernandez has not been the only player making an impact. Three other seniors lead the team in the remaining statistical categories: Zach Owens in blocks, with 44; Noah Tockarshewsky in digs, with 225; and Miles Williamson in assists, with 451. Overall, the Oratory Prep Rams volleyball team averaged 14.9 kills, 2.0 blocks, 11.7 digs, 14.4 assists, 2.4 service points, and 3.3 aces per set, proving themselves to be a dominant team in New Jersey.
OP earned the No. 3 seed in the NJSIAA South Jersey Group 1 Tournament. Camden, the Rams’ upcoming opponent, finished only 9-13 (.409). Oratory played just one five-set match in the regular season, against Glen Ridge, and the team will now have to adjust to that longer format, which is required for all playoff games. With a win, the Rams would advance to the quarterfinal round, facing the winner of sixth-seeded Pennsauken Tech (13-11) and 11th-seeded Timothy Christian (9-10). Another win would send them to the semifinals, where they fell 2-0 to St. John Vianney last year, with No. 2 seed Sterling (20-4) being their hardest potential opponent. If they manage to pull away, they will likely have a chance for revenge against undefeated St. John Vianney (21-0) in the tournament final.
With the season on the line, Oratory needs to win four games to capture a sectional title. If they manage to win South Jersey, they will have the opportunity to capture the Group 1 state title. Whether they get that far or not, this season has been one to remember in OP volleyball’s early history, and the Rams are ready to fight to the end and do whatever it takes to come home with a trophy.
