MADISON DODGERS PROVIDE TOUGH TEST FOR HILLTOPPERS

In the second scrimmage match of the season, the Summit crew took on the Madison Dodgers,  Varsity at 10am on the road and Frosh and JV at home at 3pm.

9th Graders notch first 2 set sweep

The young Hilltoppers had a highly competitive match against the Dodgers and came away with a 25-21, 25-22 victory as the young team is starting to learn how to play together as they get more comfortable with the system and each other.  The blending of players of club experience with athletes of limited or no organized experience always leads to a period of learning and transition and this young group of kids is starting to pick up some important lessons as a group,  none more important than how to win close games.  Natalia was an anchor from a passing perspective and competed for every ball while Adya ran a smart offense, finding the right hitters in critical situations and passing out of system very effectively.

           

JV Summit v JV Madison - Instance Classic

The JV were looking to bounce back from a couple of close set losses to the Woodbridge Barrons and found themselves in one of the most exciting battles of recent times versus the Madison Dodgers.  Set 1 went the distance, the LONG distance with Madison earning a 32-30 set win but SHS bounced back nicely off that loss to take set 2 25-20.  The team did struggle with serving consistency though and saw that come back to hurt the squad in the decisive 3rd set as Madison took it 15-7.  Sophia S and Sarah B were outstanding offensive threats for the squad today.

Varsity earns a come from behind 3-2 Victory versus the Dodgers

SHS 3 - DODGERS 2

SET        SHS        WOODBRIDGE

1                17                    25

2                25                    21

3                20                    25

4                27                    25

5                15                    9

The Lady Hilltoppers traveled to Madison to take on the Dodgers looking to improve on their hitting and passing efficiency while looking to improve their ace production and blocking eficacy.

This was not going to be an easy task as the Madison squad provided a much bigger test than Woodbridge in terms of their physicality in the front row and their generally consistent and effective serving attack.

SET 1 - 17-25

The Top started off a little slow and found themselves 8-2 down early. Behind the serving of Madison, the team rallied to within one at 8-9 but 4 of the next 5 points went to the Dodgers and the Hilltoppers could never overcome that deficit and actually trailed 14-22 late before dropping set one 17-25.

Summit 

Team Serving % - 91.7    Team Ace % - 8.3

BEST SERVE RATING - Madison 2.20 (1 ace)

BEST RECEIVE RATING- Madison 1.56

MOST PERFECT PASSES - Madison 2

MOST KILLS - Claire 4

BEST EFFICIENCY - Claire 0.083

BEST KILL % - Madison and Claire - 33.3%

MOST DIGS - Nadia 6

MOST BLOCKS - Claire 2

MOST ASSISTS - Nadia - 9

SET 2 - 25-21

The Top yet again trailed early 5-0 but fought back to within 1 at 8-9.  Madison went on a run again though and re-established a 6 point lead at 14-8 just to see SHS go on a 10-2 run to jump ahead 22-19 and not look back as they closed out the set 25-21.

Summit 

Team Serving % - 84%    Team Ace % - 24%

BEST SERVE RATING - Claire - 2.43 (2 aces)

BEST RECEIVE RATING- Madison - 2.33 

MOST PERFECT PASSES - Madison - 3

MOST KILLS - Ava and Claire - 3

BEST EFFICIENCY - Ava - .283

BEST KILL % - Claire - 60%

MOST DIGS - Rylen- 7

MOST BLOCKS - Emma, Izzy, Claire, Madison and Lily - 1

MOST ASSISTS - Izzy - 6

SET 3 - 20-25

Set 3 saw the Top head out to a 7-4 lead just to give up a 5-0 run to see it evaporate.  SHS fought back though and by the midpoint of the set,  the Maroon and White had themselves a 13-11 lead.  The teams exchanged runs and late in the set, the scoreboard showed 19-19.  Unfortunately,  the Madison crew dropped a 6-1 run fueled by 5 SHS attack errors at the end to take set 3 going away.

