THE HILLTOPPERS FEND OFF THE TIGERS IN A 3-0 LEVEL SWEEP

    

All three levels were at home today against the Tigers of Linden and the young athletes came away with impressive 2-0 wins all the way around to move each squad to three wins (9th Grade 3-0,  JV 3-1,  V 3-1).

The 9th graders took control of the first set early and never looked back on their way to a 25-4 set win.  The 2nd set was more competitive with SHS up only by 4 at 12-8 at the midway of the match but the Top once again rolled late for a convincing 25-14 set 2 and match win!

JV cruises to a 25-14,  25-8 win over the Tigers using precise serving and key kills to shut down the Tiger threat.  Through the first 6 rotations JV looked like it was in for a fight as the Linden squad kept many SHS attacks alive and were doing enough on serve receive to stay in the set down only 11-8.  Then Isabelle Meltzer broke the set wide open in rotation 7 with a 5-0 run (3 aces) that all but sealed the deal for the Hilltoppers,  giving the squad a 17-9 lead.  SHS outscored the Tiger team 8-5 the rest of the way for the 25-14 set win.

By rotation 6 of set 2 the game was essentially over.  The Top used 2-4 points per server to open up a 17-6 lead over Linden that the Tigers could not respond to adequately.  Emily Demm took a 6-3 lead and turned it into an 11-3 lead that the Tigers just could not overcome and Abby Wells put the last nail in the proverbial coffin with a 6-0 run to end the match at 25-8.

Varsity,  however,  was locked in a dog fight with their rivals as the team stuck with Alison Wauters replacing Hannah Barlow in the OH spot and Sarah Noa yet again took over the reigns of Libero from injured Rebecca Thompson.  Summit struggled early to contain Linden's best server and it took a service error for SHS to start their day from the service line.  Wauters,  Hope Basaman and Eva Oberhuber  notched a kill each early on to give Summit a 4-2 lead but Linden rattled off 4 straight points to re-take the lead 6-4.  A couple of unforced errors in the next few rotations allowed the Linden ladies to take a 9-5 lead but Wauters ripped and ace and Roberts pounded out a kill to get SHS back into the set down 9-8.  Despite a free ball return error which gave the Tigers the ball leading 10-8,  the Hilltoppers responded with a 5-0 run (3 aces Basaman,  1 kill Roberts) that flipped the script and had SHS up 13-10.  

Summit could not extend that lead and eventually suffered through a 3-0 Linden run which had the Tigers up again at 16-15,  a lead they would carry later in the set  at 19-18 before the Maroon and White responded behind the serving of Wauters (1 ace) who earned 3 service points late to get the Top to a 21-19 lead.  Basaman closed it out with 2 more aces and the set was wrapped up 25-20.

Set 2 saw the Top jump out to a 5-1 fueled by Noa from the service line (1 ace) which forced Linden into may unforced hitting errors.  Still up 8-5,  the Maroon and White got an ace by Victoria MacArthur and kills by Roberts and Wauters to begin to pull away and extend their lead to 11-5 and Oberhuber smashed a kill to zone 5 which forced a Tiger time-out at 12-6.  Noa once again shone in the spotlight as she ripped off 4 service points (1 ace) to get SHS the control of the match at 16-7.  The rest of the set was merely academic as the Maroon and White out-scored Linden 13-8 to close out the set and match 25-15.  

Basaman was stellar from the service line,  knocking down a match high 6 aces (2.83 serve rating) and teammate Roberts slammed a match high 9 kills (.286 efficiency).  SHS were defensively led by Noa and Thea Rind  who notched 15 digs.  Zoe Zacharias ran a good offense today getting 5 hitters involved in the offense and notching a career high 16 assists.  Basaman and Roberts led the team with 7 points apiece.  Summit will go back to work in the gym over the next few days and host Rahway in the Pediatric Cancer Research and Awareness GO4THEGOLD event on Friday.  

HILLTOPPERS STYMIE CRUSADERS FOR SECOND WIN ON VARSITY AND JV

 On Monday, the Top took on ALJ looking for their 2nd win on the 2021 campaign.  Summit did not disappoint their fans and came away with a 25-11, 25-18 win on Junior Varsity and a 25-21,  25-14 win on Varsity,  although this victory came at a price.  Starting OH Hannah Barlow was injured on a diving play early in set 1 and did not return to the match forcing some major line-up changes by the Hilltoppers for set 2 to account for 2 starters now out of the line-up.  

