3 MATCHES, 1 STUNNING RESULT AND A CLUTCH WIN TO CLOSE OUT THE WEEK; JV, PLAYING 9th GRADERS IN EVERY MATCH, GO 1w-2l

Chatham got to the quarter-finals of the Morris County Tournament,  had just beaten #7 in Group 3, Mendham, and had earned a #12 seed itself for the State Tournament.  Add to those facts that SHS had not beaten Chatham in at least 10 years and you had the makings of another tough match-up for the Hilltoppers.  But the squad who had struggled to close out teams and had lost confidence with every tough late set collapse during the season,  turned in the statement game of the season, beating the Chatham Cougars 25-22, 25-13 in a clinical display of volleyball efficiency despite missing their best ace producer and a top DS.  Summit capitalized on late Cougar errors in set 1 and put down key balls to pull away late and win 25-22.  Set 2 was over early as the Hilltoppers put the foot on the gas and did not let up in a 25-13 win.  The serve receive was a major key in the win as Summit gave up only 4 aces for the match.

Summit jumped out to a 5-1 lead to start set 1 but the Cougars had erased that deficit and earned a 2 point lead after a kill to the outside midway through the set (11-9).  Summit did not wilt under the pressure and had the score knotted at 14 after a Macpherson ace.  Chatham couldn´t read the outside´s serve again and the Cougars´ confidence waivered after the second consecutive ace.  That feeling was never more evident after a Goudreau block gave the Hilltoppers their third consecutive point for a 17-14 lead.  The body language and energy from both sides was all you needed to focus on to see where the game was heading.  Chatham battled back after a time-out and tied the score at 17 but despite all recent evidence to the contrary, Summit held their nerve and outscored Chatham 7-3 in the pressure moments of set 1 (3 kills, 1 ace) to take control and close it out with a 25-22 score line on a Goudreau attack.

Chatham did not recover emotionally and despite recent history to the contrary, Summit showed a killer instinct and ended set 2 early with an 11-0 explosion (5 kills, 2 aces)  led by Trindell's serving (10/10 2 aces).  Summit closed out the set outscoring the Cougars 14-13 to earn one of the most significant victories of the season, if not the most significant.  Could the team continue the momentum from Cranford and Chatham and sweep New Prov for the first time in 7 years?

New Providence was determined to avenge its loss to SHS earlier in the season, especially on their senior night.  With Summit short-handed again with illness issues, the task was made easier for the #2 Mountain Conference squad and they handled the Hilltoppers 25-14, 25-16.  New Providence's serving attack wore down SHS by the 2nd time through the rotation each set and the passing woes gave the team's offense little opportunity to get into rhythm but, despite that, the ladies were able to stay in the match through the midway point thanks to their defense (25 digs).  The team would look to get back to its winning ways on their senior night versus Roselle Catholic.

Senior night was a happy day for the Hilltopper faithful as many fans turned out to say goodbye to its seniors and to to celebrate their impact on the sport at SHS.  Summit rallied back from a 18-25 set 1 loss to dominate in set 2 25-16.  But the deciding set played out as the season has for the most part, with Summit doing enough to get close to a victory at the end just to see it evaporate due to errors and non-aggressive plays.  Summit got out to a small lead early and maintained it nearing the midpoint of the set after a Stocks ace had SHS up by a score of 10-6.  A few rotations later,  RC made a run at the Hilltoppers but Barsh squashed an attack with a solo block and reestablished the 4 point cushion at 14-10.  Roselle Catholic, to their credit, did not give up and fought for every ball, getting to Hilltopper attacks that had been points just 2 rotations before.  RC outscored Summit 4-2 in the next 2 rotations and the lead was down to 2 at 16-14.  Many have seen this play out in the past, with Summit allowing a team to come back late and not being able to score when it needed to do so.  But not this time, not at this point of the season, not after Chatham.

The Maroon and White went on a 5-0 run (2 kills, 1 ace) behind Trindell's serving and the match seemed well in hand at 21-14.  And then, a noticeable mental letdown occurred.  A free ball error followed by a "whose ball is it moment" started to visibly shake the confidence of the Hilltoppers and the athletes began to lose that killer instinct that had been so apparent not 5 minutes before those errors.  Down 23-19, RC went on a 4-0 run to take all the momentum away from Summit and to bring back memories of earlier matches where the ending would be predictably bad for the Hilltoppers.  Barsh would allow the team to breathe with a shot to zone 1 off the Roselle Catholic MB to get SHS ahead at 24-23 but a hitting error gave RC the ball knotted up at 24.  Liu then passed up a good serve to the 10 ft. line that Trindell fed to the outside which was slammed down by Nardino for the shot at another match-point.  Nardino stepped up and delivered a tough serve that caused a subsequent hitting error and this time, the recent play of this team won out as did their mental toughness and Summit closed out the deciding set 26-24 for their 9th victory of the campaign and 3 out of the last 4.

Meanwhile, JV continued to play the 9th graders in set 2 and dropped a 2-0 decision to Chatham, a 2-0 decision to New Providence but beat RC by a 2-0 score.

VARSITY SALVAGES TOUGH WEEK WITH VICTORY OVER CRANFORD; JV GOES 2W-2L BUT LOSE HEARTBREAKER IN COUNTY QUARTER-FINALS

Summit Varsity had high hopes for this week as it entered state cut-off week with a 6W-10L record, hoping to go on a run that would bring them to a 9W mark and a real shot to qualify for states.  Despite a couple of 3 set thrillers,  Summit could not come out on top in those matches as the team dropped a 2-1 decision to GL, a 2-0 decision to Linden in the first round of counties and a 2-1 decision to Roselle Park.  The team re-gathered and despite missing 4 players due to illness, SHS rallied in the last match of the week and took a 2-1 victory from the Cranford Cougars on the road.

Meanwhile,  JV dropped a 2-0 decision to Governor Livingston with a 9th grade only squad playing in set 2 after the regular lineup dropped set 1.  In the first round of counties,  SHS took care of Plainfield's JV 2-0 and then came back from behind, fighting off multiple match points, to rip the victory from Roselle Park by a 2-1 score.  That victory set up the quarter-final round match versus Cranford, whom Summit had lost to in 3 at home in September.  Despite taking set 1 30-28, the Hilltoppers dropped the next 2 sets 23-25 and 28-26 to bow out of the UCIAC Tourney.

Varsity took GL to the brink with a 23-25, 25-21, 18-25 loss on the road in the first matchup of the week.  Captain Inggs and Macpherson had monster matches with 7 kills apiece, Inggs with a kill % of 50 to lead the team.  SHS could not pressure the Crusaders from the serving line which became the story of set 3 and with only 4 aces in the match, 3 in set 2, the story of the match as well.  The Hilltopper block was a major factor in the match and one of the reasons the team had a shot to win as the front line notched 8 blocks on defense.  Summit also tallied 42 digs to keep many GL attacks off the scoreboard. 