Summit 

Team Serving % - 80   Team Ace % - 20

BEST SERVE RATING - Claire and Ayina - 3.00 (4 aces)

BEST RECEIVE RATING- Alta- 1.60

MOST PERFECT PASSES - Alta, Ayina and Claire - 1

MOST KILLS - Lily, Ava and Madison - 2

BEST EFFICIENCY - Ava - 0.500

BEST KILL % - Madison - 66.7%

MOST DIGS - Ayina and Nadia - 2

MOST BLOCKS - 

MOST ASSISTS - Nadia - 9

SET 4 - 27-25

Another slow start by the Top saw them down 6-2 but as has been the trend every set, the team starts to find its rhythm and often has fought back to take the lead or come close to it in that same set.  Nothing was different here as the SHS side go to within one at 10-11 and had tied it at 13 a rotation later.  At that point, both teams slugged it out and there was no daylight between them at 20-20.  The squads traded points and at 22-22 Madison got a kill and an ace to earn 2 match points.  A Summit kill and an attack error forced by tough SHS serving had the score knotted at 24 but a Madison kill gave the home side a third match point.  A timely dig by the Top saved the match and the Hilltoppers wrapped up the comeback with 2 thunderous kills and a block to take the set.

Summit 

Team Serving % - 88.9   Team Ace % - 11.1

BEST SERVE RATING - Madison- 3.00 (1 aces)

BEST RECEIVE RATING- Madison - 2.07 

MOST PERFECT PASSES - Rylen and Madison - 2

MOST KILLS - Madison - 4

BEST EFFICIENCY - Ava - .600

BEST KILL % - Ava - 60%

MOST DIGS - Madison - 6 

MOST BLOCKS - Emma, Lily, Claire - 1

MOST ASSISTS - Maddie - 7

SET 5 - 15-9

In the decisive set 5,  for the first time in the match,  SHS jumped out to a lead at 7-2.  Could this squad learn the lesson of Woodbridge and finish out a match?  No one was sure in the gym as the Dodgers fought back twice to within one at 7-6 and 9-8 before seeing the Hilltoppers hit for 3 kills and a perfect 3-3 from the service line to win the set and match 15-9.  

Summit 

Team Serving % - 92.9   Team Ace % - 0

BEST SERVE RATING - Rachel- 2.33

BEST RECEIVE RATING- Alta - 2.25 

MOST PERFECT PASSES - Alta - 1

MOST KILLS - Madison - 4

BEST EFFICIENCY - Madison - .500

BEST KILL % - Ava - 100%

MOST DIGS - Alta - 4 

MOST BLOCKS - Emma, Lily, Claire - 1

MOST ASSISTS - Nadia - 9

MATCH STATS 3-2

Team Serving % - 85.4   Team Ace % - 14.6

BEST SERVE RATING - Madison 2.29, Claire 2.25 (10 aces)

BEST RECEIVE RATING- Madison 1.80, Claire 1.69

MOST PERFECT PASSES - Madison 7, Alta 3, Rylen 3

MOST KILLS - Madison 15, Claire 11

BEST EFFICIENCY - Madison .242,  Ava .179

BEST KILL % - Madison 45.5%,  Lily 42.9%

MOST DIGS - Madison 13, Alta, Rylen and Nadia -9

MOST BLOCKS - Claire 4, Lily 3

MOST ASSISTS - Nadia 27

VARSITY RUN 5 LINEUPS AND TAKE 2 SETS VS WOODBRIDGE

 BARONS 3 - HILLTOPPERS 2

SET        SHS        WOODBRIDGE

1                25                    19

2                20                    25

3                23                    25

4                25                    19

5                13                    15

The Lady Hilltoppers hosted the Woodbridge Barrons at home to open up the Scrimmage Season.  Since 2024, between scrimmages and regular season matches,  the Top has not won any sets from the Barrons (0W- 15L). The results today in 5 sets indicate that the team is definitely improved in 2 of the major areas which were a problem last year, offensive and serving efficiency.  

The team won 50.5% of all their service points and scored 2.8 aces/set showing an effective serving attack which kept the Barrons at bay with a serve % of 86.9% which was a drastic improvement from 2025.  The team also hit at a kill percentage of 31.3% while tallying a .170 efficiency rate on offense which helped the squad achieve an impressive sideout % of 51%.  

But as good as those number looked,  the team's goal will be to improve its 1.55 pass rating for the match mainly due to the 24 aces it gave up.  The paradox is that the team also tallied a 31% perfect pass number which is far better than the 24.9% achieved in '25 and it allowed the squad to win the sideout battle for the match but the 3.8 hitting errors per set are still too high when combined with the reception errors.  