What looked like an even match-up early on the JV match turned into a one-sided affair by the end of rotation 4 because Stella Yarden ripped a 10 point service run (4 aces) that blew the game open and gave the Summit squad a 15-5 lead they would never relinquish as the team rolled to a 25-11 set one win.

Set two looked like it was much of the same as the team got out to a 10-3 lead behind Abby Wells' 6 point service run (3 aces) but the Crusaders responded with a 4-0 run that had ALJ within 2 at 10-8.  Ally Liguori took over from the service line with SHS up 12-9 and rattled off a 4-0 run (1 ace) that saw Summit increase its lead to 16-10 before it was over.  Katie Cooper followed that up with a 2-0 run and within 6 rotations,  the Maroon and White were up 19-13,  a lead that ALJ just could not overcome.  SHS closed it out on a 6-5 run for the 2-0 set win.

Varsity got out to a slow start, down 3-0 before the blink of an eye with 2 hitting errors.  Hope Basaman and Sarah Noa  got the Top back on track with a kill and and ace knotting the score up at 3.  ALJ continued to fight off Summit runs through the first set but with Summit trailing 9-7,  SHS got 2 kills by Vivian Roberts,  an ace by Julia Nardino and a kill by Eva Oberhuber to force a Crusader time-out with the squad up 12-9.  Off the time-out,  Summit got another kill by Roberts and the Maroon and White were looking good with a 13-9 lead.  Someone,  however,  forgot to tell the Crusaders that they were not in the match anymore and the Blue and White pounded 2 kills and got 2 receiving errors as a bonus to take over the lead by a 16-15 margin.  This tight affair continued as the Hilltoppers could not get control of the set and saw ALJ up 20-19 after another Summit hitting error.  A Crusader service ice error,  however,  opened up the door of opportunity for the Maroon and White and they took full advantage of it,  forcing a ball handling error and getting another kill by Roberts that had the Summit faithful ecstatic as the scoreboard read 22-20 and a an ALJ time-out.  Another kill by Roberts  got SHS within one point of the set at 24-20 and a service error by the Blue and White sealed set 1 in favor of the Top, 25-20.   

Basaman was instrumental in the set win with an 8/8 service run (2 aces),  Noa was 6/7 on receive and put up 3 perfect passes while Roberts led the offense with a 5 kill tally and a .571 efficiency.

An early set 2 4-0 run sparked by a Basaman  kill and 3 aces by Noa gave the Top an early 6-2 lead.  All crawled back to within 1 at 6-5 but SHS got 6 of the next 8 points (Roberts 2 kills,  Basaman 3 aces) to force a Crusader time-out at 12-7 Summit.  The Maroon and White did not lose focus though and another ace-kill combo by Basaman and Roberts had the Hilltoppers up 14-7 and they never looked back,  outscoring the Crusaders 11-7 the rest of the way for the set 2 and match victory at 25-14.  

Noa and Basaman combined for 25/28 from the service line and a whopping 12 aces to lead the service attack.  Roberts was nearly unstoppable with a 9 kill performance out of 11 swings for a .727 hitting efficiency.  Oberhuber  was very productive as well with 4 kills on 6 swings for a .500 efficiency.   Noa led the squad defensively with 6 digs.

Next up were the always tough rivals,  the Linden Tigers.

ps.  Miss you Barlow... we will see you on the court in 4 weeks or so!  We got your back!

ALL LEVELS NOTCH WINS VERSUS RIVAL CRANFORD IN HARD-FOUGHT MATCHES

 9TH GRADERS GET FIRST ROAD WIN AT COUGAR DEN

The young Hilltoppers continued their winning ways with their first road win of the season to improve to 2-0 against rival Cranford.  Cranford served first in set but neither team got any advantage until rotation 4 when Cranford rattled off 4 points to take an 8-3 lead.  Caroline Henry responded for the Hilltoppers with a 5-0 run and the squads were knotted again at 9.  The Cougars and the Top could not find any daylight among themselves though until rotation 9 with SHS up 17-15 and with the serve.  Molly Davies managed to lead the squad with a 3-0 mini run and Summit finally looked like they would break the Cougar spirit as they entered rotation 10 with a 21-16 lead.  The set ended devoid of any major runs and the Hilltoppers wrapped it up 25-17.

Set 2 proved to be a tight affair as the 9th grade squad found itself down 9-4 by rotation 3 but the team kept clawing back over the next 3 rotations to trim the lead down to one at 14-13 thanks to the service rotation by Emily Handal who pushed SHS to a 6-0 run.  Late in the set,  the Hilltoppers were down 19-18 but had Gabriela Nowicka come off the bench and spur a 3-0 run that got SHS ahead 21-20.  Cranford fought back to a 23-22 lead but a service break got the Top to 23-23 and Ava Feuerstake wrapped it up off the bench with a 2-0 run that sealed the set and match, 25-23.

