2024 HEALING THE CHILDREN TOURNAMENT

2022 - SUMMIT LOSES TO SPF IN FINALS, COMES BACK WEEK LATER AND DEFEATS SPF IN REGULAR SEASON MATCHUP 25-23, 25-23

2023- SUMMIT VS SPF AGAIN IN FINALS,  SUMMIT SWEEPS SPF IN POOL PLAY AND LOSES 26-24 IN FINALS

2024

The Hilltoppers opened Pool Play with Roselle Park and beat the Panthers 2-0 comfortable.

Next for the Hilltoppers were the Rahway Indians and again the SHS crew continued its dominance from the service line,  sweeping the RHS side 2-0

After a short break,  the Top took on the SPF Raiders and this year, the Hilltoppers had too many weapons for the opponents and the Top slowly broke down the Blue and White side to take the 2 sets somewhat comfortably

In the last 2 sets of Pool Play,  SHS took on the Mother Seton Setters,  a team who is always a tough opponent for the Top.  Last time these 2 teams met in Summer League,  MSR and SHS split the sets while in 2023,  MSR swept both sets in tight affairs.  This year,  the result was quite different as the Top took the 2 sets but not without a fight as MSR was up late in set #2 before SHS was able to break down the MSR serve receive.

SEMI-FINALS (Opponent - Rahway)

The rematch of one set was to start at 0-0 and go to 25 for a berth into the finals.  The team was confident but very tired at this point.  Unfortunately for the Hilltoppers,  Rahway was HIGHLY motivated to upend the Summit Squad.  Rahway took a lead early and hung with the Hilltoppers most of the match until late in set one when the Top finally took control with a couple of service runs that gave the team a 24-21 lead.  SHS again missed a serve on set point and saw RHS get to within 1 point but the Indians missed the next serve and the team surviced to the finals versus upset minded Roselle Park!

FINALS (Opponent - Roselle Park)

The Panthers of Roselle Park had made it to the finals by upsetting the MSR Setters in the Semis and the Top had just survived Rahway so the matchup was intriguing.  Summit was in charge of the set from the onset but the Panthers were within striking distance the entire set.  It wasn't until late in the set when Summit finally broke the game open thanks to error free serving, hitting and the wall called Deyonge.  

A BAD LOSS, A GOOD LOSS, A DOMINANT WIN - AN INFLECTION POINT IN THE SEASON

ELIZABETH SURPRISES SUMMIT 

Varsity was looking at a tricky match versus Elizabeth,  a highly anticipated rematch with Kent Place and an important rematch with a dangerous Rahway to close out the week before embarking on another run in the Healing the Children Tournament on Saturday.

The Top lost the battle of points by a 25-24 margin against Elizabeth.  Elizabeth matched the Top with 19 kills but out-aced the Hilltoppers 6-3.  But the real problem was that the Minutewomen were just a bit better on receive (2.11 -1.98) and it allowed what generally is an inconsistent offense to be much more effective and match the Hilltopper offensive output.

The start of the match though,  looked incredibly promising for the Summit squad.  SHS had gotten kills from 4 different players and had kept Elizabeth to 2 points as SHS forced an Elizabeth TO down 9-2.  Nothing much changed after the TO as the Top continued to lead 12-4 a few rotations later but then 3 hitting errors and a net fault by the SHS crew had the lead down to 13-8.  Then an ace and a kill by EHS around another hitting error saw the home squad get closer at 13-11.  But the Top settled into the game and hit on 5 consecutive offensive sets that negated EHS's serving attack and late in the set,  Elizabeth called its final TO as the Top has pulled away to a 19-15 lead.  Unfortunately,  a hitting error off the TO gave the ball back to EHS but yet again, all seemed well after another Ge kill gave the Top a 20-16 lead.  

But then the Hilltoppers began to feel the pressure of the Elizabeth "D" despite the lead.  

Kill EHS, Ace EHS, Hitting error SHS... 20-19... Hitting error EHS, 21-19, a sigh of relief... 

Kill EHS, Kill EHS, Ace EHS... 21-22... Block Deyonge, 22-22...

Attack error SHS... 22-23... Ball Handling error EHS, 23-23...Long Rally which saw the Summit D notch 4 digs and a block that was retrieved by the EHS defense and ended in a free ball return error by the Top gave EHS a 24-23 lead and a set point... Next play saw the Hilltoppers get 2 rips at the set tying point that were handled by EHS until the SHS side was unable to keep a free ball in play on set point to give EHS the set 1 win.

Set 2 saw a much more even match with EHS leading Summit 14-10 but then SHS got an ace by N Feuerstake on a serving rotation that got the Top back to within one at 14-13.  Elizabeth got the serve back at 15-13 but an A Feuerstake kill and a Deyonge kill had the visitors back to a tie at 15 and looking like they were about to take control.  The Minutewomen coaching staff saw the same after a Ge kill had Summit chomping at their heels at 16-17 and the TO seemed to do the trick as the Summit team gave up the next few points and trailed 19-17 a rotation later.  Summit kept fighting but Elizabeth refused to allow a run and at 22-20 it seemed that the next few points would be vital to the Hilltoppers' chances to take set 2.  EHS thought the same and the home squad not only won the next point,  it won the next 3 with SHS giving up 2 aces late which gave the Elizabeth squad the victory.

KENT PLACE BRINGS OPPORTUNITY TO RIGHT THE SHIP

The Hilltoppers reset themselves at practice and walked to Kent Place looking to redeem their loss by a 26-24 score in set 3 in their first meeting of 2024.  The task this time would be a bit more difficult as Kent Place had their best hitter back from injury and were a far more dangerous team than the version that the Hilltoppers faced in their first match.  

Summit was in for a big challenge and the squad rose to the challenge in a big way.  Despite the perceived offensive advantage for the Dragons,  SHS only lost the kill battle 26-28... Summit won the block battle 5-2 and barely lost the ace battle 11-10 for a total point output of 41-41 for both teams!  The squad had far exceeded expectations but came up a little short of the win as Summit dropped set 1 26-24, won the 2nd 25-21,  and lost the 3rd 25-21.

Set 1 was a slugfest and the final tally of 14-13 point scoring edge by KP reflected the tightness of the final set score.  The only major difference between the 2 teams were the 3 faults the Hilltoppers were called on versus none for the Dragons.  The teams were locked in a sideout battle most of the set with no team up by more than 2 at any given point until the score read 19-17 SHS.  Then the Dragons got a service error gift from SHS and that began a 4-0 run by the home side that had Summit down 22-19 forcing a Martins TO.  Off the TO the Dragons missed the serve which put Captain Henry on the line and she delivered 3 consecutive aces to force a KP TO and give the Hilltoppers the edge at 23-22.  Off the time-out,  Summit forced a Dragon hitting error and just like that,  SHS was up 24-22 and held 2 set points.  Unfortunately,  the Dragons regained serve and forced the Top into a couple of bad passes which the Dragons took full advantage of to close out the set 26-24.

Set 2 was another carbon copy as both teams made some incredible plays and ran some effective defense so it was no surprise that the score read 14-14 midway through the match.  Summit clawed to a lead of 16-14 and 17-15 but both times the team missed a serve to open the door for the Dragons but the home side could not take advantage as it was the Kent Place side which committed the next few errors to give Summit a slight lead but after Basaman nailed the home side with an ace to give SHS a 21-17 lead,  the Dragons were forced to call a TO.  KP got the next 3 of 5 points thanks to 2 consecutive service errors by the SHS crew and it seemed that the same old story of missed serves at the wrong time would be the Top's undoing.  But at 23-20,  Summit just needed a few plays to flip the script and they got just that from Herring and Welsh despite another SHS service error to win the set 25-21.