SET 1 - 25-19

Summit 

Team Serving % - 91.7    Team Ace % - 8.3

BEST SERVE RATING - Claire - 2.60 (1 aces - 0 err)

BEST RECEIVE RATING- Claire- 2.75

MOST PERFECT PASSES - Rylen - 4

MOST KILLS - Madison - 4

BEST EFFICIENCY - Madison - 1.000

BEST KILL % - Madison - 100%

MOST DIGS - Claire - 3

MOST BLOCKS - Lily - 3

MOST ASSISTS - Nadia - 8

SET 2 - 20-25

Summit 

Team Serving % - 85.7    Team Ace % - 14.3

BEST SERVE RATING - Madison - 3.00 (2 aces - 0 err)

BEST RECEIVE RATING- Madison - 3.00 

MOST PERFECT PASSES - Madison - 3

MOST KILLS - Madison - 3

BEST EFFICIENCY - Madison - .429

BEST KILL % - Madison - 42.9

MOST DIGS - Claire and Liv- 3

MOST BLOCKS - 

MOST ASSISTS - Maddie - 3

SET 3 - 23-25

Summit 

Team Serving % - 82.6    Team Ace % - 17.4

BEST SERVE RATING - Nadia - 2.50 (1 aces - 0 err)

BEST RECEIVE RATING- Claire- 1.63

MOST PERFECT PASSES - Claire - 3

MOST KILLS - Claire - 3

BEST EFFICIENCY - Madison - 0.333

BEST KILL % - Rachel - 33.3%

MOST DIGS - Emma - 4

MOST BLOCKS - Emma and Nadia - 1

MOST ASSISTS - Nadia - 7

SET 4 - 25-19

Summit 

Team Serving % - 88.0   Team Ace % - 16.0

BEST SERVE RATING - Ava K - 2.50 (1 aces - 0 err)

BEST RECEIVE RATING- Liv - 1.50 

MOST PERFECT PASSES - Liv - 1

MOST KILLS - Madison and Claire - 2

BEST EFFICIENCY - Madison - .250

BEST KILL % - Madison - 50%

MOST DIGS - Claire and Madison - 4 

MOST BLOCKS - 

MOST ASSISTS - Nadia - 4

SET 5 - 15-13

Summit 

Team Serving % - 85.7   Team Ace % - 7.1

BEST SERVE RATING - Rylen- 3.00 (1 aces - 0 err)

BEST RECEIVE RATING- Claire - 2.17 

MOST PERFECT PASSES - Claire - 2

MOST KILLS - Claire - 3

BEST EFFICIENCY - Ava K - .333

BEST KILL % - Madison - 66.7%

MOST DIGS - Claire - 3 

MOST BLOCKS - 

MOST ASSISTS - Nadia - 7

MATCH STATS 2-3 

Team Serving % - 86.9   Team Ace % - 13.1

BEST SERVE RATING - Rylen- 2.38 (1 ace),  Claire 2.21 (3 aces)

BEST RECEIVE RATING- Madison 2.04, Claire 1.71

MOST PERFECT PASSES - Claire 9, Madison 5

MOST KILLS - Madison 13, Claire 10

BEST EFFICIENCY - Madison .458,  Nadia .200

BEST KILL % - Madison 54.2%,  Claire 30.3%

MOST DIGS - Claire 14, Madison 10

MOST BLOCKS - Lily 3,  Nadia 2

MOST ASSISTS - Nadia 26

FIRST SCRIMMAGE ON THE ROAD FOR JV AND 9TH GRADERS SHOWS PROMISE

 FROSH FIRST STEPS INTO SEASON LEAD TO OPTIMISM

9th Graders lost a close 3 set match by 20-25, 26-24 and 10-15 tallies.  For many of the young GOATS this was the first organized match of their careers and Coach Leventhal thought the squad took some real steps forward as a unit although some things need improvement.  Of note, Emma D and Anna D had solid outings, impacting very positively the passing, serving and offensive game of the team.  Emilie B was all over the court,  played outstanding defense and showed great movement to the ball.