JUNIOR VARSITY OUTLASTS CRANFORD IN 3 SET BATTLE

SHS started off this rivalry game in a very auspicious manner as the Top was looking at an 8-1 deficit forcing Coach Ross into an early time-out.  Although the time-out settled the troops,  Summit still needed to get a run going to cut into the lead.  Down 10-3,  Emily Demm rattled off a few aces in a 4-0 run that got the Maroon and White within striking distance at 10-7.  Cranford could not shake SHS and while still trailing 12-9,  Summit turned to Abby Wells and the junior responded with a 5 point service run that allowed the Hilltoppers to pull even with the Cougars by the end of the first 6 rotations at 14-14.  The next 6 rotations were nail biters!  Summit jumped ahead 19-17 just to see Cranford go ahead 20-19.  SHS goes ahead 21-20 but Cranford responds and take charge, going ahead 22-21.  The Top broke serve to knot up the score at 22 but Cranford broke right back for a 23-22 lead and followed up with an ace to earn 2 match points with the serve.  But the young JV did not falter and after breaking serve and staving off one match point,  it was Wells who pulled the Hilltoppers to victory with 3 crucial, pressure filled serves to seal set 1 26-24. 

Set 2 was the Cougar comeback as Cranford took the set 25-21,  coming back from 7-1 and 11-2 deficits thanks to Demm and Wells again.  But this time,  the Hilltoppers were the ones that faltered and after taking the lead 16-12 after rotation 6,  the Top was unable to handle the Cougar serving attack and a 3-0 run (2 aces) had Cranford and SHS knotted up at 16.  Neither team was able to do much for the next few rotations and unsurprisingly both squads were knotted up at 21 after 9 rotations.  But the Cougars stepped up their service again and ended the Hilltoppers on a 3-0 run for the 25-21 win.

The deciding set had the Cougars loving their chances for an upset but the Hilltoppers fixed their receive woes of the 2nd set and were efficiently lethal in their service game which led to a very productive offense.  Demm again was the catalyst as the sophomore ran off 5 service points (2 aces) to force a Cranford time-out at 9-2 and added 2 more points after the TO to give Summit the early advantage through only 3 rotations at 11-3.  With the recent memory of the 2nd set and giving up the big lead,  SHS needed to focus on their receiving game and so they did,  not allowing the Cougars to go on any runs,  allowing Summit to hold a 17-6 lead through 6 rotations.  To the Cougar's credit,  the squad did not give up and managed one rotation that had Summit a bit rattled after a 5-0 run which forced Coach Ross to call a time-out as the Top saw Cranford whittle the Hilltoppers lead down to 17-11.  After a service break by Summit (18-11),  Emily Griffith gave SHS some breathing room and the near certainty of a win with 2 huge serves (1 ace) that had the Maroon and White back up 20-11.  The rest of the set was merely an academic exercise as the Hilltoppers played even with their rivals and closed out the set for their first win, 25-17.

DESPITE INJURY TO LIBERO THOMPSON,  HILLTOPPERS COME TOGETHER AND BOUNCE BACK FROM GL LOSS TO EVEN OUT RECORD

The Hilltoppers found out early afternoon that they would be without the services of starting L and Captain Rebekah Thompson which forced the squad to make some adjustments to the line-up they featured against Governor Livingston.  Sarah Noa took over the reigns of the backline as the Libero for the match while Tori MacArthur and Thea Rind anchored the other slots in the back with OH Hannah Barlow rounding out the serve receive formations.  Hope Basaman and Alison Wauters were moved to the OPP position while Julia Nardino would come in to provide more of a presence out of the middle.  

Summit and Cranford opened up the match slowly with serving errors and inconsistent offense being the norm.  After a Cougar serving error had SHS down only 1 at 8-7,  a 5-0 run by MacArthur (2 aces) had the Cranford players on their heels and Summit in control by a 12-8 score.  The Hilltoppers were looking to put things away after a Barlow kill had the Top up 16-12 but Cranford got a kill and a SHS error to cut the lead to 16-14.   A Cougar serving error and a Nardino block had the Top up 18-14 and with the Summit net presence and serving pressuring the Cougars into errors,  the Maroon and White were looking at what seemed an insurmountable 20-15 lead.  Cranford did not wilt however and came up with 2 kills, an ace and benefitted from 1 hitting error around a Roberts kill to force Coach Martins into a time-out hanging on to a 21-19 lead.   Eva Oberhuber notched a kill coming out of the time-out and the Top got a little more breathing room.  SHS had the ball with a 23-20 lead but yet again,  2 Cougar kills and a SHS ball handling error had the set knotted up at 23!  But then,  a perfect 3.0 pass by Noa led to a crucial kill by Barlow that put the sophomore  on the service line with the set in hand.  Barlow sent a screamer over the net that forced a free ball which was perfectly passed ball by Noa  and Vivian Roberts wrapped it up with another kill off the left side for the 25-23 set 1 win.