Coming off that disappointing but really positive outing versus the Crusaders, the team was looking to win the rubber match versus Linden in the first round of the UCT.  Unfortunately, Summit could not find its groove and the Tigers came from behind in both sets to beat SHS 25-17, 27-25.
Basically, Summit could not find the floor with its attacks as no Hilltopper hitter notched better than 4 kills for the match.  The hitting percentage told most of the story as SHS managed a meager 3.8% effectiveness.  Summit was able to put pressure on Linden with their serving as the team tallied a 97.7% serve % and kept Linden very often out of system despite not being able to capitalize often enough.  SHS scored another 5 blocks but the main issue was offense, especially in the back end of both sets as the Hilltoppers would come up empty again and again on attacks they needed to push the match to 3 sets. 

SHS then traveled to Roselle Park to be part of their Dig Pink event and hoped to right the ship and give themselves a shot to end the week with a 2w-2l record.  Although the team nailed a 25-19 set 1 win, the squad failed to close out RP in the second and lost 27-25 and fell apart late in set 3 to succumb 25-17.  When a 3 set match fails to produce a hitter with at least 6 kills, it gives you all the info you need to figure out why a team is struggling to win.  Summit attacked 85 balls but managed only 7 kills per set.  The serving game could not get consistent production and barely reached 10% in ace production which then shifted the pressure back to the attack.  The Hilltoppers dug up 36 balls but gave up 12 aces in an overall confusing day for the passing game. 

Illnesses and other issues had the Varsity roster down to 8 on Thursday as the team looked to scrape a win versus the Cranford Cougars.  The task was not a given since the team had not swept Cranford in about 7 years.  Somehow, the team leaned on each other and came away with an impressive 25-19, 23-25, 25-20 victory.  With barely any options on the bench, the front row hitters took ownership of this difficult situation and had 3 players hit for at least 6 kills, the main reason the Maroon and White took the 2-1 decision.  The team was also lethal from the service line as 3 players had at least 4 aces to supplement the offensive barrage.  Summit scored an average of 16.7 points per set and survived a late second set collapse to win all the key points in set 3 to take the game despite all the obstacles this squad faced that day and endured during the week.

THE SUMMIT STUNNER: NEW PROV GOES DOWN FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 7 YEARS

The Hilltoppers came off the loss to the Summit rivals Kent Place Dragons in fairly good spirits. The team had competed with the #1 team, had earned a chance to win a set and had proven that they could score on a team of that caliber.  All it had left to do was put together a complete match against a team of that caliber. And that next opportunity came against the Pioneers of New Providence, a team Summit had not beaten in 7 seasons, that is, until this season.

After 6 rotations Summit had a perfect start against the Pioneer offense who is anchored by one of the county’s best hitters. The Hilltoppers were tied 7-7 after a Barsh tip found an opening in the New Prov defense. But things began to fall apart then as the Pioneers nailed 2 attack attempts, got an ace and a Summit error before the Pioneers missed a serve. However, the damage was done and SHS was looking at the wrong end of an 8-11 score.  As it has been all season long, the character of this team is always its strength and they did not wilt under the pressure and fought back to within 2 at 10-12 after an out of system set by Williamson found Macpherson on the outside who was able to put it down past the Pioneer defense.

But the New Prov side got back to basics and looked to its premier outside hitter to take control and that she did as the Pioneers went on a 7-0 run that, for all intent and purposes, ended any shot the Hilltoppers had at the set win.  New Providence took the set by a 25-13 score.

Things did not look good for a Hilltopper win but the fact was that SHS had served poorly in set 1 and allowed New Prov to dictate the offensive tempo of the match. In addition, the Maroon and White had very little offense to make up for the lack of productivity from the service line as it could only muster 6 kills due to inefficient out of system offense as a result of Pioneer serving pressure.

Set 2 saw a much better passing and offensive performance by the Summit squad.  By Barsh’s serve in rotation 6, SHS had built up a slight lead at 11-9 but once again the New Prov squad went to their ace for a solution and she had the answer, getting the Pioneers back even at 11.  But then the Hilltopper Captain Trindell got a huge solo block to shift the momentum and give the Hilltoppers a 12-11 lead.

Summit tried desperately to extend the lead but the Pioneers would not allow that to happen.  Summit had a point lead until a setting error had a 15-15 result on the scoreboard. New Prov tried to assert its will and break the Hilltopper spirit as the team ripped a 4-0 run (1 NP kill, 2 SHS hitting errors, 1 SHS ball handling fault) to seemingly take control of the set at 19-15.  

As is usually the case in these matches, missed serves can be the reason for a collapse or the opening of a door for a trailing team.  After a missed serve by the Pioneers, the underdog saw hope. The scoreboard showed 16-21 and the Pioneer best player serving. And then the ball hit the net and the Hilltoppers were a mere 4 points away. Stocks sends a screamer over the net on serve and the New Prov pass was off causing a ball handling error on the next ball, 18-21.  Stocks, ace… Stocks, ace… 20-21. Time out New Prov.

Summit still had work to do but the energy level was palpable. Stocks sent the next ball over but the Pioneer serve receive was perfect.  New Prov ran the attack they wanted but Williamson dug it up setting up a Trindell set to Barsh who looked like she was going to drive it through the floor but instead tipped it to zone 4 for the easy kill, 21-21. Stocks, ace… 22-21…

Even though Stocks missed the next ball, the set had become anybody’s game as the 22-22 score indicated. New Prov ripped a tough serve that the Hilltoppers had trouble handling and it forced an error which had the Pioneers up 23-22. Next play, same problem but the Maroon and White managed to return the ball just to see it put down on a great tip. Pioneers, two match points, 24-22. And then, a serving error, 24-23.

Nardino, facing enormous pressure, served up a solid ball facing match point but the Pioneer serve receive had the answer.  This time, the New Prov outside tried an off speed shot to end the Hilltoppers hopes but Macpherson dug it up and Trindell tipped it off the New Prov blocker and out of bounds for a 24-24 result.  Nardino sent a screamer over the net on the next serve and the Pioneers had no other option but to send a free ball over the net. Nardino put that ball on a platter for Trindell who found Macpherson for a kill on the outside to give SHS their first match point.

Nardino’s next service was well handled by the Pioneer defense but the resulting attack was dug up by Stocks.  With the ball and set at their control, Summit went to the outside for the put away but New Prov saved the set with a key dig that led to another outside attack that found the floor on the Hilltopper side, 25-25.