Set 3 was, yes, yet again, another carbon copy of the first 2 sets as the Summit crew jumped out to a 9-4 lead just to see the Dragons come back and tie it at 10.  KP took a 14-10 lead with an ace and a kill to set that up but the Top had cut that to 14-15 after a Herring block and a N Feuerstake kill.  Henry even got into it with a deliberate free ball dump to zone 1 and suddenly, Summit was only down 15-16.  But a quick 3-0 run by KP off 2 KP kills and 1 SHS attack error forced a SHS TO at 19-15 KP.  

But the TO seemed to do the trick and the Summit side responded with a Ge kill and forced a Dragon hitting error to get within 2 at 19-17 but KP responded with a 5-0 run (4 kills 1 ace) to get itself a 24-17 lead and the comfortable win... until KP served into the net.  18-24 KP...

Basaman went up to serve and facing 6 match points, the junior went to work.  A tough serve still led to a KP attack which A Feuerstake dug up and it set up a huge Ge kill.  The Kent Place side saw the rise of emotion and quickly called a TO despite a 24-19 lead.  But it was to no avail... Basaman rattled off 2 straight aces to cut the lead to 21-24 and the place was deafening.   Another huge serve led to a KP attack up the middle and even though the team saved that one,  it was not enough to generate an attack and the squad finally gave up that 25th point.  

A disappointing loss,  no doubt,  but a tremendous improvement and an incredible effort against a team that would defeat the #9 team in the state the very next match.  

RAHWAY OVERWHELMED BY MORE EFFICIENT SUMMIT EFFORT

The Rahway Indians looked to finish the job they started at home earlier in September when they pushed the Hilltoppers to 3 sets and it took a very effective serving performance in set 3 for the Top to come away with the victory.  Based on the week,  which team would show up?  The Elizabeth squad or the Kent Place team?  

Well... Summit out-scored Rahway 35-6,  limiting Rahway to 2 kills and 4 aces for the 2 set match in a dominant 25-10, 25-15 win.  

With the score 11-5 Summit,  it was clear Rahway was in for a long afternoon as the 5 points the team had scored came from SHS hitting and service errors and 0 came from any RHS efforts.  After a 3-0 run fueled by a Herring and Ge kills and a Welsh ace,  Rahway took a TO with a 14-6 deficit.  The visitors had to do it again after a N Feuerstake kill and 3 consecutive Henry aces brough SHS to a 19-8 lead.  RHS managed to get to 10 points and then Summit ran another 4-0 run fueled by an A Feuerstake ace and a Deyonge kill to finish off the set 25-10.

Set 2 was more competitive but SHS still held control as Summit team responded to being down 2-0 early with 9 consecutive points (kills by Feuerstake sisters, ace Ge, Herring kill) to take a 9-2 lead forcing a TO.  RHS came off the TO and got a gift in the form of a Summit hitting error and that sparked a 4-0 run that had SHS only ahead 9-6.  The Indians stuck to the Hilltoppers midway through with SHS holding a 14-10 lead but a Rahway service error opened the door for a Basaman service run that saw the Junior strike for 3 aces to get the Top to a 19-10 lead which soon became 21-10 after a Ge kill.  

The rest was merely academic as the RHS side just could not cut into the lead and trailed 23-13 late which soon became 25-15 as both teams traded points.  

A week of growth as the team has seemed to figure out what it needs to do to be successful.

MATCH STATS: BEASTS - BY THE NUMBERS:

ACE - Henry 8,  Basaman 6

SERVE RATING (at least 7% of team attempts) - N Feuerstake 2.33,  Henry 2.29

SERVE % (at least 7% of team attempts) - A Feuerstake 96.3,  N Feuerstake 91.7

PASS RATING (1.8 or higher) - Heary 1.95,  Henry 1.85

PERFECT PASSES - Henry 12, Ge 10

KILLS - Ge 18, N Feuerstake 12

EFFICIENCY (at least 10% of team attempts) - N Feuerstake .219, Welsh .200 

KILL % (at least 10% of team attempts) - N Feuerstake 37.5,  Deyonge 31.0

DIGS - Henry 37,  Ge 26

BLOCKS - Deyonge 4,  Herring and Welsh 3

ASSISTS - Welsh 61

***TOP POINT SCORERS (Kills, Aces, Blocks***)

Ge 20,  N Feuerstake 17,  Welsh 14

JV BOUNCES BACK FROM EARLY WEEK LOSS WITH 2 STRAIGHT VICTORIES

 The JV Squad took their show on the road to Elizabeth and despite a 1st set loss 25-20 to the Minutewomen,  the squad rallied back from a 15-9 deficit to tie the score in set 2 thanks to Knight and her service run.  The Top continued to claw back and eventually take the victory behind Colon and Armstrong.  Unfortunately,  the Elizabeth JV was just a defensive juggernaut in set 3 keeping every SHS attack alive and out-serving the Top late in the match to take the victory and dropping Summit to a 5-3 record.

The Junior Varsity Squad did not have much time to mull over the loss as the Dragons of Kent Placed loomed a mere 48 hours later.  The team bounced back nicely on the road and took control early from the service line with key service pressure and great location attacks by Miles as well as a steady and predictable delivery of the great Top passing by Moghal which propelled the squad to a comfortable 2-0 victory which was quite a departure from the first game of the season when SHS needed a Wu service run to salvage a victory and was on the ropes.  This time,  on the road,  JV took control and never looked back.

The team finished off the week against the Rahway Indians who had given the Top everything they could handle on the road earlier in the season and nothing really changed at home.  As a matter of fact,  the visitors took the first set from the Top 25-21 and looked much improved but on this match day,  it was the Colon show as the Soph DS dropped 18 service points over the last 2 sets and hit for 6 aces to create the separation the Hilltoppers needed in each set.  Add to that serving the key hitting by Meltzer, Miles and Wu and there was no doubt about the outcome of set 2.  Set 3 saw the Indians get out to a 6-2 lead but again Colon saved the day with a 7 point service run (3 aces) that blew the set open and gave the Top the victory 2-1 to improve to 7W-3L.

Next up, Westfield on Tuesday on the road.

9TH GRADERS CONTINUE UNDEFEATED RUN

 The 9th Grade Squad continued to rely on consistent serving and passing to finish the week off on a 3-0 win streak to extend their winning streak to 9 consecutive wins as the squad continues to roll through the opposition.

The team began its run at Elizabeth and faced a tremendous challenge as the Minutewomen matched the Hilltoppers in serving and defensive play but at the closing stages of each set,  it was the Summit squad that kept their serving perfect and closed out each set with key passing and timely hits to walk away with the 2-0 win.

Next,  the young SHS squad took on Hanover Park and the result was much less dramatic as the team dominated from the service line and took control of each set early and never looked back in a 2-0 sweep of the Hanover Park Hornets.

The Team finished off the week with the Plainfield Cardinals on Friday and in the first set,  SHS never even made it through 6 rotations as the team took set one easily as the Cardinals young players could not deal with the Top's service attack.  The second set was more of the same as the Hilltoppers controlled the match from the service line not allowing the Cardinals any respite.

9 Wins 

This week,  9th graders face off against Hanover Park again at home on Tuesday.

HILLTOPPERS FACE A TRIFECTA OF RANKED OPPONENTS

 FROSH PROGRESSING WITH PERFECT RECORD

9th Graders started the week versus Westfield and came away with the 2-1 thrilling win by 25-22, 19-25, 25-23 score lines.  The Summit serving was perfection in the last 3 rotations which was the key to the victory! 

The young Hilltoppers continued their week with a matchup against their neighbors Governor Livingston on the road and the squad was in control the whole way as the team scored a 25-16, 25-15 win away to remain undefeated on the season.