Top Set 1 Stat Highlights:

MacArthur- 2 aces,  2.57 serve rating

Barlow- 5/5 passing, perfect 3.00 pass rating, 3 kills, .250 efficiency, 37.5% kill %, 3 points

Oberhuber, Rind- 2 digs each

Nardino- 1 block

Set 2 began with the Top on serve receive and the Cougars jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead to open things up.  A service error got the Top off the hook and Noa followed up with an ace to begin things for the Hilltoppers.  A kill by Cranford had the visitors up 7-4 early on but went on a 4-0 run (Nardino kill, Oberhuber block and kill, Roberts kill) to erase that deficit.  

Summit saw the Cougars regain control of the set after trailing 10-8  a few rotations later as their rival tallied 4 of 5 points in a run fueled by 2 serving errors, a hitting error and an ace allowed by the Top.   SHS steadied the boat after an Oberhuber block knotted the score at 12 and the home side proceeded to take six of the next 7 points off a really consistent and well placed service attack  (Noa and Cece Webb 1 ace each).  Two successful attacks by Roberts had the Top up 20-16 late which was followed by 2 aces by MacArthur which all but ended the Cougars' hopes at 23-17.  The senior DS ripped two final serves that forced the Cranford attack into 2 hitting errors and sealed the 2-0 win versus their rival!

Top Set 2 Stat Highlights:

Noa and MacArthur- 2 aces each, combined 10/11 from service line, 2.20 and 2.33 serve rating respectively

Roberts- 4 kills, .667 efficiency and 66.7% kill %, 4 points, +3 for set

Zacharias- 2 digs, 7 assists

Oberhuber- 2 blocks, +3 for set

FOR THE MATCH:

Top Point Scorer:  Roberts, 6 points

Top Assists:  Zacharias, 13 assists

Top Blocker: Oberhuber, 2 blocks

Top Digs: Oberhuber, 3 digs

Top Kills / Offensive Efficiency: Roberts, 6 kills, .308

Top Receiver / Pass Rating: Barlow, 8/8, perfect 3.00 rating

Top Aces / Serve Rating: MacArthur, 4 aces, 2.46 serve rating

HIGHLANDERS OUTLAST HILLTOPPERS ON JV AND VARSITY BUT 9TH GRADERS ROLL

 The 9th Graders opened up their season with a bang as they dispatched the Highlanders by a 25-10, 25-16 tally to open up the season with a win.  Mira Oberoi started the season by serving the first point of the campaign.  With the score 1-1,  Molly Davies followed up with a 4-0 service run that had the Top up 6-2.  A quick service break had the Maroon and White back on serve at 7-2 and Caroline Henry rattled off another 4-0 run and Summit looked in control with an 11-3 lead.  The Highlanders cut the lead down to 12-6 but then Juliana Alicea took to the service line and ended the slim GL hopes with a blistering 11-0 run that had Summit up 23-7 and effectively ended the set as the Top closed it out with a 25-10 score.

The 2nd set was more of the same although the Highlanders did provide more of a fight and pushed the squad throughout the set.  GL fought hard through 6 rotations and held an 11-9 lead going to rotation 7.  But Henry stepped up again and delivered another 4-0 run that saw the Hilltoppers take a 14-13 lead.  Despite a break in serve,  Allish Gutshall was soon called upon to make an impact from the service line and so she did with a 3-0 run that opened up an 18-13 lead that calmed Summit's nerves.  Mariana Porsse then provided a 4-0 service run that all but wiped out any GL hopes and got the Hilltoppers to a 23-14 lead.  The set and match were soon over as the Top notched their first victory of the year by a 25-16 score.  

Junior Varsity had spurts of great play but just could not handle the service attack of the GL serving machine and despite hurting the Highlanders with their own serving,  Summit just could not overcome the hole they had dug in set 1 (down by 7 at one point) and got as close as 2 points multiple times but just could not muster a run that would push them ahead of the GL squad.  Key missed serves at crucial times late sealed the deal and gave GL a 25-21 set one win.