The following Pioneer serve was handled poorly by Summit but their return to the Green and White side caused problems and the Pioneers misplayed the second ball, giving SHS a second match point at 26-25.  Barsh then stepped up to serve with the match on her hands and she delivered a tough serve that forced the Pioneers to attack with an off speed shot that was easily handled by Macpherson. And when everyone in the gym thought the ball was going to go back to her, Trindell ran a middle attack to Goudreau who got a 1 v 1 attack opportunity that she was able to put down for the set win, 27-25.

Despite 7 serving errors, SHS ran off 6 aces, 5 by Stocks.  In contrast, the Maroon and White only gave up 5 to the New Providence squad.  Summit managed only 6 kills but also committed only 2 errors. Six different players earned a kill, showing that the offense couldn’t rely on any one player but would need contributions from everyone if the Hilltoppers were to win another set. SHS would also need another double digit dig performance as the Maroon and White saved 11 balls to keep the Hilltopper chances alive.

The deciding set was one for the ages from a Hilltopper perspective. An ace by New Prov started the set but SHS broke serve with a great kill by Macpherson which got Trindell up to serve tied at 1.  Trindell rattled off 7 service points (1 Macpherson kill, Goudreau block, 2 NP hitting errors, Trindell ace, 1 Skrobala block) in a total team effort that gave the Summit squad the room it needed to carry the set through the finish line.  

From here on out in the deciding set, the Hilltoppers were a reflection of consistency as they prevented any New Province run from materializing with key offensive and defensive plays at various junctions of the set.  Summit had, at one point, a nine point lead on the Pioneers at 13-4 but saw the Pioneers attempt to climb back into the match with a 6-3 run that had New Providence within 6 at 10-16. Another serving error by New Providence gave the Hilltoppers a 17-10 lead and Summit had extended that to 8 points after another Pioneer service error (20-12) .

After the New Providence ace hitter rotated to the front row, Summit knew that however they handled those rotations would determine the outcome.  After a quick 4-0 run had the Pioneers only down by 5 at 16-21. Coach called a timeout and in the subsequent rally, Summit’s well formed block caused a hitting error by the Pioneers that pushed the score to 22-16.  Teams traded points (23-17) but a block by Macpherson saw the Hilltoppers earn 7 match points that they would not waste. On the first match point they earned, Barsh ripped a diving ball that could not be handled by the Pioneer serve receive and with that ace, Summit had pulled the unlikely upset and beaten a New Providence team for the first time in 7 years.  

The squad hit for 3 aces and served at nearly 92%.  Summit was aced 4 times but hit for 9 kills at nearly a 41% rate.  The team also earned another double digit dig total with 11 and blocked the Pioneers 3 times.

For the match, SHS scored on 10 aces led by Stocks with 5.  Summit hit for 21 kills as 7 different players registered a kill.  Defensively, the squad dug up 32 balls led by Williamson with 7. The team also put up an effective wall, registering 5 blocks, Skrobala with 2 of them.

Next up, Governor Livingston on Monday.

HILLTOPPERS NEARLY SLAY DRAGONS BUT GET BURNED AT THE END

The Hilltoppers came into the last half of the week looking to bounce back from a couple of difficult losses to Columbia and Linden.  The team had to knock off the elite in the Mountain Division and #4 in the county, cross-street rival Kent Place.

In their first encounter, Summit was able to hang on and compete for half of each set but the Dragon serving would be the difference in the match, allowing KP to stifle the Summit offense and control the second half of the match, cruising to a solid 2 set victory. SHS was looking to rewrite that story in match 2.

Set 1 saw the Dragons get 2 quick kills by their talented 9th grade OH and contributed 2 errors and quickly fell behind 4-0.  Macpherson finally put the end of the run with a kill from the outside which got the Hilltoppers off the mat. Nardino followed that up with another kill and Liu pounded an ace down to zone 1 and forced an error by their OH to knot the score at 4.  And then the match really began.

No matter how hard the Dragons hit or how well they looked versus the Hilltoppers, the team just kept executing their game and taking opportunities when given despite the Kent Place serving attack.  By rotation 6, Summit had climbed out of the 4-0 hole, had outscored the Dragons 9-5 and saw the scoreboard show 9-9.

By the time Barsh had completed her service rotation, the team saw themselves up 11-10.

As expected, the Dragons did not fold but unlike their first match, Summit refused to give in to the serving pressure and kept making play after play to pressure the KP defense.  After a long rally ended with a thunderous kill by the Dragons from the outside leading to a Dragon 15-14 lead, their first since the opening moments of the match. The tide seemed to have turned.

A pass by Goudreau on the subsequent play led to an attack attempt that was dug up on the next play.  Another hit from the outside by the Dragons was handled by Liu and Nardino tried to put the ball down in transition but to no avail. The subsequent Kent Place Attack was dug up by Trindell and WILLIAMSON set Skrobala up for a well placed dump shot that knotted the score at 15. The energy was palpable and the Summit faithful were hopeful that this would be the day SHS could finish off a top seed.

Within the scope of the next 10 points, Kent Place took control by a two point lead at 20-18 but yet again the Hilltoppers fought back to the dismay of the Dragons with a Macpherson kill and a Goudreau block that ratchet up the tension as Summit tied the score at 20-20.   

Kent Place School took the lead at 21-20 and 22-21 but SHS not only tied the score but, at 22-22, Barsh hit for a kill out of the middle to take the lead 23-22.  KP struck back with 2 kills and had their first match point. Summit had 2 attempts to knot the score up at 24 but could not convert and fell 25-23 after an expected outside kill by the Dragons.

Summit managed only 2 aces in set 1 but the squad served at an 88% clip and despite giving up 5 aces, Summit hit for 12 kills while yielding only 4 errors, the main factor in their first set success. Although Nardino led the way with 4 kills and no errors, it was the fact that SHS had 5 other players getting at least 1 kill, often out of system, that led to their success and close set loss.  

Set 2 saw the continuation of the Summit fighting spirit as they fought back to a 2-2 tie but the physical spirit and energy waned after a draining first set and KP took advantage, finally cracking the Hilltopper receive game, going on a 9-0 run to blow open the set. Summit cut the lead down to 5 after a Dragon hitting error but Summit couldn’t sustain the momentum and eventually fell to the Dragons 25-11.

Summit managed only 2 kills in the set, a product of many factors, but the team just simply couldn’t maintain the momentum into set 2.

Summit served at an 86% clip and were led offensively by Nardino who hit for 5 kills, a kill % of 35.7% and a .286 efficiency.  Next up, New Providence, #2 in Mountain Division.

JV CLOSES OUT WEEK WITH 2 MORE WINS, WINNING STREAK UP TO 9

The JV Squad opened this week with a 2-0 record and finished it off with 2 more wins over local rivals Kent Place and  New Providence for a perfect 4-0 and an overall 13-3 record.