JUNIOR VARSITY PLAYED BARONS TOUGH BUT NEED TO GEL AS A UNIT

The JV Squad showed moments of offensive threat and defensive brilliance but the consistency was lacking in this new group which Coach Ross believes will get better as they get more familiar with each other and trust their teammates and their own roles in the offense/defense.  The Barons have been dominant over the JV Top but today's effort left Coach Ross very optimistic about the season.  Specifically, Lily B had an amazing day from the service line with double digit service points and nearly 50% ace production to go along with her overall solid defense.

2026 VARSITY OUTLOOK IS OPTIMISTIC BUT A LOT YET TO BE PROVEN

 The 2025 season saw the Top struggle to string together wins on all levels as a rebuild was underway and despite having impact returners at key positions,  injuries, youth and a gauntlet of a schedule (6 matches vs top 20 teams in NJ) early set the Top on a very arduous season.  But there were some key highlights which set the team up for a possible run in the state sectional tourney.   The Team repeated as Healing the Children Champions, reached the semis at the Millburn Classic and had much improved performances vs. Governor Livingston and Westfield 2nd time around the schedule but still struggled with Rahway, Dayton and Madison, teams of the caliber they would need to beat in states.

The state playoff run saw SHS upset the #3 team on the road from the 14th ranked position on the road in a 3-0 win and then traveled in the Quarter-Finals to #11 seed Belleville who had upset the #6 seed for a spot in the Semis.  Unfortunately, Summit's inconsistency reared its head again and key errors and average serve receive did the squad in at the QF spot.

In the final analysis of the season,  there were some strengths and areas which will need to improve in 2026 to change the squad's fortunes.

Serving

Serve is a consistent weapon, averaging 2.71 aces per set and scoring on 47.9% of service attempts. The aggressive serving approach is working—the serve-to-error ratio of roughly 1:1 reflects a team willing to take calculated risks. Opponents are siding out at 52.1%, which indicates your serve is creating enough pressure to disrupt their transition game. Continue leveraging this strength to force difficult first-contact situations.

SHS 2026 - The team has put together a squad which could be dangerous in all 6 rotations from the service line and if they are anywhere close to the Covid Spring 2021 season in terms of numbers, the squad could see a tremendous upswing in their record

Receive

Receiving is an area where consistency needs improvement. A pass rating of 1.63 is acceptable, but receiving errors at 3.48 per set are pushing above the ideal threshold of 3.0. These errors directly limit your ability to run your offense and convert side-outs. Tightening up first-contact consistency will unlock more transition opportunities and improve your overall side-out percentage of 44.1%.

SHS 2026 - The team put the focus of tryouts to find the best serve receivers at all levels and this was to address the area which was a key factor in last year's record.  SHS is carrying 4 DS to address the defensive and serve receiving needs of the squad and all athletes will need to contribute every match for a successful season.

Attacking

The offense is generating opportunities but leaving points on the table through execution errors. Hitting efficiency of 0.096 is within range, yet attack errors at 5.29 per set are at the win threshold. This suggests your hitters are being aggressive and taking chances, but precision and decision-making need refinement. Reducing unforced errors while maintaining offensive aggression will improve your conversion rate and overall match control.

SHS 2026 - The team's youth showed itself in this category as the squad featured sophomores, a 9th grader and a senior with no varsity experience at the pins at the start of the season and needed their all-county setter to step into the role of oh to help produce offense.  However the 5+ attack error rate prevented the squad from ever getting comfortable in any match as the team would often get many offensive attempts but would not be able to score and cost themselves points with unforced errors.

Defense

DEFENSE

Defensive effort is solid overall. Dig errors at 3.31 per set are well-managed and below the win threshold of 4.0, showing your back-row players are making plays and keeping balls alive. This foundation allows your team to extend rallies and create counterattack opportunities. Maintaining this defensive discipline while working to reduce receiving errors will strengthen your overall transition game.

SHS 2026 - The team has selected a squad which should be able to improve in their dig output and create more opportunities for transition defense as well as eliminating serve receive errors.  This should help the squad be more competitive and a tougher team to play against...

Blocking

BLOCKING

Blocking is a clear strength for your team. With only 0.75 errors per set—well below the win threshold of 1.5—your front row is executing disciplined, efficient blocks. This low error rate reflects good positioning and decision-making at the net. Continue to build on this foundation as a key component of your defensive identity.