And the last of the matchups for the week had the 9th Graders host Chatham and yet again the team was just the better of the squads on receive and in this matchup the 9th graders were highly effective on attack which allowed them to control the tempo of the sets in a comfortable 2-0 win that has the young squad at a 6-0 record for the year

JV SHOWS IMPROVEMENT VERSUS 3 RANKED OPPONENTS

The Junior Varsity has faced off versus GL, Westfield and Union Catholic over the years in county tournament situations and has generally come away with losses that have taken the Hilltoppers out of contention.  The feedback is usually the same, "this was the toughest opponent we had all year".  

With the move to the Watchung Division,  these once in a season matchups are now part of the regular schedule and the level of play and competition will be the toughest the JV program has ever faced.  First up,  the Westfield squad that knocked off the Hilltoppers in last year's county semis.  The Squad used key serving runs and timely offense to be in a position to win set one but in the latter points,  Westfield just out-gunned the Hilltoppers from the front row and took the set 25-22.  The team was just not able to recover emotionally from the set 1 loss as it could not match the energy and execution they displayed in the opening set whch led to a 25-9 score-line that sealed the loss.  

Next up would be the Union Catholic Vikings,  the other finalist in the 2023 JV County Tournament.  JV played without fear and generated a lot of offense in a match that the Vikings won 25-15, 25-21.  The untold storyline is the fact that SHS was neck and neck with the UC Squad,  leading 15-14 in set 1 before receive errors and unforced offensive errors derailed the set 1 effort.  In set 2,  the Hilltoppers actually held a 20-19 lead but a service error and a few uncharacteristic communication errors in the latter stages of the set derailed an upset in the making.  This was the most competitive score and match the JV Squad has ever had versus UC.

The last match of the week was against the Governor Livingston Highlanders.  Could the JV Squad figure out a way to win the late points to get a win against a ranked opponent.  The Hilltoppers stunned the Highlanders in set 1 25-23 with key offensive points and serves late in the set to hold a slim lead late and push the set win over the finish line.  Set 2 was a bit different as the GL crew out-served the Summit squad and opened up a lead they would not relinquish late in the set as they cruised to a 25-16 set win.  Set 3 looked to be more of the same with the Top down 13-9 midway through and 17-11 in the closing stages of the set but then a key serving run by Armstrong got the team back in it,  pulling the Hilltoppers to within one at 19-18 and the Top were the ones who out-served and out-passed the Highlanders in the late set moments as the home side upset the GL team by outscoring them 14-3 down the stretch and 5-0 after the score was knotted up at 20.  Truly a team effort to get the win and improve to 5-2.

VARSITY SHOWS SIGNS THEY CAN COMPETE BUT CAN'T SUSTAIN IT THE ENTIRE MATCH

The matchup versus Westfield was the first one in a trio of tough matches that had the SHS team go up against the aforementioned #9 in NJ,  the #8 Union Catholic and the #17 Governor Livingston.

Summit knew it had to keep balls in play versus the error free style of play of the Westfield Blue Devils but the opening rotation proved to be more of a difficult task than the Hilltoppers had expected and the team was down 9-1 before the 2nd rotation had even started.  In that run,  the Top committed 3 attack errors and gave up 2 aces,  not the start they wanted.  But after those initial nerves were assuaged with the actual game,  Summit kept up with the Blue Devils and saw a 16-16 score the rest of the way to give them hope for the second set.  Henry was outstanding in the receive game with a 2.22 rating, Handal scored the only ace for the Top and Ge led the way offensively with 4 kills. 

Set 2 saw the team falter in the receive game and get worn down by the defensive efforts of the Westfield crew as the team fell 25-10 in the set.  Summit was out-killed 12-5 and out-scored 21-8 in a forgettable set in which the Hilltoppers just could not finish the point scoring opportunities.

Summit did not have much time to ponder on the loss as the team would face off against the top team in Union County, the #8 team in the state, the Union Catholic Vikings.  What a difference in effort and belief in the Hilltoppers in just one day after the Westfield match.  This was not a matter of the Summit side out-scoring the Vikings in so much as it was a matter of the team keeping plays alive and forcing the UC side to play uncomfortable volleyball.  

SHS,  early on,  seemed to be doping just that.  A spike by Nowicka and a net error by UC had the Hilltoppers up 5-4 on the road.  Down 6-9,  Summit got a service error by the Vikings and a kill by Ge to fight back to 8-9.  Down 9-13,  SHS yet again benefitted from a Viking service error and things looked up at 10-13.  But a quick 2-0 run by UC forced a Summit TO and a few points later,  a N Feuerstake block and a hitting error by the Vikings had the Hilltoppers within shouting distance at 12-16.  SHS continued to fight and got opportunities to score but the UC defense stymied the Top at every turn until SHS had no choice but to take their final TO at 13-21.  Summit bounced back off the TO winning 4 of the next 6 points to close the gap to 17-23 and forcing a UC time-out.  That settled the Vikings down and the set ended on a 25-17 score.

Set 2 saw a much more determined Summit side.  UC jumped out to a 3-1 lead and still led 6-4 after another SHS Summit hitting error but the team forced UC into a down ball hitting error and then nailed an ace to knot up the score at 6.  UC built a lead back up again to 11-7 and eventually 16-9 forcing a SHS TO and the team responded with a 3-0 run capped by a N Feuerstake kill that brough the Hilltoppers back to within 4 at 12-16.  Summit held in there through the next few rotations at 14-18 but UC managed to extend the lead to 21-14 but the Top ripped two quick points via the Welsh - Deyonge connection going after the middle defense of the Vikings to get to 16-21..  Unfortunately the Top ran out of points to compete with as the teams traded points and UC out-lasts the Hilltoppers ultimately by a 25-18 score.

The Highlanders of Governor Livingston were the final test of the week for the Hilltoppers, a team that had not lost a set since their day 1 loss to the Vikings of UC,  and the Top seemed up for the task in set 1. A Ge kill and a Welsh ace had the Top up early 4-2 against the #17 squad.  Then Henry pulled out 2 aces after the GL team tied it and it sparked a 4-0 run that had Summit up 8-4.Things were looking up at 9-6 SHS but GL is known for its relentless serving pressure and Summit finally showed cracks allowing a 5-0 run where the Hilltopper serve receive gave up 3 aces.  But the team rebounded back with a Welsh dump kill and Summit had tied the score 11-11.  A kill by Deyonge and a hitting error forced by a Basaman serve forced a GL TO at 13-12 SHS that became 14-12 after the break.  A 3-0 Highlander run put the pressure back onto Summit but a Ge kill had the Top yet again even with the top 20 team. Another Ge kill, a Welsh dump kill and a N Feuerstake opp kill saw the Hilltoppers tie it up late 19-19 and the crowd was into it.  But then 5 unforced errors down the stretch by the Top (2 hitting and 3 serving errors) took the pressure off GL and essentially handed the set to the visitors by a 25-22 tally.

Summit proved it could hang with the best but had yet to prove it could sustain it through every point.  And so began set 2 with the score-line showing 4-4 and GL's points coming off of 3 serving errors and one free ball return error by SHS.  Yet Summit was really playing well,  Deyonge and Welsh connecting for another kill and Basaman ripping an ace to give SHS a 6-5 lead and,  early on,  Summit was outscoring the Highlanders 5-1 which made the unforced errors more glaring.  But then GL started to find its offense and ripped of a 7-2 run to force a SHS TO trailing 12-8.  Off the time-out, despite a service break,  another 3-0 run ensued off a hitting error and a free point off of an out of rotation penalty to spot the Highlanders a 15-9 lead before the run stopped off of a N Feuerstake kill.  But Governor Livingston responded with another 3-0 run and SHS called its final TO after yet another hitting error as the scoreboard showed 18-10 GL  

Things did not look much better after the time-out despite a Welsh dump kill to get SHS to 11-18 because Summit was called on 2 net errors, had 2 hitting errors and gave up 2 aces to seal the set for GL 25-11.  The set score would seem to indicate a GL point dominance but the gap was only 4 as Summit trailed GL by an 8-12 margin in scored points.  