The team began with a solid performance over Kent Place with a 25-16, 25-11 lead.  The Hilltoppers held a slight lead in set 1 through 6 rotations by a 10-6 margin but the Dragons had a mini run of 3 points in rotation 8 to get within 1 at 11-12.  But Libero Tarashuk held the fort on her serve and threw in 4 service points, including 2 aces, to blow the game open and give Summit a 17-11 lead they would not relinquish as they closed out the set 25-16.

Set 2 was very similar to set 1 in that the Hilltoppers held another slight lead through 6 rotations at 10-7 but this time the run in rotation 8 was by Summit as Setter Lopez ran off 6 service points to explode the SHS lead to 10 by the time she was done (19-9). Set 2 and match were essentially done and the final score of 25-11 was reflective of the Maroon and White dominance.

#5 Summit took on the the #7  Pioneers of New Providence who have struggled of late to overcome the Hilltoppers on the JV level.   Fortunately for the Hilltoppers those struggles continued for the Pioneers as they were unable to match the offensive output of SHS on this day.  Setter Doyle began the match on a great note, spotting the Hilltoppers a 5-1 lead after rotation 1 and that lead held up through 6 rotations as the Hilltoppers held a 17-13 lead despite New Providence giving Summit trouble in two rotations. The Pioneers had a mini run in rotation 8 and crawled to within 2 at 16-18 but OH Gregory stepped up after the service break and pushed the lead back up to 5 with 2 quick service points. Setter Walsh finished it off two rotations later with another 2 service points as the Summit serving and defensive consistency late in the set proved to be the difference in the outcome.  

Set 2 was a bit closer as the New Providence defense and serving power were giving the Hilltoppers trouble and thus effectively shutting down the Hilltopper offense.  Through 6 rotations the Pioneers had effectively stymied the Summit attack but managed only a 9-9 tie. That lack of production despite an effective defensive push spelled trouble for the Pioneers as it was only a matter of time before the Hilltopper serving power and offense would yield some results. That began in rotation 7 as DS Brennan ran off 5 consecutive service points (3 aces) to give Summit a 15-10 lead. That was enough of a comfort level as the Hilltoppers continued not to allow New Prov to get on any run and, despite the Green and White’s best defensive efforts, SHS still held a 22-19 lead at the end of rotation 12 as Brennan stepped up again and put the final nail in the Pioneer coffin, closing set 2 and the match 25-19.

Libero Tarashuk had a career day with 10 digs in the match while DS Brennan wasn’t far behind with 7 to lead the Hilltopper defense.  Doyle, Lopez, Guidetti, Gregory,Walsh and Brennan all had multiple ace efforts to power the Hilltopper serving attack. In particular, Brennan was unstoppable, scoring 6 aces to lead all players.  Meanwhile, 8 players all contributed to the offense with at least one kill but OH Maldonado was particularly lethal in the match with 7 Kills to lead all players.

A 0-2 LOSS TO LINDEN, A MICROCOSM OF THE VARSITY SEASON

Summit should have felt confident with their match-up versus the Tigers of Linden. Summit should have exploited their size advantage. Summit should have been aggressive in taking the game to Linden.  And Summit DID for a good part of the match but, like they say in the NFL, it's a 60 minute game and you can't just play for 50 minutes and expect to win.

To understand the difference in the 2-1 win at home and the 0-2 loss on the road, one has to look no further than the offensive production and efficiency of the team in both matches.  In the win, SHS hit for 30 kills (10 per set), had an outstanding kill % of 37% and an efficiency of .210.
In the loss, 14 kills (7 per set), a kill % of 26.9 and an efficiency of .154.

In the win, Summit got 11 aces (3.7 per set) and served at an 81.1% rate. In the loss, Summit hit for 9 aces (4.5 per set) and served at a 77.3% rate. 

In the win, Summit passed safely (no reception error) in only 76.3% of 58 receptions.  In the loss, SHS passed safely in 79.4% of total receptions. 

In other words, despite the improved ace production, better passing and more blocking results in match 2, the one factor that the team couldn't seem to overcome in the Linden loss was the lack of offensive production from its front court, especially in the last 10 points. 

In set 1, Summit trailed 16-10, outscored Linden 14-10 the rest of the way but still lost 26-24.  Analyzing the last 10 points of the set, SHS trailed 17-22 when the Tigers committed an inopportune serving error to get the score to 18-22.  A serving error by Summit returned the favor and the Hilltoppers were feeling like this wasn't going to be their day down 18-23. 

But off a perfect Macpherson pass led to the OH getting a key kill that brought Summit to a 19-23 deficit.  Still with their backs against the wall, Barsh delivered a pressure serve that resulted in an offensive opportunity by Linden that was thwarted by Pulgar with a great dig.  That led to another Macpherson kill and the score was 20-23.  Barsh kept the serving pressure on and the Tigers folded again, hitting the ball into the net (21-23) .  Off that error, Barsh nailed an ace and suddenly Summit was in business at 22-23.  Off a scramble play on the next possession that saw Goudreau get blocked but save the subsequent rebound, Trindell set the ball to zone 2 and Linden got caught napping and suddenly SHS was looking at a 23-23 score.  Barsh continued the serving barrage and the resulting free ball was handled by the MB who put it perfectly for Trindell who found the hot hitter Macpherson for the 24-23 kill.  But then a dig error stemmed the Hilltopper tide and Summit followed it up with a ball handling error and despite having 2 separate opportunities off a perfect pass and a dig to tie the score, SHS attacked safely and saw the only aggressive play in the rally come from Linden who scored on their only real attack of the rally, a middle attack, for the 26-24 win.

In set 2, Summit kept up their level of play prior to the last few points in set 1 and earned their way to a 13-9 lead.  But yet again, as it has been customary for this team throughout the season, the midpoint in the set is where most of the errors occur and so it was again as Linden stormed back with a 6-0 run (3 aces and 3 dig errors; 0 kills 4 attack attempts) to take a 15-13 lead.

Linden botched the next serve and Williamson made them pay with 2 straight aces and despite generating an overpass at net-line with her third serve, Summit generated an attack error into the net that stopped the momentum and had SHS locked in a 16-16 tie with Linden.  On the subsequent play, Inggs got a kill out of the right side that got the energy back up but that was followed by another unforced error (serve) that stymied the Hilltoppers again.  Summit unfortunately began to react as if every ball was a potential error and missed an easy free ball cover for a 17-18 deficit.  Two safe attack attempts yielded no points but Linden obliged with a hitting error of their own and at 18-18, the race was on for which team could earn the most points and give away the least. 

