Arvind Kumar was born in India. It's there that he learned how to play the sport of volleyball.

"I grew up playing volleyball in India," Kumar said.

But the family moved to Greensboro, North Carolina when Arvind was 15 years old.

"My Dad owned a gas station and I spent a lot of my time working there," Kumar said. "It was tough, but I did what I had to do for my family. It was hard because I didn't speak English, only Hindi. I really had no sense of the language or the culture. It was really hard."

And for the three years that Kumar lived in Greensboro, he did not play an ounce of volleyball. The school he attended did not offer volleyball as a sport and Kumar was always too busy working at the gas station.

"I was kind of lost without volleyball," Kumar said.

Then the Kumar family decided to move to Manahawkin, N.J. and he attended Southern Regional High School, which has a prolific volleyball program, traditionally one of the best in New Jersey.

"It was actually a big change, a positive change," said Kumar, who has been able to learn the English language at a rapid pace and only presents a hint of an accent. "I really had lost all hope of playing volleyball again when we were in North Carolina. I really did miss playing."

After being away from volleyball for three full years, Kumar was a little concerned with being rusty.

"But then it just sort of came back to me," Kumar said. "Moving to New Jersey was like it was meant to be. I got to go to school and play volleyball again. That's what I wanted."

And with it came other changes in Kumar's life.

"I feel like I just adopted the American culture," Kumar said. "The language just sort of evolved. I adapted to the American way."

Kumar had a solid senior season at Southern Regional, as he led his team to a sectional championship and a berth in the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions.

It was there that Kumar caught the eye of former Rutgers-Newark volleyball coach Pedro Trevino, now coaching at nearby NJIT. Trevino recruited Kumar to come to R-N and become a key member of the Scarlet Raiders.

"It was my decision to stay close to home," Kumar said. "Rutgers-Newark has a good business school and I was getting the chance to play volleyball. It was a combination of all things in a good way."

Current R-N head men's volleyball coach Jack Wilson might have inherited Kumar, but he's glad he did.

"When I got here, I knew that Arvind was the CVC (Continental Volleyball Conference) Newcomer of the Year, so I knew he could play," Wilson said. "He does a lot of nice things well. When he swings, he hits the crap out of the ball. Sometimes, I wish he could control it a bit. But he's also a good defender who is also a naturally good passer. He spends a lot of time working on his serve."

And Kumar is having a brilliant senior year for the Scarlet Raiders, who sit among the top teams in the CVC with a 13-2 overall record. The Scarlet Raiders have already clinched the New Jersey Athletic Conference championship this season.

Kumar has collected 206 points (good for second on the team) with 177 kills and 21 service aces. His rocket delivery on hits is something to behold and gives the Scarlet Raiders a solid 1-2 punch at outside hitter, along with Andrew Zaleck.

"I'm actually grateful to be a part of this team," Kumar said. "I like the friendship that we have on the team. Jack is a good head coach. It's sad to say that this is my last year. It's been great. It's really an honor to be a part of this team. I get so excited for our matches."

"He's definitely a big piece to what we do," Wilson said. "The more weapons you have, the better you are as a team. Other teams have to worry about him. He does a great job opening up things for the others. He also definitely plays up to the highest level of competition and seems to do better against the better teams."

If there is one criticism Wilson has about his standout outside hitter, it's about his approach.

"I need him to be more of a vocal leader," Wilson said. "I need him to keep everyone in line."

Wilson loves Kumar's personality.

"He's a bit of a goofball," Wilson said. "He likes to crack jokes. But he's a great kid. When it's time to get serious, he's dead serious and expects everyone to have a high level of play. He's a great player who is having a great season. He takes care of business and I never have to worry about him."

Kumar plans to graduate this May with a degree in supply chain management.

"It's time for me to step into the real world I guess," Kumar said. "It's been going really well here. I can't complain about anything. I couldn't ask for anything better. I have really high expectations. I hope we can go really far this year. Let's see how it all turns out."