SHS 2026 - The team did not hurt itself with the blocking as the combination of seniors with experience and some youth at the position led to a good balance when it came to limiting errors.  However, injuries weakened this position during the season both offensively and defensively.  Despite the low error rate, the team also did not generate very many blocks or block touches during the season which was a reflection of the squad's inconsistencies due to injuries throughout the year.

CONCLUSION

Tryouts were designed to address current and future issues as they pertained to the Watch Items and improving on our strengths.  Scrimmage Season will give us some answers and will show us what we can be happy about and what we still need to work on this season.  One thing is certain though,  there is a lot of talent across all levels and there is a different vibe this year and a lot of excitement top to bottom.  

2026 SEASON KICKS OFF WITH SUMMER LEAGUE SUCCESS

 

The 2026 Season did commence way back in June 2026 with the first few Summer League practices to set up the team for the July gauntlet of the Impact Volleyball Summer League Tourney consisting of 2 match days per week (Tues and Thurs) and 4 sets per match day against 2 different opponents.  On the last match day, all 18 teams are divided into 2 pools and a single game elimination playoff ensues until the championship match of each pool which would be best 2 of 3.  

Summit's full roster was listed in the prior post and the team cycled through 10 different lineups throughout the summer giving each participant a different shot at various roles and pressure situations.  The squad finished the last of the round robin rounds with Cranford and Roselle Catholic with a 2-2 set record and that guaranteed them the #1 seed in the Silver Division and they would play the winner of Plainfield (2-0 set record v. Plainfield) and N. Brunswick (1-1 set record) in the 8-9 matchup in the quarter-finals.  SHS faced off versus the N. Brunswick team as predicted by the bracket seed and despite a 6-1 opening lead by the Top,  the NB squad slowly started chipping away at the lead until the Summit crew had to call a TO later in the match down 17-14 due to numerous serving and hitting miscues.  To be fair, the squad had entered the match with only 8 players and were a little short-handed (a 9th would arrive later from club tryouts) but after the TO the team got a couple of key kills and forced the opponent into errors with precise and effective serving which flipped the set on its head and saw Summit pull away late for a 25-21 win.

The semi-finals occurred immediately after the NB match and the squad was to face off against Roselle Park who they had not seen in the round robin portion of the summer.  RP will be an opponent in the regular season and the Top and Roselle Park had had many an encounter over the last decade in the regular season, the Healing the Children Tourney and Summer League.  RP proved to be a feisty defensive team with tough serving rotations which created problems for the Top in certin rotations but the team was much more effective at reducing errors and despite trailing yet again 14-10 around the mid-point of the match,  precise and well placed kills along with a tough serving 6 man rotation overwhelmed the Roselle Park squad and the SHS side moved onto the finals with a 25-19 win.

The finals saw the Hilltoppers face off against Colonia and one of the better young hitters in the state from last season.  Summit and Colonia controlled the tempo of the set at various points with both squads going on multi point runs off their serves but it was the Maroon and White side that had the last say from the service line and from the defensive side with key blocks and digs which propelled them to a 25-21 win in set 1.  The decisive set saw the Top get out to a huge lead midway through the set at 15-7 but Colonia dug back with their young OH providing the offense and keeping the Top's offense at bay with 2 tough serving rotations which out-scored SHS by a 7-2 margin.  With the score 17-14, SHS got a gift of a service error after a TO and then rattled off 4 points to extend the lead (22-14) and essentially seal the match a rotation later at 25-15 for the Silver Division Championship.

Ava K was outstanding playing in all 6 rotations as the OPP and was the team leader in hitting % and 2nd on the squad in kills for the last 3 sets.  Maddie W and Claire J led the way offensively at various points from the OH position and were key passers on serve receive throughout the night.  Lily B was a highly effective weapon out of the MB position getting key kills at crucial times and Rachel J did a fantastic job as a MB in her first full 2 set match at the position in the finals.  Rylen was the sole DS available in playoffs and was just a consummate leader and communicator from the back row,  taking over the L spot throughout the night and leading the team in serve rcv rating and digs,  especially in the finals when she was needed the most.  Nadia ran a diverse offense throughout the night, getting all middles involved and identifying the hot hitters and beneficial matchups.  She was also the team leader in service points and aces to help the team to victory.  Sophia and Ava D also got valuable experience in the quarter-final match and Sophia came up with key block touches which led to transitional kills while Ava D had key defensive saves and well placed dumps which yielded key points in the QF comeback.  