The next 8 points of the set went as follows:

An out of rotation call on serve erased a Summit ace (18-19)
Passing error on short ball by offensive player (18-20)
Hitting error (18-21)
Ace Linden (18-22)
Ball Handling Error erased SHS kill (18-23)
Kill Summit (19-23)
Free Ball Reception Error (19-24)
Ace Linden (19-25)

In these last key points and the last 3 of set 1, Summit generated 6 unforced errors and had 5 attack attempts that yielded only 1 kill to seal its fate. 

Summit played a 50 minute game that proved they were better and more potent that its opposition.  Unfortunately, Summit needed to believe it could do that for the next 10 minutes to finish a complete 60 minute game. 

Williamson and Barsh buyoed a serving attack that kept SHS in the match and controlled stretches of the match with a combined 90% serving and a 25% ace production. 

Macpherson was the only consistent attack option available for the Hilltoppers as she hit for 6 kills and only 1 error (42.9 kill %, .357 efficiency). 

The lack of attacks by Linden resulted in a low dig number but Williamson brought up 5 of the 6 opportunities she had to lead the squad. 

For the match, Summit out-chanced Linden on offense by a 52-44 margin.  In scoring (Kills/Aces/Blocks), Summit earned 25 points to Linden's 27.  Summit earned a 26.9 kill % to Linden's 43.2%.  It won the hitting error battle 6 v. 9 but lost the serving error battle 10 v. 6.  Summit was also called on 6 faults versus 2 by the Tigers. 

JV GETS 11th WIN OVER TIGERS OF LINDEN

Summit took on the Linden Tigers looking for their 11th win of the season.  The team found that win but it was not until set 3 that all the parts of the game were working symbiotically.

Set 1 was all about serving. Or rather, how the Hilltoppers could not serve.  The team missed 12 serves in the set but relied on outstanding serve receive, consistent hitting and a bit of luck to pull off the improbable 25-23 set 1 win.

Set 2 saw the Hilltoppers find their serving but the usually consistent hitting and passing faltered and the team found itself down 21-11 after allowing a 6-0 run at 15-11 that it could not recover from in set 2.

The decisive third set saw Doyle give the Hilltoppers a 2-1 lead after Linden’s first serve was broken which set the tone for the remainder of the match.  SHS was up 5-3 after a Guidetti service attempt went awry but the team rallied back with a perfect serve reception and a timely kill to maintain their lead.  Walsh scores another point off a service break and SHS found itself with a 7-4 lead. Brennan hit for 2 more service points a couple of rotations later and Summit was comfortably in front 10-6.  Doyle then stepped up and basically laid the game to rest with a 4-0 run that nearly closed out the Tigers at 14-8 before ending it on the next rally, final score 15-10.

It was a sloppy match that did not yield much in terms of statistics but there were some highlights:

Clapp was the go to offensive player who led all Summit hitters with 7 kills.

Walsh ran an effective offense, dishing out 9 assists while teammate Brennan was stellar on defense with 7 digs and 3 aces.  Doyle was yet again multi-faceted, assisting on 4 kills, getting a kill herself, hitting for an ace and chipping in defensively with 2 digs.

JV HILLTOPPERS ESCAPE COUGAR DEN WITH 3 SET VICTORY

The Hilltoppers were looking for their 10th win when they traveled to Columbia High School on Monday. The team played one of its most exciting three set matches in recent history to come away with the win, 22-25, 25-15, 16-14.

Walsh and Guidetti had the Hilltoppers in great shape in set 1 when they served 8 service points in rotations 3 and 4 to give Summit a 14-10 lead. Not to be outdone, Libero Tarashuk hit for 3 of her own service points and SHS was looking at an 18-13 lead. Things looked good until the Cougars came out with their version of Summit’s power serving and rattled off 6 service points to take the 20-19 lead. Despite Summit being able to square the score at 20, Columbia used its power serving game to again take a lead, this time at 24-21. SHS managed to break the serve but a point later set 1 was done, Columbia winning 25-22.

With their backs against the wall, SHS jumped out to a 5-2 lead behind Lopez’s serving but four rotations later, things looked eerily familiar to set 1 with both teams separated by a mere point at 13-12 Cougars.  But then Brennan took control of the service line and proceeded to go on an 8 point run that all but sealed set 2 for the Hilltoppers at 21-13. Final set 2 score, 25-15.

To say the third set was a tale of 2 matches would be an understatement.  In the first half of this “race to 15” set, Columbia dominated and looked to be setting up an easy win ahead 9-3.  However, the Hilltoppers closed out the set on a 13-5 run that stunned the Cougar faithful as they watched their team drop a close 16-14 decision.

With the score 10-5 Walsh ripped off a couple of quick points to keep Summit within striking distance at 10-7.  The Cougars then broke serve and extended the lead once again to 12-7. Tarashuk rattled off another 2 serves and SHS crept back to within 2 at 12-10.  And yet again, Brennan got to the service line, slammed the ball with purpose on the gym floor, three, four times and then torched the Cougars for 3 service points to bring the Hilltoppers back from a 13-11 deficit to a 14-13 lead.  Although Columbia broke serve to tie the score at 14, it was the serving of Doyle who finished the match off at 16-14 after a couple of great decisions at the net by both hitters and setter alike at the end of the match.

Brennan was the star of the show from a defensive perspective as she led the team in digs with 9, hit for 6 aces and even added an assist.  

Walsh was dominant as well, scoring on 8 aces, dishing out 8 assists and adding a dig.  Doyle finished up match point with a great dump shot to zone 1 to finish off a balanced match with 3 assists, 3 digs, and 3 kills.

Clapp, Guenther, Lawlor led the way offensively with 4 kills apiece.

Gregory and Maldonado were intimidating out of the front, Maldonado with 3 kills and 3 blocks while Gregory notched a block and 3 kills.

COUGARS FEAST ON HILLTOPPERS

The Hilltoppers traveled to Columbia High School to take on the Cougars, a team they narrowly beat in a pre-season scrimmage but, this time, they would do it without the services of Libero Ava Williamson who was out due to illness.

Summit started off this important non-conference matchup knowing their normal serve receive and defensive alignments were not available due to Williamson being out.  The team still felt good about their chances thanks to the season long defensive and serve receive efforts of players like Goudreau who would shoulder more responsibility on this day.

Things did not start off well for Summit as the Cougars jumped out to a 7-2 lead and managed to hold that early lead most of the set.  A Goudreau and Inggs block started a 4-0 run that saw SHS get a kill by Barsh, an ace by Goudreau and another block combo by Goudreau and Barsh that had Summit within 1 at 6-7.  Columbia got the lead back up to 5 thanks to a couple of dig errors and serve receive errors by the Hilltoppers but a Nardino kill stopped the bleeding and had SHS only down by 4 at 10-14.  The Cougars then went on a 4-2 run that put them ahead by 6, 18-12.