Summit showed that it could play and compete with some of the most talented and highly ranked teams in the state but these 3 matchups also showed the level of consistency the team still lacks at times when it has control of the ball.  #ProgressionnotPerfection

A quick look at these last 3 opponents

 MATCH STATS: BEASTS - BY THE NUMBERS:

ACE - Heary 3,  Henry 2

SERVE RATING (at least 7% of team attempts) - Heary 2.50,  Henry 2.00

SERVE % (at least 7% of team attempts) - Basaman 88.9,  Heary 87.5

PASS RATING (1.8 or higher) - Henry 2.03,  Ge 2.00

PERFECT PASSES - Henry 21, Ge 12

KILLS - Ge 15, N Feuerstake and Welsh 6

EFFICIENCY (at least 10% of team attempts) - Welsh .211,  Ge .186

KILL % (at least 10% of team attempts) - Ge 34.9,  Welsh 31.6

DIGS - Henry 21,  A Feuerstake 11

BLOCKS - Herring and N Feuerstake 2

ASSISTS - Welsh 35

***TOP POINT SCORERS (Kills, Aces, Blocks***)

Ge 15,  N Feuerstake 8,  Welsh 7

VARSITY SWEEPS TRI-MATCH OPPONENTS CRANFORD AND ROSELLE PARK

 The Lady Hilltoppers took on the Cranford Cougars in the morning matchup -the first of the day- as the team was looking to upend the current Mountain Division leader and undefeated squad.  

The home side got out to a good start with an ace by Welsh and a tip kill by N Feuerstake to get out to a 3-1 lead early on.  With the score 8-8,  Cranford benefitted by 3 consecutive SHS errors to take an 11-8 lead before the visitors failed on a serve to get the ball back to Summit.  A block by  N Feuerstake and a kill by Herring  had the Hilltoppers within one at 11-12 but yet again the Cougars responded with 2 points that forced a Martins TO but the visitors got 2 more points after the TO to go up 16-11.  A Cranford service error opened the door for SHS again and N Feuerstake got another kill to get Summit to within 2 at 14-16.  Two rotations later the Cougars were still hanging on to a 19-15 lead when A Feuerstake, Welsh, and L Ge twice nailed two spikes to force a Cranford TO as the scoreboard showed 20-10 SHS!  The timeout was fruitful for the visitors as they hit for an ace and got a kill to jump out to a 21-20 lead.  A Cougar service error and a Basaman ace had SHS up 22-21.  A SHS hitting error knotted up the score at 22 but the squad leaned on Senior Herring to bail the squad out and she did not disappoint with a tip kill by Herring which got SHS to a 23-22 lead.  A tip error by the Summit Hilltoppers followed up by a Cranford kill had the visitors on the verge of a set one victory but the Hilltoppers fought that off.  But then at 24 all the SHS side missed a key serve and Cranford had a 2nd set point at 25-24.  A tough serve by the Cougars forced an overpass that was attacked by Cranford but Welsh dug that up and then on the next attack by the Cougars led to a monster Henry dig which led to a kill by A Feuerstake which tied the score at 25.  A perfect serve by Henry led to an overpass that Deyonge slammed down for SHS's first set point which forced the Cranford squad into a TO.  The Captain Henry then finished up the set with an ace serve which gave the Hilltoppers a 27-25 set one victory.

Set 2 saw the Hilltoppers jump out to a 4-1 lead thanks to a Heary downball kill,  a kill by N Feuerstake and Ge and an ace by Welsh.  An ace by Handal a few rotations later had the Top up again 8-4 but then Cranford ripped off 6 consecutive points forcing a Martins TO at   10-8 Cranford.  The team came off the TO with a perfect pass that led to a Deyonge kill and one point later,  the scoreboard read 10-10. The squads could not find much room to breathe as they fought for every point and it was no surprise to see a 15-15 scoreline as Henry went up to serve.  N Feuerstake added a kill and big sis A Feuerstake added a tip kill and SHS went up 17-15.  Ge dug up a ball and followed it up with a kill to expand the lead to 3 forcing a Cougar TO but the Hilltoppers continued on with a 7-1 run (N Feuerstake kill, Deyonge kill, Welsh kill, N Feuerstake  2 aces) to get to the brink of the victory at 24-16.  Despite a break of serve,  the Hilltoppers got the set wrapped up with an A Feuerstake kill for the 25-18.  

The Hilltoppers outscored the Cougars 41-29 (32 Ks, 2 Block, 7 Aces) for the match 

MATCH STATS: BEASTS - BY THE NUMBERS:

ACE - Welsh and N Feuerstake 2

SERVE RATING (at least 7% of team attempts) - Henry and Welsh 2.00

SERVE % (at least 7% of team attempts) - A Feuerstake  88.9

PASS RATING (1.8 or higher) - Ge 2.14

PERFECT PASSES - Henry 6

KILLS - N and A Feuerstake 7

EFFICIENCY (at least 10% of team attempts) - N Feuerstake .500

KILL % (at least 10% of team attempts) - N Feuerstake and Deyonge 50.0

DIGS - Henry 17

BLOCKS - Herring 2

ASSISTS - Welsh 27

***TOP POINT SCORERS (Kills, Aces, Blocks***)

N Feuerstake 10

In the last match of the tri-match,  Roselle Park was looking to get a win after dropping a tough 2-0 decision to Cranford while SHS was looking for their 6th win on the season and sixth in a row.  

An ace by Welsh kicked things off and N Feuerstake added a kill and SHS led 3-0.  At 3-2,  Summit got its first long run of 6 points with Ge ripping off 2 aces, Herring adding a kill and N Feuerstake smashed a kill and a block to bring the scoreboard to 9-2. At 13-5 SHS ran off another 6 point run that all but sealed the set at 19-5 with Heary clicking on an ace, Nowicka with a kill and Ge 2 aces. 

Set 2 was a much tighter affair with both squads knotted up at 9 after a Deyonge kill and an A Feuerstake as we ended rotation 6.  A Welsh kill sparked a 3-0 run with Basaman nailing 2 aces but the Roselle Park squad got 2 points back quickly in response to keep the set tight at 12-12.  Summit recovered and responded in a big way with a 6-0 run (Welsh ace, Herring kill, N Feuerstake kill) that forced a RP TO but off the pause in the game,  SHS ran off another 3-1 run (Herring kill, Ge ace, A Feuerstake kill) to push the lead to 21-13 and essentially seal the set and match victory soon thereafter.  RP got as close as 21-16 but SHS closed it out with a 4-1 run (Deyonge 2 kills,  A Feuerstake 1 kill) to earn a 2-0 tri-match record and a 6W-1L overall record.  

Summit outscored the Panthers 39-15 (28K-1 Block- 10 Aces) for the match and in the tri-match,  SHS outscored both teams by a 60-27 kill margin,  were outscored 3-7 on the block and held a 17-10 ace advantage for an 80-44 final tally.  