There is a lot of excitement and hope for the 2026 season as the end of the 2025 season saw the Top win 4 of their last 6 matches and upset the #3 seed in the sectional tourney on the road for the biggest seeded upset in the state last year during sectionals and now, just a summer pre-season later, the team ended summer league with a Championship, an overall 17-15 set win/loss record but a 6-2 record over the last 2 match days when the lineup was more consistent.  A season preview is to follow in the upcoming weeks after tryouts but an analysis of last year's team will be posted initially so that athletes understand what we are looking to improve upon with this year's team and what we hope to be even a bigger strength this upcoming season.

2026 SEASON ON THE HORIZON - SUMMER LEAGUE COMMENCES IN EARLY JULY

 Summer League Lineup 

(5-1 / Middle Middle System)

Colon - DS / L - returner

Conroy - DS / L - returner

Lind - DS / L - 2025 jv - selected to V

Santilian - DS / L - 2025 jv 

Beake - MB - returner 

(alt) Devaney - MB - 2025 9th Grade

Easton - MB - 2025 jv

Shrekgast - MB- 2025 jv

C Jesionowski - OH - returner

Duetsch - OH - 2025 jv

Kovarik - OH / OPP - 2025 jv

R Jesionowski - OPP / OH- returner

Welsh - OH - returner

Mirliss - S2 - 2025 jv

Moghal - S1- returner

HILLTOPPERS TAKE DOWN #3 CARTERET BUT BUCCANEERS OF BELLEVILLE END SUMMIT'S STATE RUN AT QUARTER-FINALS

 #14 SHS AT #3 CARTERET

Summit took the win in the first round of states taking down Carteret in a bracket busting upset.  SHS out-scored Carteret 53-27 and took the match by scores of 25-18, 25-20, 25-22.  Despite an overwhelming lead on offensive output of 36 kills to 19 kills for the match,  it was Summit's 34 errors that kept Carteret in the match throughout,  This was never more evident that in the 2nd set where Summit earned 18 points to Carteret's 7 but despite the overwhelming offensive advantage,  the score showed a mere 5 point gap.  

The 3rd set saw a much more spirited and desperate Carteret side which lost the kill battle by only 4 (13k-9k) in the set but the Hilltoppers were just too much for the #3 seed with a 6-3 advantage combined in serving aces and blocks which led to an overall scoring advantage of 19-12 for the Top in the set. 

The Lady Hilltoppers passed at an outstanding 2.09 rating with Maren leading the way with a 2.08 rating from players with over 7 reception attempts.  Summit also won nearly 60% of all its service points led by the career best performance of Lynn who served at a 2.63 rating with a 23/24 count and 6 aces (ace % of 25%) 

MATCH LEADERS

ACES: Lynn 6

SERVE RATING (4=ace, 0=err) : Lynn 2.63

RECEIVE PERFECT PASS (3): Mackenna 9

PERFECT PASS %: Rylen 66.7%

RECEIVE RATING (3=perfect, 0=gave up ace): Maren 2.08

KILLS: Mackenna 12

HIT EFF. (k-e/total att) : Molly .364

KILL %: Molly 45.5%

DIGS: Maren and Mac 8

BLOCKS: Molly 2

ASSISTS:  Nadia 34 

BEST POINT SCORERS: Mac 16, Claire 8, Molly 7

BEST NET POINT SCORERS (0 or higher w/at least 5 earned pts.): Molly and Claire 5, Lynn 4

#14 SHS at #11 BELLEVILLE

The Hilltoppers came into the QF match full of confidence but it was evident early that the Buccaneers had no intentions to go quietly from this match.  The Hilltoppers were still very effective at times on offense, so much so that the team out-killed Belleville 26-20 for the match.  Summit also served at nearly 91% for the match but Belleville was better at nearly 95%, a near perfect performance.  While SHS managed only 3 aces for the match,  Belleville dominated that stat with 13 and out passed the Top by a 2.15 to 1.70 margin.  In essence,  Belleville out-passed and out-served the Hilltoppers which was enough to overcome Summit's offensive advantage especially when taken in the context that Bellevile had a +9 Kill to Error ratio while the Hilltoppers were only +1.   