Summit started to crawl back into the set when a Macpherson kill had SHS only down 14-18 but the Cougars seemed to have an answer each time SHS made a run at them and, after a kill from the outside, they had the lead back up by 5 at 20-15.  Summit kept the pressure up and it started to pay off. A hitting error by the Cougars and a Goudreau tip had Summit trailing 17-20. Another pair of kills by Goudreau and Inggs had the lead down to 1 and after a dump shot by Nardino, Summit had earned its first lead in the set at 21-20.  A few points later, the Hilltoppers saw the first of a handful of set points but a dig error and a free ball return error had the Cougars and SHS knotted up at 24-24 and Summit had wasted 2 opportunities to close out the set. A Nardino kill gave the Hilltoppers another match point at 25-24 but the serving error that followed erased yet another set point. A Summit hitting error later, the Cougars had their first set point but they did not give it away and closed out the set 27-25.

The team served at 92% in the set and got aced 5 times.  Despite getting 9 kills from its offense, the team also yielded 6 errors.  Nardino led Summit with 3 kills in the set and the defense dug up 17 balls, 4 by Macpherson. The squad got 5 blocks, 3 by Goudreau.

Set 2 saw the Hilltoppers actually take an early lead at 4-3 after another Nardino kill but, unfortunately, Summit saw their chances for a third set go by the wayside as Columbia went on a 17-3 run that destroyed any chance for a Summit comeback.  In that run, SHS committed 6 errors that prolonged the run early on in set two. Two consecutive service errors all but did in SHS at that point and, appropriately enough, a Summit hitting error ended the set and match, 25-10.

Although the team only got aced twice in the set, it was the lack of perfect 3 passes that became the focus because the Hilltoppers could not score out of system.  Nardino led the team in kills but with only 2 as the team managed only 4.

For the match, Summit served at an 86% clip but only hit for 1 ace while the Cougars hit for 7.  Goudreau hit for 3 kills out of 10 swings and had no errors while Nardino led all Summit hitters with 5 with only 1 error for a       .286 efficiency. The team had a whopping 62 attack attempts so the passing was sufficient enough for quality attacks but the team just could not convert. Nardino also led the team with 5 digs while Goudreau and Barsh tallied 3 blocks apiece

JV ROLLS TO A 3-0 WEEK GAINING MOMENTUM TOWARD COUNTIES

Governor Livingston proved to be a stern test for the Hilltoppers as the Crusaders won set 1 27-25 despite Summit having the ball at 25-24.  Summit rebounded in set 2 and held a comfortable 16-10 lead through 6 rotations that they did not give up en route to a 25-17 victory in set 2.

The deciding set was a nailbiter as the teams could not find any separation through 6 rotations with SHS holding a slight lead at 14-13. Despite a run late that saw GL take the lead 19-18, it was the Summit serving that came alive late that fueled a 7-4 surge that sealed the win for the JV Squad, 25-23.

Sara Brennan was outstanding from the service line, scoring 8 aces, adding a kill and contributing 5 digs to the defense.Libero Megan Tarashuk led all players with 7 digs and 4 aces. Krista-Ann Clapp and Sarah Maldonado led all players with 4 kills apiece. Maldonado and Meghan Gregory also contributed with 1 block a piece defensively. Kasey Walsh set herself apart with 6 assists while Abby Doyle and Julissa Lopez each chipped in with 6.

Match 2 was a divisional showdown between the Hilltoppers and the Rahway Indians. Summit was looking for the season sweep in their home match and did not disappoint with a 25-15, 25-11 sweep of the Indians.

Summit’s serving and receive game was the difference as they held a 22-15 lead through six rotations after owning the last 3 by 15-10 margin.  In set 2, much of the same but the set and match was over by rotation 3 as SHS rolled to a 17-9 lead they would not relinquish.

Sarah Brennan and Kasey Walsh combined for 12 aces and Meghan Gregory led all front row with 3 kills and Eva Oberhuber and Krista-Ann Clapp chipped in 2 kills apiece to lead the squad to victory.

The final match of the week saw the JV go up against a Millburn squad that had defeated them in a tight match in preseason so the Hilltoppers were motivated to show the Millers that they were far better than 4 weeks ago.  

Summit missed 10 serves in set 1 but also hit for 8 aces which supplemented an efficient offense that generated 7 kills in set 1. Through 6 rotations, the fans knew this was going to be a difficult task for the Hilltoppers as the score showed 10-8 in favor of the home team but the Millers were clearly able to handle all SHS could throw at them and still be within striking distance. By rotation 10, Millburn’s most dangerous server had found her rhythm and exploded for 5 service points to take a 15-15 score and turn it into a 20-15 Miller lead. SHS cut it to 2 on their next serve but Millburn responded with 2 points of their own and the lead stood at 23-19 for the Blue and White.

And then Tarashuk stepped up and delivered a 5 service point performance (2 aces) that had Summit on the verge of a set 1 victory with a 24-23 lead. Although the Millers were able to break serve, the match had turned on its head with the Hilltoppers back in the conversation again.  Summit got the opportunity to close out the set for 2 consecutive points but the Millers fought them off and earned 1 of their own at 27-26. The Maroon and White successfully fought that off to knot the score at 27 and Summit flipped the score again on a Gregory jump serve to get its third set point that, once again, Millburn fought off.  Guidetti was finally able to close out the set on her serve after a successful kill by Maldonado had Summit up 29-28, thus ending set 1 on their fourth set point.

Set 2 was a drastic role reversal as the Top could not handle the Millers’ serving, could not attack consistently and just simply made too many defensive communication errors that turned the tide of the set early.  Although the score showed 5-8, Summit had really not done much to earn the 5 that showed under HOME and by rotation 5 the illusion of a close game disappeared when Millburn rolled to a 7-0 run that expanded their lead to an insurmountable 16-6 lead before it was over.  Millburn finished on a combined 9-3 run the next 3 rotations to take care of the Hilltoppers 25-9. After regrouping in between sets, Summit chose the set 1 side of the court and hoped they’d find their game back.

It was clear that the team that won the serve and receive battle would win the match as neither team’s offense was particularly fruitful during the first two sets.  Gregory set the tone in rotation 2 with a 4 service point effort that had SHS up 6-4 early on. By rotation 6, the 2 point lead had evaporated and with Summit trailing 11-10, Brennan stepped up and delivered a 7 service point effort (1 ace) that blew the game wide open, giving the squad a 17-12 lead by the time it was over.  When Gregory came up in rotation 8 and hit for another 2 service points, the match was essentially over at 21-13. The final score was 25-19.

Tarashuk led the defensive effort with 5 digs.  Lopez dished our 7 assists and Maldonado ripped 5 kills to lead offensively.  Brennan scored on 7 aces and Gregory had an impact on every facet of the match, hitting for 3 kills, nailing 2 aces, getting 2 digs and earning 1 block in the win.