MATCH STATS: BEASTS - BY THE NUMBERS:

ACE - Ge 4

SERVE RATING (at least 7% of team attempts) - Basaman 3.0

SERVE % (at least 7% of team attempts) - Basaman and Henry 100.0

PASS RATING (1.8 or higher) - Henry 2.20

PERFECT PASSES - Henry 5

KILLS - N Feuerstake 6

EFFICIENCY (at least 10% of team attempts) - Herring .571

KILL % (at least 10% of team attempts) - Herring 57.1

DIGS - Henry 6

BLOCKS - Herring and N Feuerstake 1

ASSISTS - Welsh 26

***TOP POINT SCORERS (Kills, Aces, Blocks***)

Ge 9 

9th GRADERS GO TO 3W-0L AFTER 3 SET COMEBACK VERSUS UNION

 The 9th Graders took on the Farmers of Union looking for their 3rd win of the season and the match could not have started any better!

Conroy led off the festivities with an 8 point service run that put the Hilltoppers up 8-2 just in the first rotation!  Union managed to break serve but SHS got control of the next point and got C Jesionowski up to serve.  The OH rattled off 12 consecutive service points which got the home side to an insurmountable 21-4 lead.  Two more rotations and the set was over with Summit winning in a decisive 25-8 scoreline.

Set 2 was a very different affair.  Although set 1 was over by the end of set 1 but most definitely after rotation 2,  set 2 was all knotted up at 10 after the first 6 rotations.  But in rotation 7,  Union pulled off a huge run of 8 points to take an overwhelming 19-11 lead.  SHS did not quit though and had the lead down to 22-17 by rotation 10 but the Top ran out of points and saw the Union squad finish off the set 25-18 by rotation 12.

It all came down to set 3.  And yet again it was C Jesionowski who started the ball rolling with a 5-0 run to get SHS out of a 3-0 hole.  Union tied the score up next rotation and the teams pretty much stayed even through the next few rotations.  By rotation 6,  with SHS up 10-8,  Santillian stepped up with a 2 service point run that had the Hilltoppers up 13-10 and with a little breathing room.   Union didn't fold though and with the home side up 15-10,  Union's server in rotation 1 ran off 6 consecutive points to completely flip the script on the match and lead 17-15 by the time it was over. Union was pumped up! With the pressure on,  C Jesionowski again served a must serve in and SHS got the point in transition before there was a service break and Summit had crawled back to trail by only one at 18-17 lead.  Union extended the lead to 20-18 but SHS responded after a Kim service point but the Hilltoppers were able to do no more and Union served up 21-20.  Union must have felt their opportunity was there to win with one of their best servers up and the young woman did not disappoint with a 5-0 run that all but gave Union an insurmountable lead at 24-21 by the time it was over.  With their backs against the wall,  the young Lady Hilltoppers needed a flawless service run to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.  Enter R Jesionowski to the service line.  Three straight topspin serves into the short court had yielded 2 aces and 1 attack error to tie the score at 24 and force a Farmer TO.  Off the TO the 9th grader continued her unlikely run with another ace and then finished it off with another ace to zone 3 to seal the unlikely and exciting come from behind victory 26-24 !!! 

FROSH ARE NOW 3-0!!!! 

9th GRADERS GO 2-0 ON SEASON; JV GETS 4TH WIN IN A 3 SET THRILLER; VARSITY COMES BACK SET 2 TO GET 4TH WIN!

 9th GRADERS GOT 2-0

The 9th grade Lady Hilltoppers faced off against the Raiders of Scotch-Plains Fanwood and came away with the 2-0 win.  Coach Seifert noted improvement in serving consistency and a better serve receive performance as keys in the 2-0 win over the Raiders.  

JV CONTINUES TO ROLL DESPITE SET 2 HICCUP

JV came in hot off a 2-0 win vs Rahway to put themselves 3W-0L on the season.  SPF has always been a tough opponent for the Top with some historically great battles and classic matches with both sides taking wins.  Yesterday was much of the same.  Despite an early hot start by the Hilltoppers,  SPF made a move late in set one and it looked like the squad had finally begun to compete in the latter stages of the opening stanza.  SHS won 25-17 but the Raiders had clearly begun to swing the momentum at the end of set 1.

Set 2 saw a much tighter affair with SPF holding small leads through the set.  The Raider serving attack which had shown signs of life at the end of set 1 began to click and the Hilltoppers found it hard to sustain any offensive pressure.  SHS kept the score close most of the set but key serving misses and a handful of serving errors sealed the fate of the home side with a 25-19 defeat in set 2.

The decisive set 3 turned on the serve reception of SPF's toughest server who was passed safely by Knight and then Setter Moghal got the ball to Meltzer who put it away with a lefty swing.  That turned an early 4-3 deficit into a 7-4 lead as the Top took that point to fuel a 4-0  run that created a cushion the Summit Squad would not give up.  Anti-climactically,  the Top closed out the set rather easily 15-7 for their 4th win in a row!

VARSITY CONTINUES TO IMPROVE IN A TOUGH 2 SET BATTLE

The matchup with SPF is always one to look forward to historically. Last season, missing star player Barlow,  SPF dominated the Hilltoppers 25-10, 25-8 but then dropped 2 of 3 to the Top in the Heal the Children tournament.  In 2022,  at Summit,  SHS took a tough 25-23, 25-23 win over the Raiders.  This year proved to be another classic competition.

SET 1

The match began a bit auspiciously for the home side as SPF jumped out to a 3-1 lead off off 2 service aces and a Summit service error.  But then the offense and passing began to show up quickly and         N Feuerstake and Ge got 2 kills to get the Top moving in the right direction,  tied at 4.  Henry passed up a perfect 3 pass and which was converted to a kill by N Feuerstake again and that sparked a 7-0 run which gave the Hilltoppers a ton of breathing room (Henry 2 aces, Ge kill, N Feuerstake 2 kills). At 12-6,  the Raiders bounced back with a 4-0 run of their own before an attack by A Feuerstake forced a return ball error with a well placed attack and the Senior OH then followed it up with 2 aces to reestablish the lead at 15-10.  One rotation later,  the Top began top pull away again as Ge continued to be productive notching a kill as well as fellow Senior MB Herring.  With the lead at 20-13,  it was just a matter of time before Summit would close out the set but SPF went on a 4-0 run down 21-15 to force a TO at 21-18 and still scoring again for a 21-19 deficit but an out of system pass led to a deftly placed shot by A Feuerstake which stemmed the momentum and gave the Top the opportunity to regain a 23-19 lead off Henry's service attack.  The set ended on a couple of free ball errors by SPF but the late surge by SPF seemed ominous. SPF out-scored SHS 15-13 off the power of late service aces but the Hilltoppers benefitted from 8 total free ball and hitting errors by the Raiders while Summit yielded only 1.

SET 2

Down 6-3 early in set 2,  the Hilltoppers went on a 6-0 run (Deyonge kill and block, Heary ace, Ge kill) to take control at 9-6. Summit continued to pressure the Raiders and by midpoint in the set,  the lead had expanded to 13-8 after a N Feuerstake kill.  But then a service error by the Top opened the door for the SPF crew and they took the opportunity to go on a 4-0 run and climb back to within one at 13-12.  A rotation later,  a SHS fault and 2 SPF kills had evened out the score at 15.  Time-out Summit.  SHS was able to get back on top after a Nowicka kill and a Henry ace but yet again the visitors fought back with another 3 point run forcing a final Summit TO with the scoreboard showing 19-17 SPF.  Although SPF got one more point after the TO (20-17), Summit got back within one after a Nowicka kill (20-19).  A Summit service error gave a 2 point cushion to the Raiders (21-19) but a dig by Henry not handled by SPF got the score back to 21-20.  Kill SPF off a Heary serve.  22-20. Ge with an out system kill and 22-21.  Basaman great serve but handled by the Raiders for a kill, 23-21 but SPF dished up a service error followed up by a hitting error to give Summit life, 23-23.  TO Raiders.

