It’s only the beginning for Vienna Coccia.
In just one season, the Neumann-Goretti High School outside hitter established herself as a powerful threat behind a killer swing on the volleyball court. The scary part is she’s still relatively new to the game.
“I started in 7th grade and I really loved it so I started playing club,” Coccia said. “And I just grew from there.”
Coccia earned Third-Team All-Catholic honors as Neumann-Goretti’s lone honoree last season but the 15-year-old wasn’t ready to rest on her early success. She joined the Jersey Juniors club volleyball program and increased the intensity of offseason workouts. The best seems still yet to come.
“She’s as talented as they come,” said Neumann-Goretti coach Kevin Villec, who returns for his second year with the program. “To be where she is as a sophomore is unbelievable. She’s incredibly athletic and quick and has a powerful swing. Building off of last year and after working her rear end off during the offseason, if we can put it together on the court, there’s no reason she can’t be a first team All-Catholic-type player.”
Coccia was more concerned with fitting in on a different team — her own. As a talented freshman, Coccia first needed to prove she belonged. It didn’t take long.
“I was really excited to get started and make friends with all the girls,” Coccia said. “I wanted to play and show everyone that I could be good enough to play for varsity. It took a couple games to feel comfortable. I realized I was pretty good.”
So did the Saints. The team won two of its first three Catholic League games last season before running into a tough slate of foes. The team still managed to produce its best season in six years.
“We had our best season last year since 2017 and we’re light years ahead of where we started last year,” Villec said. “It’s playoffs or bust for us at this point. There’s no reason these girls can’t do it. They are talented enough and they work hard all offseason. We just have to execute on the floor and we’ll be right there.”
The Saints won their first two non-league games against Chester Charter and Lincoln Leadership Academy before dropping their PCL opener at Conwell-Egan on Sept. 11.
“We’re a very good team and we’ve gotten a lot better since last year,” Coccia said. “We’ve been practicing and doing well.”
Coccia hopes to continue her education after Neumann-Goretti in the medical field. She has a special motivation she carries with her.
“I want to be a pediatrician for autistic kids,” Coccia said. “My brother is autistic and I want to help kids just like him.”
Coccia’s brother Dante is 23 and the two share an unbreakable bond. Dante cheers on his sister at home games and the two play video games like Roblox together at home. Sometimes TV is another strategy for low-key fun.
“I just like hanging out with him,” Vienna said. “Just realizing he’s not like everyone else. Some people look at him differently. I just like to make him feel like us so he doesn’t feel different. I look up to him.”
And Coccia’s teammates look up to her.
“She’s got the talent and she’s got the work ethic,” Villec said. “Just have to keep putting it together on the court and that will come.”