JV’s record now stands at 9W-3L after a four game winning streak followed their last loss vs. Cranford.

HILLTOPPERS FOUND THEY COULD PLAY WITH A TOP TEAM ... BUT STILL CAN’T DO THAT EVERY POINT TO WIN THE MATCH

Summit was looking for the unlikely in their rubber match of the week against a 10-0 Millburn squad that was tops in their conference and a top team in Essex County.  The Millers had dominated the Hilltoppers in a pre-season scrimmage in August and SHS was hoping that this matchup would go a bit differently after their solid performance against Rahway the night before.

Things began well for the Maroon and White as Captain Trindell put a good serve into play and the ensuing 30 second rally to open the game showed that SHS could play with the Millers. Despite losing that point and the subsequent point, the Hilltoppers were running their offense and had solid defense on every ball.  A Goudreau hit put the Millers in scramble mode and they couldn’t return the ball leading to the first Hilltopper point. This was a portend of things to come however as the Hilltoppers were going to have to rely on outlasting Millburn on points as they showed to be a little faster across the back row and a bit stronger across the front row.

Millburn opened up a 7-3 lead but Williamson dropped a perfect 3 pass that Trindell fed to Inggs for a perfect kill out of the right side to break the Miller momentum.  A strong serve by Stocks led to a Miller attack that was handled by Williamson and Trindell found Nardino on the outside for a kill to zone 5 to get Summit to within 2 at 5-7.

The Miller serving game then came into play and the Hilltoppers struggled to run effective offensive sets consistently. Even when they were able to get an effective pass up, the offense went into error mode and wasted opportunities to break serve. This led to a 6-0 run that ended with a Miller serving error but the damage was done as Summit trailed 6-13.

Summit did not give in and using a couple of aces by Nardino and Barsh, the Hilltoppers cut the lead down to 4 at 11-15 and after a ball handling fault by Millburn, SHS saw hope at 12-16. The game then got tight as both teams became error prone but Macpherson came up with a tough serve that the Millers had trouble receiving and forced an error that again had Summit within 4 at 14-18.  

But the Top just could not generate enough offense despite key opportunities presented by the defense and fell to another run of 7-1 to close out the set.

It was obvious that Summit would have to capitalize on its offensive opportunities if they were to pull the upset. In set 1, summit served at an 88% clip and hit for 2 aces but got aced 6 times, the main culprit in the 2 runs that Millburn had that decided the set.  Once again though, the lack of offensive production was a factor as the Hilltoppers managed only 6 kills but also yielded 5 errors. Despite the struggle receiving, Summit’s defense was holding their own, digging up 13 balls (5 by Williamson) and Goudreau was again a major force registering the only Summit block but touching 5 Miller attacks allowing the defense to play better angles.

Set 2 saw the Millers put their foot on the gas early and Summit just was not able to convert from its serve receive to offense.  A 7-1 run was the result which saw Summit allow 3 aces, an overpass for a kill, 1 hitting errors and 2 Miller kills before a Millburn serving error finally gave the ball back to Summit.

SHS did not fold though and went on a 4-1 run that had the squad again in striking distance at 5-9. A 4-0 Millburn run made things look bleak again down 13-5 but yet again the Hilltoppers kept fighting generating a 4-1 run that had the Maroon and White only down by 5 at 9-14. Unfortunately the serving of the Millers just kept pressuring the Summit defense and an 11-5 run closed the set and match 25-14.

The positives for the set were, among other things, the serve % which hit 86% although the team could not generate any aces.  Although the squad only had 2 hitting errors, SHS only mustered 5 kills. The defense might have struggled on serve receive but a 14 dig effort was outstanding (7 by Williamson) and gave the Maroon and White an opportunity to stay in the game.

For the match, SHS served at nearly 87% but managed to hit for only 2 aces.  Millburn scorched Summit for 17 aces. Offensively, Goudreau and Nardino accounted for 7 of the squad’s 11 kills as both athletes combined for 7 kills, 1 error in 17 attempts for a 41.1 kill % and a .352 efficiency. Defensively the team was outstanding, digging up 27 balls led by the Williamson’s 12.

SUMMIT AVENGES EARLY SEASON LOSS TO RAHWAY IN 2-0 SWEEP

Needing a win desperately after the heartbreaking loss to GL, Summit hosted the division rivals Rahway Indians in a key divisional matchup.  Summit did not disappoint its fans and won the match by a 25-22, 25-17 score.

The match began rather auspiciously for the Hilltoppers as the Indians jumped out to a 4-1 lead after a hitting error, serving error and receive error gave Rahway the room it wanted early on in the set.  That three point cushion remained until Goudreau block and a subsequent Inggs block got Summit within 1. Williamson followed that up with an ace and suddenly SHS was tied up at 9.

After Summit had taken the lead at 13-11 thanks to a Nardino kill, SHS then took 3 of the next 4points to expand its lead to 16-12. The closest Rahway got to Summit was 21-20 after a Hilltopper service error but an Inggs kill and a Barsh tip regained control and helped close out the set, 25-22.

Summit looked in total control of the set except for 1 phase, the service line.  SHS served at a mere 61.5% with 2 aces and 10 errors. Captain Inggs was a one woman wrecking crew, hitting for 5 of the team’s 11 kills with a kill % of 45.5 and an efficiency of .364. Meanwhile, the Hilltoppers notched 5 team blocks in the set, Goudreau with 3.

Set 2 was a tight affair early on with the score knotted up at 10 after a Macpherson kill. Rahway was matching Summit’s offensive output point for point and the Hilltoppers found themselves only up by one at 14-13 due to an Indian serving error.  But that error fueled a 4-1 run that SHS sought to create the room it needed to win the game. Rahway managed to cut the lead down to 1 at 18-17 but an Indian hitting error gave SHS the 2 point cushion it would not yield. Summit used that error to go on a 6-0 run that sealed the set and match 25-17.

In set 2, SHS made some serving rotation adjustments and those yielded a 100% serving % while also hitting for 3 aces. Meanwhile, Rahway managed only 1 ace in the set.  Summit pounded out 11 kills with 5 coming from Barsh who hit for a .400 and a kill % of 50%. Goudreau was a great defensive factor with a team leading 4 digs.

For the match, Trindell led all servers with 3 aces with a 93% serve %.  Barsh was the team leader on offense with 7 kills but Macpherson and Inggs checked in with 6 apiece to round out a very balanced offensive attack. WIlliamson and Pulgar were the dig leaders with 6 and 5 respectively. And lastly, Goudreau led a 5 block team barrage with 3 of her own.