Set 2 was over early as the Top fell behind by 8 and just could not make a dent into that deficit as the Hilltoppers could not solve the Highlander service attack.  SHS dropped the set 25-14 for their first loss of the season.

Varsity was looking to change the trend in the last 5 matches and get a vital opening day win on the road but it was not to be as the Highlanders closed out the Hilltoppers 25-17,  25-23. The season started well for the Top as the squad was down 4-3 before Sarah Noa stepped up after a Vivian Roberts kill and gave the Maroon and White an 8-4 cushion early.  By rotation 6 though,  Summit and GL were deadlocked again at 10 but a dig by Roberts led to a kill by Alison Wauters  which had Summit up 13-12.  Things looked good... until they didn't.  The Highlanders went on a 10-3 run that blew the set open and gave the GL squad a 22-15 and effectively seal the set after a few more points by a tally of 25-17.  Roberts was keeping the Summit offense afloat with 4 kills in the set and an amazing .429 hitting efficiency with a 57.1% kill percentage.  

In the closing set,  Summit opened up with 6 unforced errors and were staring down at a 10-0 deficit.  SHS could not seem to respond effectively and after another Summit service error GL must have thought that the Hilltoppers were going to quit fighting down 2-14.  Julia Nardino had an overpass kill which sparked the team and then she joined Roberts for a block that had SHS down 4-12.  Victoria MacArthur stepped in to serve after a Roberts kill and after an ace by the DS Junior,  SHS saw the lead dwindle to 13-10 thanks as well to a few GL errors.  A 3-0 run seemed to be all the Highlanders would need to get the win as just that quickly Summit saw all their hard work go for naught but this was not to come to pass.  The Hilltoppers went on a 4-0 run (Hannah Barlow 2 kills)  and now GL was visually worried as the Hilltoppers were within 2 at 16-14.  Yet again a 3-0 run by GL fueled by 2 free ball return errors and a GL ace yet again put Summit on the ropes at 19-14.  

At 20-17 after a Nardino dump kill,  the Highlanders generated another 3-0 run which looked like it was going to seal the set and match after the Hilltoppers saw a 23-17 lead.  A presence at the net by Nardino provided the look needed to force a tip error by the Highlanders,  23-18.  A huge block by Roberts on the Opposite and the explosion of emotion was palpable,  23-19.  Kill GL, one point away, 24-19.  Two hitting errors forced by the Top and a service error by the GL squad... 24-22.  Eva Oberhuber all over the net,  hitting overpasses,  finally forces one of the GL Middle blockers into the net,  time-out GL,  24-23.  Unfortunately,  the furious comeback came up just short but a lot of good things came out of the match and the team will look to improve on those tomorrow, at home, versus Cranford.

Roberts scored a team leading 7 points (5 Kills - 2 Blocks) and had a 50% kill % and a .300 hitting efficiency, both team bests.  Noa and Rebekah Thomson notched 6 digs apiece. to lead the defense and Thompson handled 19 of the 43 service attempts of the GL Highlanders, passed at a 1.95 pass rating and a 36.8% perfect pass rating,  all team bests today.  

Next up,  Cranford, home opener!

VARSITY PREVIEW - GOVERNOR LIVINGSTON AND CRANFORD

 GOVERNOR LIVINGSTON LAST 5 MATCHES

2018 

Governor Livingston beat Summit 2-0 and 2-1 by being more productive on offense as the Highlanders ended that season with a 60-40 kill advantage.  Some of that was mitigated in the second match at GL as the Hilltoppers had a 14-3 block advantage and a 15-14 ace advantage but it was not enough to overcome the offensive firepower of the GL squad.  Of note, the Highlanders had 60 kills and just 13 errors while the Hilltoppers scored 40 kills but notched 21 errors in the process.  

Libero Kiera Stocks was the serving menace with 5 aces and a 2.14 serve rating in the 2 matches.  Tessa Pulgar anchored a solid serve receive with a 2.38 pass rating with Pulgar sending a perfect pass to the setter a team leading 50% of the time.  

Offensively,  Katie MacPherson led the Summit attack with 13 kills.  Defensively,  Ava Williamson led the way with 19 and Carmel Barsh was a menace at the net with 8 blocks.

2019

GL swept the Hilltoppers 2-0 in both season matchups with a 32-14 kill advantage,  a 24-10 ace advantage and a 5-1 block advantage.  The Hilltoppers hit a negative .099 for the matches, a clear recipe for a negative result.