Welsh had not had a very productive service run this match.  2/6, 0 aces and 4 errors.  But that was the server for the Top late in set 2.  The Junior Setter came off the TO and got a good serve over which led to an errant attack by the Raiders and suddenly it was 24-23 and match point.  Could the Setter deliver when it mattered the most... of course she could, and she did, with an ace to give the Top their 4th win in a row!

MATCH STATS: BEASTS - BY THE NUMBERS:

ACE - Henry 4

SERVE RATING (at least 7% of team attempts) - Basaman 2.71

SERVE % (at least 7% of team attempts) - Basaman, Ge, Heary 100

PASS RATING (1.8 or higher) - Ge 1.94

PERFECT PASSES - Henry 6

KILLS - A Feuerstake 6

EFFICIENCY (at least 10% of team attempts) - Nowicka .286

KILL % (at least 10% of team attempts) - N Feuerstake 50

DIGS - Ge 8

BLOCKS - Deyonge 1

ASSISTS - Welsh 16

***TOP POINT SCORERS (Kills, Aces, Blocks***)

N Feuerstake and Ge 6

VARSITY IMPROVES TO 3-1 / JV 3-0 WITH ROAD WINS AT RAHWAY

 The JV Squad used its serving attack to overcome a feisty Rahway side that jumped out to a 15-9 lead before the Top began to pressure the young Rahway side with their serving attack.  Armstrong was key in the run that propelled the Hilltoppers to a set one come from behind win 25-19  .  Second set was more of a controlled affair as the consistent serving and offense of the visitors gave SHS the lead it needed early as Miles and Kovaric paced the offense to a 25-17 win.

Varsity earned a hard fought but ugly victory over Rahway as the squad overcame a poor 2nd set to take the decisive set and win their 3rd game of the season.

SET 1

Ge started the Hilltoppers off with a kill and Welsh nailed an ace in rotation 1 to spot SHS a 4-0 lead at the onset of the match.  N Feuerstake added a kill around a Welsh setter dump a few rotations later and the lead was re-established at 9-5. Welsh found the court again on a setter attack and A Feuerstake nailed 2 aces forcing a Rahway TO as Summit kept control at 12-7.  But off the TO,  Rahway broke serve and went on an 8-0 run despite a SHS TO.  Despite a break of serve thanks to a Rahway error,  Summit could not get anything going and found themselves down 14-18 after yet another service error.   A couple of Rahway errors had the Top within 3 at 16-19 and then Henry went to work on a service run that yielded a handful of Rahway return errors and added an ace and a kill to the Libero's total stats,  bringing the Top to a 22-19 lead and the final Rahway TO.  The Captain came off the TO with an ace and SHS held a 23-20 lead after a service break.  Set one over soon after at 25-22 SHS.  Summit outscored Rahway 13-8 (6k-7ace) but set would have been quite different without the aces.  

SET 2

Things looked unusually similar to set one early on with SHS holding a 6-2 lead after 3 consecutive Rahway errors at the net.  The set seemed to be going quite well for the Top a rotation later with SHS holding 9-3 lead fueled by N Feuerstake notching2 kills and Deyonge getting a stuff block which forced a Rahway TO.  But that TO was the turning point yet again in a set on this day as the home side ripped a 6-0 run to tie the score and change the dynamic of the set.  Ge and Welsh seemed to have flipped the scrip with a kill and an ace to give SHS a 15-13 lead but Rahway pushed back hard and fought back to a 20-20 scoreline late in the set.  A service error though seemed to open the door for a quick SHS win(21-20)  but a very long rally ensued which seemed to hold he Rahway hope of a comeback and the home side delivered to tie it at 21.  Rahway rattled off the next 2 points to force a Martins TO and the team responded with A Feuerstake getting a kill but Rahway would not be denied and the Top dropped set 2 25-22.  Summit outscored their opposition again 14-9 but but that lead was erased by a 6 serving error performance by the Top to allow Rahway the easy points they would need to win the set.

SET 3

Early on,  Rahway was living off the energy and belief of that set 2 win and it showed as the team held a 10-5 lead over SHS.  But then A Feuerstake converted 2 sets to kills and the SHS side got life back,  trailing only at 11-8.  A Ge kill one rotation later and Summit was knocking at the door down only 11-10.  Rahway fought back to a 13-10 lead but Summit looked different and more aggressive and it showed on the next 2 points as Ge yet again put the Indians in a bind with a tough attack that led to an error and Basaman stepped up with an ace to force a Rahway TO as the lead was down to one at 13-12.  Down 13-15,  Summit finally put their foot down and got 2 kills from Ge as well as an ace by Welsh to flip the scoreline to 18-15 SHS and force the final Rahway TO.  The timeout did not help as Welsh came off the break with another ace and despite a service break, Herring slammed a kill out of the middle and Ge again hit the Indians with an ace to give SHS a 21-16 lead.  A block by N Feuerstake preceded an ace by Henry and the Summmit squad was closing in on the win with a 23-17 lead that soon became the 25-18 scoreline after another Ge kill that led to Handal dropping an ace on the Rahway side spoiling their home opener.  Summit out-scored Rahway 18-9 in the set and 45-26 in the match for the win.

MATCH STATS: BEASTS - BY THE NUMBERS:

ACE - Welsh and Henry 5

SERVE RATING (at least 7% of team attempts) - Henry 2.65

SERVE % (at least 7% of team attempts) - Henry 94.1

PASS RATING (1.8 or higher) - Henry 1.84

PERFECT PASSES - Henry 11

KILLS - Ge 10

EFFICIENCY (at least 10% of team attempts) - Ge .318

KILL % (at least 10% of team attempts) - Ge 45.5

DIGS - Henry 11

BLOCKS - Deyonge, Herring, N Feuerstake, Welsh 1

ASSISTS - Welsh 24

***TOP POINT SCORERS (Kills, Aces, Blocks***)

Ge 11 

LINDEN TIGERS AND SUMMIT HILLTOPPERS SQUARE OFF IN SEASON'S FIRST BEST OF 5

What was to be a tri match in Linden became a best of 5 matchup due to a scheduling issue and both Linden and Summit gave their fans a great show with the match going to 5 sets to decide the outcome! This was a great test for the Top on the road against one of the best teams in the Mountain Division and the squad that knocked the Hilltoppers from the county tourney last year.  

Set 1

The set began well for the Hilltoppers as they jumped out to a 6-3 lead but the teams were so evenly matched that in no time the squads were knotted up at 8.  Summit pulled away near the midpoint of the set 11-8 after an A Feuerstake kill but the Tigers flipped the script and led 16-13 a few rotations later.  SHS closed to within 2 after a ball handling error by the Linden Squad but again the home team responded and when the score showed a 19-14 deficit for the Top, Coach called a TO to work the gameplan.  Unfortunately,  off the time-out,  Linden went on a 6-3 run that closed out the set 25-17 in favor of the Tigers.

SHS managed only 3 kills, 1 ace and 2 blocks for a mere 6 points while Linden hit for 12 points (10k-2blk) which explained the final set score.

Set 2

Ge was cleared to play by the training staff and took the first set to get physically and mentally prepared for the match as the plan was to introduce her into the lineup 2nd set.  SHS jumped out to a 10-3 lead with Welsh and Henry hitting for 3 aces and the Feuerstake sisters combining for 2 kills with Ge adding another to get SHS that 7 point lead and forcing a Linden TO.  Off the time-out the Hilltoppers went on a 6-1 run with A Feuerstake nailing an ace and Welsh and Ge tacking on 2 kills in the run for a 16-4 lead which was simply insurmountable.  Linden fought back to establish momentum  but just could not cut into that lead too much as the Hilltoppers crested over the 20 point mark holding a 21-11 lead. Linden forced a TO by the visitors after cutting the lead to 6 but again Summit responded with a 4-1 run with the Feuerstake sisters combining for 2 kills to seal the set 25-16.

