Yessica Nuñez can trace her heritage to the Dominican Republic and the volleyball courts of Cliffside Park.
The senior setter is the third Red Raider in four seasons to be named North Jersey Female Athlete of the Week, presented by HSS.
Cliffside Park High School had only one girls volleyball player earn AOW honors in the program’s first five decades, Karen Fontana in 1985.
Since 2023, both Reyna Sutuj and Wendy Palaguachi have joined the list, and the former played a key role in Nuñez’s career.
“Reyna was a senior when I was a freshman, and she was one of my inspirations to become a setter,” the 5-foot-4 Fairview native said. “She was the most amazing role model to me.”
Nuñez surpassed Sutuj on the Red Raiders’ career assist leaderboard during their 2-1 victory at Memorial on Oct. 2. She set a new personal single-match best with 37 assists, and her landmark 800th came on a spike by twin sister Wilma.
“Because of me and Wilma’s connection on the court, she helps out a lot,” Yessica said.
Cliffside Park coach Matt Brunelli was able to find records back to 2010, and entering the week, Nuñez (836) and Sutuj (802) sat atop the career assist list.
As a sophomore, Nuñez helped Palaguachi eclipse 500 career kills. So her impact on the Red Raiders is evident, but even more impactful than the team’s AOW legacy is that of her own family.
“My mom, she played volleyball over in the Dominican Republic, and she played with all her sisters,” Nuñez said. “So that’s why with volleyball, we hold a high standard in this family.”
Yessica’s generation includes not only her twin, but an older sister, Stephanie, who helped pass on a passion for the sport.
“One time at the park, she was teaching us how to play volleyball, because we’d never played before,” Yessica said, recalling a moment from her and Wilma’s seventh-grade year. “She realized that we have natural talent for it.”
At the time, Yessica was considering a different autumn sport.
“I was about to join the soccer team in my middle school,” she said. “It was a last-minute decision to change to volleyball.”
Nuñez and her family have lived either in Fairview or Cliffside Park – the two CPHS sending districts – for her entire life. Stephanie, now 26, has moved one state to the west and could blaze yet another trail for the twins.
“I want to go into the medical field when I grow up, and I just think the sciences are more fascinating for me,” Yessica said. For college, “I’m looking in Pennsylvania, because I want to live closer to my older sister.”
Nuñez has a realistic chance to become the first Red Raider to reach 1,000 career assists – and Wilma would be an excellent option for her twin to set up in pursuit of another milestone. Beyond their graduation from Cliffside Park.
“We’re hoping to go to the same college,” Yessica said, “but if one college only benefits me, then yeah, we’ll split ways. But we both want to go to college in Pennsylvania.”
Nuñez clearly flourishes around family and volleyball.
Yessica Nuñez
Sport: Volleyball
School: Cliffside Park
Class: Senior Age: 17
Accomplishment: Nuñez notched her 800th career assist during a 3-0 week that featured all 2-1 victories. During the trio of three-set matches, she totaled 90 assists, 34 digs and 6 kills in becoming the second Red Raider in the last 15 years to reach the 800-assist mark.
Also nominated: Adalynn Incovaia of Waldwick, Angelina Grod of Bogota, Ryan Liles of Tenafly and Maddie O’Connell of Mahwah for volleyball; and Sofia DeLorenzo of Ramapo for gymnastics.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: North Jersey Female Athlete of the Week inspired by family legacy