Kasey Walsh  led the Top with 3 aces.  Stocks led the squad with pass attempts and a 1.62 pass rating and a 31% perfect pass success rate.  Sara Maldonado was the main offensive weapon with 5 kills and a .286 attack efficiency.  Defensively,  Stocks had a team leading 11 digs and Annabella Yorio had the only block in both matches.

2021 Season 3

Although the Highlanders overcame the Hilltoppers 2-0,  Summit out-killed Governor Livingston 22-14 while the Highlanders out-aced Summit 3-2 and out-blocked the Maroon and White 7-4.  Overall,  Summit out-scored GL 28-24 but the 8 service errors and the 4 faults compared to GL's 5 total was the difference in key points of the match.  Of note,  SHS was missing team leading blocker and scoring middle Catherine Eldridge to illness that Saturday which did alter the offensive options available versus a very solid and dangerous Highlanders Squad.

Erin Vostal had 2 aces and a 2.43 serve rating to lead the Top from the service line.  Gabbie Guidetti was nearly perfect in receive with a 2.43 pass rating and a perfect pass % of 71.4%.  Maldonado was an attacking machine with 10 kills and a 76.9 kill % and an equal efficiency rating.  Stocks did everything she could defensively against the Highlanders OHs with a match and team leading 15 digs and Eva Oberhuber filled in admirably for Eldridge with a team leading 2 blocks.

Lessons Learned:  mistakes late in matches will come back to hurt you against a team that is betting on the fact that if they just keep the ball in play (not aggressive),  you will implode.  Aggression without purpose leads to errors. Summit loses by a combined 10 points and had 8 serving errors (most after the score had got past 15 points) despite the fact that they outscore (kills+blocks+aces) GL 28-24.

LAST MATCH:

Set 1 21-25  SHS-15 points Gov Liv-12 (Summit 10 serving / attacking errors, GL 4)

Set 2 19-25 SHS-13 pts. Gov Liv-12 (SHS 6 errors, GL 5)

CRANFORD LAST FIVE MATCHES

2018

In a dominant 2-0 match sweep of the Cougars by a 2-0 and 2-1 scores,  Summit showed their dominance with a 46-31 kill performance but the difference in both matches was in the serving department as the Top dominated with a 29-12 ace despite Cranford having an 8-5 blocking advantage over SHS.

Stocks was simply lethal with 9 aces and a 2.75 serve rating.  She also led the team with a 1.95 pass rating and a 31.7 perfect pass %.  Micaela Nardino was simply the question Cranford had no answer for in the 2 matches as she hit for 15 kills while defensively,  Stocks notched 20 digs and Nardino was 2nd with 16 over the 2 matches.  Sylvie Goudreau was a Cougar killer with a team leading 3 blocks and numerous attack thwarting touches.  

2019

The two matches versus Cranford were probably the most thrilling and competitive matches of the season for the Hilltoppers.  SHS came away with a 2-0 season sweep by 2-1 scores.  Summit held an overwhelming 67-38 edge in kills which proved to be the difference in the matches because the teams were pretty even in blocks (Cranford led 7-4) and aces (Summit 23-21).

Sarah Brennan silenced the Cougars from the service line with 8 aces and a 2.52 serve rating.  Stocks was a passing monster with 43 of the team's 125 passes at a team leading 2.00 pass rating and a 32.6% perfect pass %.  Maldonado was a thorn in the Cougar defense in both matches,  tallying a team leading 22 kills, a .413 efficiency rating and a 47.8 kill %.  Stocks was again a factor defensively digging up 34 Cougar attacks and Vostal was able to neutralize 3 Cougar attacks to lead the team in blocks.   

2021 Season 3

Summit entered the Cougar den for their only match of the season in the Season 3 schedule and had a 6W-0L record so the motivation was there for the Cougars to knock off their rivals.  SHS and Cranford locked up in another classic battle but the Hilltoppers came away with a 2-1 win behind a balanced attack of offense and serving which yielded a 25-21 kill advantage and a 12-7 ace advantage (both teams notched 2 blocks apiece).  

Guidetti was unstoppable from the service line, notching 4 aces on 9 attempts and only 1 error (2.89 serve rating).  Brennan led the passing efforts of the Top with a 2.08 rating and a 41.7 perfect pass %.  Maldonado was once again a key to the offense with a team leading 7 kills and a .160 efficiency but Vivian Roberts stepped up when needed in the match and tallied 6 kills and a 42.9 kill % to give the Maroon and White much needed balance.  Stocks (13),  Walsh (10) and Brennan (10) combined for 33 of the team's 48 digs and were instrumental in the win.  Eldridge was again a factor and notched 2 blocks along with affecting numerous attacks with her presence at the net. 