HILLTOPPERS COME CLOSE BUT NOT CLOSE ENOUGH TO BEAT GOVERNOR LIVINGSTON

The Hilltoppers were looking at three opponents this week that were going to be favored to win with Summit needing at least to salvage the divisional matchup versus Rahway if they were to have any hope to finish in the top 3 in the division and remain top 10 in the conference.  First up, the Governor Livingston Crusaders.

Last year, GL came into Summit and swept the Hilltoppers in a first round matchup in the county tournament.  SHS was looking to show the Crusaders that this was going to be a different year. After a GL hitting error had the Hilltoppers knotted up at 7, SHS went on a 3-0 mini run sparked by a Carmel Barsh and Lauren Trindell block which allowed Kiera Stocks to step up and deliver 2 aces to give Summit a 13-10 lead. The teams settled into a side-out war that resolved nothing and the squads found themselves separated by that same 3 point gap late in the set after a GL kill had the Crusaders down 17-14.  A Crusader hitting error got Summit to 18-14 and after a Micaela Nardino kill gave the Maroon and White a 19-14 lead, the victory seemed eminent.

But GL stormed back with a 5-0 run fueled by 2 aces and 3 SHS errors and soon the set was in doubt.  Three errors by the Crusaders and an additional ace by Stocks had Summit seemingly back in control at 23-20.  Kate Macpherson pounded a kill through zone 6 to give SHS a 24-21 lead but another serving error stymied the momentum and 2 subsequent hitting errors had the score all square at 24. Macpherson again found the floor with a swing and Summit had its fourth match point at 25-24 but another error erased that one as well.  But SHS kept its composure and Goudreau found the court on the following play to give SHS another match point but, yet again, GL escaped. The Crusaders then finished off their set 1 victory thanks to 2 hitting errors by Summit to close it out 26-28.

Despite the score, SHS relied too heavily on Crusader errors as the squad managed only 7 kills in the set.  The positive was that the Maroon and White hit for 6 aces (3 by Stocks) and added 2 blocks.

Summit was looking for a better ending in set 2 but it did not look like even the beginning was ever going to get off the ground as the Crusaders jumped out to a 10-3 lead that just looked impossible for the Hilltoppers to overcome.  A block by the duo of Goudreau and Inggs broke the GL momentum and then Williamson ripped an ace to keep hope alive at 5-10. When Yorio rolled a ball down into zone 6, Summit began to feel hope flow as the lead was down to 4 at 7-11. That hope was dried up though within 10 minutes as the Crusaders ripped a 7-1 run that had the Hilltoppers reeling at 8-18.  All seemed lost until again, a block by Inggs and Barsh seemed to lift the Maroon and White. Barsh then stepped up to the service line and the senior delivered an ace, followed by a GL hitting error and free ball return error. 12-18… Barsh delivered an ace to zone 5 and then Goudreau and Trindell combined for another huge block. 14-18… A few points later, the Hilltoppers saw the lead expand to five at 17-22 after another inopportune service error but Co-Captains Inggs and Trindell combined for a great combo kill that stymied the premature GL celebration.  Trailing 23-18, Summit got an error from the Crusader OH, ripped a kill by Yorio and delivered a Stocks ace to come all the way back to within two at 21-23. But that’s as close as the team came to the Crusaders as GL closed it out 25-23.

Summit hit for 5 aces in the set, 2 by Barsh in her service run, while only giving up 3 aces of their own.  However, the lack of offense was again an issue as the team managed only 5 kills and committed 6 errors in earning those kills. Once again, the defense kept SHS alive in the set with the team digging up 12 balls and blocking 4 Crusader attack attempts to stay in the match for as long as they did.

From the service line, Stocks led the way in the match with 4 aces while teammate Williamson was a perfect 14/14 in serve receptions with a 2.14 rating and also led the squad with 7 digs. Macpherson was the sole bright spot offensively as the OH hit for 6 total kills to lead the Summit offense. Barsh was a wall at the net, notching 4 blocks on the evening.

FALL CLASSIC TOURNAMENT WRAP UP

The following were the scores and highlights of the Round Robin and Playoff matches at the Fall Classic held at Morristown Beard School.  

Match 1

Opponent: Pope John

Result: Loss

Scores: 22-25, 15-25

Highlights:

Ava Williamson 6 digs

Micaela Nardino 3 kills, kill % of 42.9 and same efficiency

Olivia Skrobala and Carmel Barsh 3 blocks apiece

Match 2

Opponent: Mountain Lakes

Result: Win

Scores: 25-11, 25-17

Highlights:

Lauren Trindell and Ava Williamson 5 aces each (16/17 serving combined)

Team went 20 attempts-11 kills-2 errors on offense (kill% 55, efficiency .450)

Match 3

Opponent: Morris Tech

Result: Tie

Scores: 19-25, 25-23

Highlights:

Cheryl Liu and Ava Williamson 4 of 6 team aces

Williamson 2.11 pass rating

Katie Macpherson 3 kills, .286 efficiency and a kill% of 42.9

Match 4

Opponent: Payne Tech

Result: Tie

Scores: 25-22, 19-25

Highlights:

Tessa Pulgar 6 digs

Micaela Nardino 3 kills

Carmel Barsh 3 blocks

Match 5 - Playoff QF

Opponent: Mountain Lakes

Result: Win

Scores: 25-21

Highlights:

Team passed at a 2.22 rating led by Ava Williamson with a 2.71

Ava Williamson notches 7 of the team’s 14 digs

Carmel Barsh buries 5 of the team’s 12 kills

Match 6 - SEMIS

Opponent: Pope John

Results: Loss

Scores: 25-19

Highlights:

Carmel Barsh had a team leading 4 service points and 2 aces

Barsh notched 2 blocks

Ava Williamson was a perfect 5/5 serve receiving with a team leading 2.2 rating

TOURNAMENT STAT HIGHLIGHTS

Top 3

Ace

Williamson 10

Trindell 7

Liu 5

Serve %

Trindell 90

Nardino 83.3

Stocks 81.8

Service points

Stocks 19

Trindell 17

Williamson 14

Serve Receptions

Williamson 40

Stocks 28

Liu 20

Got Aced% (min. 10)

Liu 0

Williamson 12.5

Nardino 14.2

Safe Receptions

Williamson 26

Stocks 21

Liu 19

Kills

Nardino 13

Barsh 12

Macpherson 8

Kill % (min 15 att)

Barsh 42.9

Macpherson 28.6

Nardino 28.3

Efficiency (min 15 att)

Barsh .179

Macpherson.107

Goudreau .067

Digs

Williamson 21

Stocks 14

Liu 13

Blocks

Barsh 9

Skrobala 6

Goudreau 2

Assists

Skrobala 23

Trindell 22

Williamson 4

Earned Points

Barsh 25

Nardino 15

Williamson 13