SHS outscored the Tigers 13-8 in the set (9k-4ace) which proved to be the deciding factory in the win.

Set 3

The Tigers were a bit slow out of the gate and were forced to take an early TO after the Hilltoppers jumped out to a 7-4 lead after a Nowicka kill and a Handal ace but this time the Linden squad responded after the time-out and in a few rotations the teams found themselves knotted up at 12 forcing a Summit TO.  Yet again,  much like the first set,  the Tigers seemed to have an offensive answer late in the set and Summit could not find one.  Linden expanded the lead to 18-15 before Nowicka responded with a kill but to no avail as the Tigers forced Summit into another TO after they had increased the lead to 4 at 21-17.  The break in the action got the desired effect as the Lady Hilltoppers won 3 of the subsequent 4  points and found themselves within 2 points again of the Tigers at 22-20 after 2 kills by Herring out of the middle.  But it was too little too late as the home side took the set 25-21.

Although SHS nearly matched the Linden production (10k-9k),  it was the serving that played a major factor here in this set as the home squad notched 7 aces and SHS managed only 3 for a 17-12 point advantage.

Set 4

In a due or die set for the Hilltoppers,  Summit jumped out to a 5-1 lead (Welsh block, Henry kill) and kept that cushion in the early stages of the set until the Top rolled a 5 point run which saw Ge hit for another kill.  With the scoreboard showing 12-6,  Linden called a TO.  It did not seem to help though as the Hilltop crew notched another 3 points off A Feuerstake's tough serves and moved to a comfortable 15-6 lead which,  yet again, proved insurmountable for the Tigers.  Linden did respond with a 7-2 run but with SHS still up 17-12 after that run,  the team came off their TO and ran off 5 of the next 6 points to take full control of the set (Herring, Welsh 1 kill,  Ge 2 kills).   The team closed out the 4th set again giving up another Linden run to which Summit responded well to after they took a TO and ran off 3 of the last 4 points to take the set 25-19.

Summit was out-scored 12-10 in the set due to a 5-2 lead in aces and blocks by the Tigers although SHS held a slim 8-7 kill lead.  The difference in the set was that the Hilltoppers committed only a combined 5 hitting/serving errors in the set while Linden committed 10.  

Decisive Set 5

Linden jumped out to a slim 6-4 lead but the SHS responded with a 4-0 run (N Feuerstake 2 aces,  Henry kill) to get Summit an 8-6 lead.  The Tigers knotted the score up at 8 but then the Hilltoppers went on a 5-1 run (A Feuerstake ace,  Ge kill) that forcd a Linden TO at 13-9.  SHS saw their lead dwindle to a 2 points a couple of times (15-13 and 17-15) but a Deyonge kill and a service error by Linden ballooned the lead right back up to 19-15 and the final TO was employed by the home side.  SHS ran through 2 more points after the time-out (Handal ace) to expand the lead to 21-15 but 3 consecutive Linden points cut the lead right back down to 21-18.   The team saw a Linden attack go astray and then Ge nailed down another kill to get the Top some breathing room at 23-19.  A Summit service error gave life to Linden but SHS slammed the door with a Ge kill and forcing another Linden error which gave the Ladyhilltoppers the second win of the season at 25-20 SHS!

 For the match,  Linden barely out-killed the Top 38-36,  had one more block (4-3) and 4 more aces (17-13) for a 59-52 point lead.  The difference in the match was really in the point loss category where SHS lost 43 points off serves, attacks and faults while Linden lost 56 points.  Specifically,  the Hilltoppers had a +17 to +14 advantage in net offensive production as the Tigers notched 5 more errors in attack and also had 4 more service errors than the Hilltoppers.  

MATCH STATS: BEASTS - BY THE NUMBERS:

ACE - Welsh and A Feuerstake 3

SERVE RATING (at least 7% of team attempts) - Handal 2.31

SERVE % (at least 7% of team attempts) - Handal, Ge and N Feuerstake 100

PASS RATING (1.8 or higher) - A Feuerstake 2.06

PERFECT PASSES - Henry 13

KILLS - Ge 11

EFFICIENCY (at least 10% of team attempts) - Welsh .154

KILL % (at least 10% of team attempts) - Ge 40.7

DIGS - Henry 18

BLOCKS - Deyonge, Herring, N Feuerstake, Welsh and Nowicka 1

ASSISTS - Welsh 30

***TOP POINT SCORERS (Kills, Aces, Blocks***)

Ge 11 

***NEXT UP - RAHWAY, on the road,  4pm Monday

PIONEERS VISIT SHS FOR A TRI LEVEL OPENER

9th GRADE COMEBACK IN SET 2 DOOMS PIONEERS

The 9th Grade Lady Hilltoppers opened up their 2024 campaign with a VICTORY over the Pioneers of New Providence! The Squad was dominant in the first set opening up a 13-4 lead in a mere 3 rotations and held on to that cushion through rotaion 6 with the score flashing 17-7.  But in rotation 7 SHS blew it open with a 4-0 run that essentially put the game out of reach as the Top closed it out 25-10.

In set 2, the roles were reversed through rotation 4.  It was New Prov who took control from the service line and held 13-7 lead.  Although SHS made a push through rotations 5 and 6,  the score differential did not change much as the Pioneers enjoyed,  still, a 16-12 advantage.  But in rotation 8,  down 17-12,  the Hilltoppers went on a 4-0 run to close the gap to within one at 17-16.  The same deficit held true through the next 2 rotations but New Prov was inching closer to the set victory at 19-18.  But in rotation 10 the Top struggled to stop the visitor's service attack and the squad was looking at the wrong side of a 23-19 scoreboard.  With little room for error,  the Top closed the Pioneers out on a 6-0 run to close out their first victory!!!

Next up for the 9th graders will be the Scotch Plains-Fanwood team next Wednesday!.

JV KEEPS ON ROLLING IN A SWEEP!!

The Hilltoppers hosted their neighbors from New Providence and were very quick to take control of their opponent in the opening set with a resounding 25-11 win which was sealed by rotation 5 when the Top,  tied at 7,  went on an 9-0 run to go up 16-7 and they never looked back as the squad closed out the set on another 9-4 run.

Set 2 proved to be much of the same as the Hilltoppersled after the very first rotation 6-4 and in rotation 4,  leading 12-11,  Summit rattled off 13 consecutive points to blow the match wide open and closed it out 25-12.

JV now 2-0 and looking at Monday at Rahway for their 3rd match of the season.

NO GE NO DEVANEY NO PROBLEM

Summit was looking to bounce back from their 24-26 last set loss to the Dragons with a more consistent performance against the Pioneers but they would have to do it without the services of OH1 Ge and MB1 Devaney due to injuries sustained versus KP.

The home squad opened up well with a 6-1 run sparked by Welsh and A Feuerstake with an ace and followed up by Nowicka with 2 kills.  That cushion remained pretty static despite mini runs by New Prov because SHS matched those same runs in response so it was no surprise that by rotation 5 the Summit lead was still 11-6 and by rotation 8 the score still reflected that differential with 16-12 on the scoreboard after a N Feuerstake kill.  Handal then followed it up with a tough serve that forced NP into a hitting error and after a Henry dig,  Welsh attacked it and forced a TO by the visitors with the dump kill pushing the lead to 18-12.  After the TO,  Nowicka blocked down a Pioneer attack and despite a service break,  SHS held a 19-12 lead.  The closest New Prov got was to within 3 at 22-19 but a hitting error by the Pioneers pushed the score to 23-19 and sealed the fate of the visitors who went down quietly at 25-21.