Lessons Learned:  In a rivalry match, stats go out the window.  Cranford had season high numbers in this match in numerous categories and did not show this kind of consistency throughout the year.  They targeted the setter in back row and served really tough.  Kill numbers determine the winner.

LAST MATCH:

Set 1 25-18 SHS-14 points Cranford-11 (Summit 2 serving / attacking errors, Cranford 6)

Set 2 21-25 SHS-10 pts. Cranford-14 (SHS 7 errors, Cranford 6)

Set 3 25-14 SHS-15 pts. Cranford-5 (SHS 8 errors,  Cranford 5) 

OUTLOOK:  

A-Summit and Governor Livingston both lost most of their offensive firepower from last year. Both teams should be pretty evenly matched and the outcome will probably be decided on kill number total and serving effectiveness.

B-Summit vs. Cranford is always an intense rivalry matchup and both squads will be up for the Friday night matchup.  The Cougars lost one of the two-headed monster offense that scored 42 kills apiece last season but they do return Coates who led the squad with a team tying 42 kills and 156 digs even though Quinones is a loss to graduation who also had 42 kills and was the team leader in aces and 2nd in service points.  The Cougars do return both sophomore setters who ran their 6-2 offense. Cranford opens with New Providence, a squad that they lost to twice last season by 2-0 tallies.  

END OF SCRIMMAGE SEASON , BIG MEASURING STICK TO CLOSE

 9th Graders,  Junior Varsity and Varsity faced off versus Lakeland Regional and Ridge this week to close out the scrimmage season.  

9th Graders dominated the Lancers and had a tremendously competitive and exciting 3 set match versus the Red Devils of Ridge that ended in a 26-24 third set score in favor of the visitors.  

JV was also dominant versus the Lancers but the Red Devils out served and out passed the Hilltoppers which sets the path of improvement for the JV Squad if they are to get to the semis and beyond of the county tournament.

Varsity took 3 sets from Lakeland but dropped three to Ridge to even out their preseason to 6 sets won and 6 lost.  This week saw some great highlights and performances from several Hilltoppers which has helped solidify the opening day lineup.

Total stats across all 4 scrimmages:

Team Leaders:

Assists- Zacharias 57,  Lipschitz 9

Blocks- Nardino and Oberhuber 6,  Wauters 4,  Roberts 3

Digs- Thompson 35,  Noa and Wauters 10,  Barlow 8

Digs per Set- Thompson 3.7,  Noa 1.2,  Wauters and Barlow 1.0

Kills- Webb and Barlow 13,  Oberhuber and Wauters 11,  Roberts 9

Kills per Set- Webb 1.60,  Roberts 1.50,  Barlow 1.40

Kill % (min 10 attempts)- Zacharias 50%,  Wauters 45.8%,  Oberhuber 44%

Hit Efficiency (min 10 attempts)- Wauters .375,  Zacharias .313,  Barlow .189

Pass Rating (min 10 passes)- Noa 2.25,  Thompson 1.91,  Rind 1.82

3 Pass %- Noa 55%,  Thompson 43.6%,  Barlow 31.3%

Aces (min 8% of total serves)-  Thompson 14,  Webb 6,  Barlow 5

Ace % (min 8% of total serves)- Thompson 32.6%,  Barlow 22.7%,  Noa 9.1%

Serving % (min 8% of total serves) - Noa 90.9%,  Thompson 90.7%,  Zacharias 83.9%

Point Scoring %- Thompson 72.1%,  Noa 59.1%,  Barlow 54.5%

Points Earned- Webb 21,  Wauters/Barlow 19,  Oberhuber 18

Points Net (earned - lost)- Webb +11,  Wauters +9,   Barlow +3

TEAM KILL % - 36.1%

TEAM EFFICIENCY - .163

TEAM ACE % - 16.7%

TEAM SERVING % - 83.3%

TEAM BLOCKS PER SET - 2.0

TEAM POINTS PER SET - 11.4 

TEAM PASS RATING - 2.06

LAKELAND LANCERS NO MATCH FOR SUMMIT SERVING OFFENSE

 The Summit Lady Hilltoppers opened up their first home scrimmage versus the Lakeland Regional Lancers and continued to show that the staple of this team's success across all three levels is still their serving.  