Summit's best opportunity to change the narrative of the match came in the first set despite a 1.30 passing rate which was a direct reflection of the 7 aces Belleville notched in the set.  Summit had the score tied at 7 and forced Belleville into freeball or easy dig and transition opportunities but the Top only managed 5 consecutive hitting errors which had the home side up by a 12-7 margin.  

A hitting error by Belleville cut the lead to 4 but the Top were out-scored 5-1 as the #11 seed hit Summit with 3 of its 7 aces in the stretch to push the lead to 17-9.  A Nat kill broke momentum but Belleville got it right back with another kill and the scoreboard read 18-10.  SHS got Lynn to serve after a service break and Mac followed up with a kill and Summit was within 5 at 18-13.  But 2 Top hitting errors and 2 more aces by Belleville got the lead back up to 22-13,  a seemingly unsurmountable lead.  

But SHS has never given up in situations like these all season and the team rallied for a big comeback.  It started with a perfect pass that led to a Mac kill.  Then Catherine had a massive stuff block and you could feel the emotional lift.  22-15... 3 straight Mac kills off great defense and serving and Belleville was forced to take a TO with the score 22-18.  Off the TO,  Summit got a key dig by Ayina that offered up an attack opportunity but the Buccaneer D dug it up which was followed by a Catherine block attempt that was yet again covered by Belleville but the Top was unable to capitalize as another hitting error stalled the momentum.  23-18... But after a near perfect hitting performance by the home side,  Belleville found themselves commitiing 3 consecutive hitting errors which forced yet another TO by their Coach as the Hilltoppers had managed to outscore the #11 team 8-1 to make the set a possibility at 23-21.  But coming off the TO,  a serving error by Summit led to the 7th ace by Belleville which ended the SHS momentum and the set at 25-21.  

Set 2 was an error fest by the Top as the squad only managed 7 points (5 kills) but there was still hope as Belleville only managed 10 themselves but SHS committed 16 errors (11 on attack errors) which led to the 25-12 scoreline.  

Summit probably played the best set in the final set but so did Belleville as the #11 out-scored SHS 15-13 thanks to a 7-2 block and ace advantage.  Factor in a 2.21 to 1.85 passing rate advantage and it was enough to overcome the outstanding defensive Hilltopper effort in the set (22 digs).  The turning point in set 3 occurred after Summit extended the lead near the midpoint of set 3 to 10-7 after a crushing Molly kill forcing a TO by Belleville.  But a 6-0 Belleville run fueled by 3 SHS hitting errors and intermingled with 3 Belleville aces which forced a Summit TO down 13-10.  Two kills of the next 3 points by Mac got SHS to 14-12 but this time 2 kills by Belleville and another hitting error by the Top forced another TO by Martins with the score 17-12.  Teams traded points off the TO which did not help the Hilltoppers as the 19-14 scoreline indicated.  Three more hitting errors by Summit and Belleville could see the finish line at 22-14.  Teams traded points again and 24-16.  Mac got her 300th kill of her career and Nadia nailed another ace but the deficit was too great and Belleville wrapped it up 25-18.

A great ride in the post season but the team ran into a Belleville squad who played its best game of the season and SHS just could not match that today.  

MATCH LEADERS

ACES: Nadia 2

SERVE RATING (4=ace, 0=err) : Nadia 1.90

RECEIVE PERFECT PASS (3): Mac 10

PERFECT PASS %: Ayina 46.2%

RECEIVE RATING (3=perfect, 0=gave up ace): Mac 2.08

KILLS: Mackenna 12

HIT EFF. (k-e/total att) : Molly .375

KILL %: Molly 50.0%

DIGS: Mac 15

BLOCKS: Catherine 3

ASSISTS:  Nadia 23

BEST POINT SCORERS: Mac 14, Catherine 7, Nadia and Molly 4

BEST NET POINT SCORERS (0 or higher w/at least 5 earned pts.): Catherine 5,  Molly 1