A lot of hard work, dedication and a little family intervention has helped Michael Bertucci develop into one of the best volleyball players in the state of New Jersey.

He had an advantage over many youngster now playing the game on the high school level. His introduction to the sport began at a very early age when he accompanied his father Bob, the long-time coach at Temple University, who instructed at camps and clinics.

"I guess I was three or four when I started going with him," Bertucci said. "After he would finish instructing I would go off by myself and practice. So you can say he has been coaching me for a long time.

"As a matter of fact, he has been coaching me on the club level," he added. "He coaches the club team I play on. He is always encouraging me but he also treats me like any other member on the team."

As he starts his fourth and final season at Eastern, Bertucci is hoping he and his teammates, which also includes his sophomore brother Brian, are going to have an outstanding season.

And the Vikings, under coach Tom Armour, should be a very good team.

"I'm really looking forward to this season," Bertucci said. "We haven't set any goals for ourselves. We want to go one step at a time, play our best each time and that should take us where we want to be at the end of the season."

He is also looking forward to playing with his brother.

"That was suppose to happen last year but Brian got hurt," he said. "At first I was a little concerned about playing with him. But actually it has been great. We fight more at home than on the court."

But make no mistake about it, Michael is clearly the leader on this Eastern team.

"He is a complete player," Armour said. "No question he is the best overall player I have ever coached in my 11 years here. We had other players that were a little more flashy but Michael does everything well."

Bertucci said he is not feeling any added pressure since this is his final year and the Vikings are one of the area's premier teams.

"I think I felt more pressure last year," he said. "This year I don't feel like I have to make the big play all the time. We have other players that can also do that. We should have a pretty good time this year."