The 9th graders,  in their first scrimmage of the season,  dispatched the Lancers with a 3-0 result.  Although there are many first time players on the squad,  the team features a core of experienced players who should be help the Maroon and White be successful against many opponents this season.

The Junior Varsity is led by a core of four juniors - Clark, Kim, Wells and Yarden - and complemented by 12 talented sophomores who seem to have the passing and size to look forward to a very happy season.  Meltzer led off set 1 with a 7-0 run from the service line that set the tone for the match.  The Lancers never really recovered and got only as close as 10-6 but then Yarden ripped off 3 service points to get the lead back up to 13-6 and teammate Wells followed up with a crushing 6 point run to extend the lead to 20-9 and the set was essentially over.  Final score of opening set, 25-14, SHS.

The second set proved to be much of the same with Wells breaking open the set early with an 11 point serving assault, giving the team a 12-2 lead when she was done.  Cooper then went on a mini run a few rotations later of 4 points and the outcome, if it was ever in doubt,  was just about set in stone with the Hilltoppers in control 22-6.  It took only one more service rotation to seal the deal and the final 25-6 score was reflective of the serving dominance of the Maroon and White on this day.

The Varsity Team followed with yet another lineup in this 3rd official scrimmage of the season looking for some answers to some troublesome rotations.  Captain Thompson started the squad off with a 9-0 run and the Maroon and White immediately took control with a 10-1 lead.  The Lancers continued to struggle to find passing consistency and Noa took full advantage in rotation 5 with a 5-0 run that had the Hilltoppers up 21-8.  The rest was academic and Summit closed out set 1 25-11.

Thompson notched a team high 5 aces in the set.  Barlow and Wauters set the offensive tone with minimal opportunities with 3 kills apiece.  Rind and Thompson notched 2 digs each against a limited Lancer attack and Wauters and Roberts got a block each to help defensively when they were needed.  Zacharias still found 8 assists out there despite limited assist opportunities.

Set two saw a much more spirited Lancer team that was able to pressure the Hilltoppers and force the home squad to execute on offense.  The Top had a lot of unforced errors early and actually trailed the Lakeland Varsity by 3 at the end of rotation 6 by a tally of 15-12 and 17-13 by the end of rotation 7.  But a Lancer serving error opened the door for Thompson who proceeded to burst right through it with a 7 point service run to flip the script and give the Hilltoppers a 21-17 lead.  Summit never yielded the lead after that and closed out the set 2 rotations later, 25-20.

Thompson and MacArthur hit for 5 of the team's 6 aces (3 and 2 respectively) and Noa joined Thompson in receiving with 6 of the team's 10 perfect passes and led the way with a 2.40 pass rating.  With limited opportunities,  Webb and Oberhuber notched 2 kills each to lead the Top while defensively, Thompson notched 3 digs and Lipschitz and Barlow added 2 each.

Set three saw the home team jump out to a 9-3 lead after a Barlow 7-0 service run but the team failed to remain consistent in the next 4 rotations from a serving and offensive perspective and saw the Lancers crawl to within three at 15-12 before Zacharias ran off a mini 2-0 run to give the Maroon and White a more comfortable 17-12 lead.  A service error and a receive error by the Hilltoppers had Lakeland within 2 at 18-16 but then the Lancers missed a critical serve that put Webb on serve at 21-16.  Webb hit for 3 quick aces and the rest was academic as the Summit Lady Hilltoppers closed the Lancers out 25-16.

Webb led the ace party with 4 of the team's 7 for the set.  Five different players had a kill in the set, for a total of 8, with Basaman, Wauters and Roberts each tallying two.  Thompson was instrumental in transition with 6 digs of the team's 11 and Zacharias used those opportunities to feed the ball to key hitters that helped the sophomore setter tally 7 assists.  

From a point production perspective,  Barlow led all Hilltoppers with 9 points, followed by Thompson who hit for 6 from the service line,  Webb scored 7 and Wauters notched 6 in a match that saw the Top score a total of 48 points over three sets for a 16 point per set average.  

Team Leaders:

Assists- Zacharias 15 (7.5 per set)

Blocks- Webb / Wauters / Roberts (1 each)

Digs- Thompson 11

Kills- Barlow /  Wauters (5 each)

Kill %- Wauters 83.3%

Kill Efficiency- Wauters .833

Pass Rating- Noa 2.33

3 Pass %- Thompson 46.2%

Aces- Thompson 8 

Ace %- Webb 57.1%

Serving %- Webb 100%

Point Scoring %- Thompson 84.2%

Ridge Next Up for all levels today.  4pm JV and 9th Graders,  Varsity 5:30pm