Set 2 saw the Hilltoppers go on a series of mini-runs that created the cushion for the squad to retain control of the set and match.  Trailing 3-2,  Summit goes on a 5-0 run with kills by Nowicka, Deyonge and Caroline who also added an ace to get SHS up to a 7-3 lead.  Then at 7-4,  the Top win 4 of the next 5 points (Nowicka, Deyonge one kill apiece) and Heary put the icing on the cake with an ace (11-5 SHS forcing a TO by the visitors.  Unfortunately for the Pioneers,  the TO did nothing to slow the Hilltoppers as the squad came off the TO to score the next 8 of 9 points (A Feuerstake 2 kills/1 acem, Deyonge one kill) to push the lead to 19-6.  The match ended pretty much the way it started with Summit on a set and match saving run of 6-0 (Basaman ace, Herring kill,  Welsh ace) and the Top had won their first match despite the loss of key members of the crew.  

SHS outscored the Pioneers 34-16 for the match which was reflective of the final score.                               

MATCH STATS: BEASTS - BY THE NUMBERS:

ACE - Welsh and Henry 2

SERVE RATING (at least 7% of team attempts) - Welsh 2.50

SERVE % (at least 7% of team attempts) - Heary and Welsh 100

PASS RATING (1.8 or higher) - A Feuerstake 2.29

PERFECT PASSES - Henry and A Feuerstake 2

KILLS - Nowicka 6

EFFICIENCY (at least 10% of team attempts)- Ge .556, Welsh .500

KILL % (at least 10% of team attempts) - N Feuerstake and Welsh 50.0

DIGS - Henry 9

BLOCKS - Deyonge and Nowicka 1

ASSISTS - Welsh and Nowicka 7

***TOP POINT SCORERS (Kills, Aces, Blocks***)

Welsh and Nowicka 7

SEASON OPENER SUCCESS FOR JV VS. KENT PLACE ; VARSITY DROPS A TOUGH 2-1 DECISION TO THE DRAGONS

DRAGON SLAYER WU LEADS THE TOP TO VICTORY

The season opener for both levels gave the SHS fans a lot of entertainment yesterday as JV struggled in set 1 to stay competitive but found a way to battle and come from 2 down late in set 2 to take the win and force a decisive set 3.  The decisive set saw the Top trail midway through the set but key kills by Miles, Hurlburt, and Meltzer created by consistent location sets by Moghal helped keep the home side within striking distance as the match went along.  Mirliss, Armstrong and Colon were particularly consistent on serve receive which helped Summit generate those offensive opportunities!

Late in the decisive set 3,  KP had managed to generate a string of points late which put them within striking distance of the victory.  But then the Dragon killer Wu stepped up to the service line and for the 2nd time in 2 seasons,  the OH ran a multi-point string of serves (3 aces) at the end of a decisive set which not only erased the deficit but led to Summit's first victory of the season in dramatic fashion!

VARSITY LOSES KEY PLAYERS BUT FIGHT VALIANTLY IN LOSS TO DRAGONS

The Hilltoppers started the 2024 season on a very positive note.  Early on the Top jumped out to a 6-3 lead after a Herring block which sparked a 5-1 Summit run which saw A. Feuerstake hit for 2 aces and Ge notch a kill to fuel the run that had the home side up 11-4.  SHS maintained the lead through the latter stages of the set as A. Feuerstake and Welsh hit on back to back kills to give Summit a 17-11 lead.  Another set of kills by Ge and A. Feuerstake forced a TO by the Dragons at 19-12.  Despite a visitor late run which cut the lead down to 4 at 20-16,  Summit rebounded with a kill by N. Feuerstake and Welsh who also added an ace to push the lead to an insurmountable 24-16 lead which soon became the final score of set 1 of 25-19.  

Set 2 saw the Dragons rebound nicely striking for a 5-0 run early fueled by poor receiving by the Top which forced a TO by the home side trailing 3-8.  Off the TO,  Summit out-scored the visitors by an 8-3 margin (N Feuerstake and Welsh kills) fueled by their own serving and defensive plays to know the set at 11.  But in this set,  it was the team that could get that last run of points which was going to determine who would survive and KP struck first with a 7-3 run to hold an 18-14 lead which was then answered by Summit's 3-0 run to get within one at 17-18 (N Feuerstake and Nowicka kills).  But the Dragons woould get that last decisive run,  a 6-2 stretch late which allowed the visitors to close it out 25-21 and push the match to a 3rd set.  But the story of the set was really the loss of OH1 and primary passer Ge to a calf strain which would alter the receive and offensive patterns of the Lady Hilltoppers.  

Set 3 saw the early impact of the Ge loss as Summit was down 4-0 fairly quickly and adding injury to insult,  MB1 Devaney landed on the the foot of the opposing middle on a block and was lost for the rest of the match,  meaning that the Hilltoppers would be down 2 starters in this crucial 3rd set.  Although the squad was down 2-5, the team rallied together and after a tough service run by Devaney sub MB Deyonge,  the Top was tied at 5.  Summit kept weathering mini-runs by the Dragons and fighting back each time but things looked bleak at 16-11 down as the offense was struggling to generate points due to the missing players and a stingy KP defense.  

But then a hitting error by the visitors opened the door for SHS to get back in the match. Handal hit a bullet from the end line and her serve was mishandled leading to a free ball error and then she chalked up an ace to get SHS to within 2 at 14-16.  Unfortunately,  the Dragons earned 5 of the next 6 points and led 21-15 and the match looked out of reach.  Henry passed up a tough serve and the Top proceeded to attack 3 consecutive times through Nowicka but to no avail as the Dragons kept the play alive through multiple emergency plays.  FINALLY,  Welsh ended the point with a pin point back set for a kill which caught the visitors by surprise and SHS trailed 21-17.  Henry ....ace.... Deyonge .... kill ... 21-19 and the crowd into the match... TO KP.... Henry... ace ... 21-20... 

Kent Place finally broke serve on a SHS hitting error and despite the boost of energy,  an errant 2nd contact and an ace by the Dragons had all but sealed the fate of the Top as the scoreboard read 24-20 Visitors.  But yet again a service error by the visitors provided a glimmer of hope that the Summit crew latched onto late in the match. Welsh got a short serve over and in, 24-22... Welsh rips one to zone 5 for the ace... 24-23... Welsh puts a tough serve to 5 again but this time Kent Place got to run their go to set to the middle.... this time though,  they hit a wall named Deyonge who got the Top to 24-24... TO KP... Crowd LOUD!

Despite the heroic effort,  the home team fell to KP 26-24 in a hard fought match that saw the Hilltoppers play the entire decisive set without 2 of their top offensive threats but yet persevered through the adverse conditions to give themselves a shot to win.  

MATCH STATS: BEASTS - BY THE NUMBERS:

ACE - Welsh 4

SERVE RATING (at least 7% of team attempts) - Welsh 2.40, Henry 2.40

SERVE % (at least 7% of team attempts) - Henry 100, Devaney 100

PASS RATING (1.8 or higher) - Henry 2.13

PERFECT PASSES - Henry 8

KILLS - Ge 5 

EFFICIENCY (at least 10% of team attempts)- Ge .556, Welsh .500

KILL % (at least 10% of team attempts) - Ge 55.6, Welsh 50.0

DIGS - Henry 10,  Ge 6

BLOCKS - Deyonge, Herring, Welsh 1

ASSISTS - Welsh 18

***TOP POINT SCORERS (Kills, Aces, Blocks***)

Welsh 9, A. Feuerstake 6