As October rolls around, it is important to look at where each team is, look at some highlights and look at seasonal and long term goals.
9th GRADERS
This mainly inexperienced crew has bonded quickly and through skill development and more game experience, these young ladies have overcome much adversity and have found a resiliency that will serve them well in the future as their 7W-1L record indicates. Their 3 set victories are teaching this young crew how to come back from deficits and win in highly adverse and stressful conditions.
JV SQUAD
9W-3L
3rd Place Heal The Children Tourney
Despite some tough losses, the JV Squad has been very successful thus far in the 2019 season.
This by far is the best JV offense in program history at this point in the season. This team has a chance to hit 400 kills in a season, a feat never accomplished by any other JV Squad.
Jackie Szabados is currently sitting at 43 digs with a real chance to hit 87 and surpass the #3 all-time digs leader, Rosie Fernandes back in 2005.
Catherine Eldridge is at 38 kills, Olivia Lawlor at 37 and Eva Oberhuber at 36, all chasing Sarah Maldonado´s 76 kills for 3rd. Madison young is #2 with 78 (2015) and Annabella Yorio is #1 at 80 kills (2017).
The #1 assists leader is Taylor Thompson with 136 assists and the #2 slot is held by Alisha McDonnell with 119. Jordan Parella is sitting at 118 at this point so she should set a brand new record this year.
With a current record of 8W-3L, the primarily sophomore squad has a chance to match or set the new wins record. Each year since 2016 the #1, 2 and 3 records have been set (17-6, 16-6, 17-7).
VARSITY
6W-7L
Finalist - Fall Classic Tourney
2015 - 4W-9L
2016 - 3W-10L
2017 - 5W-8L
2018 - 5W - 8L
2019 - 6W - 7L
This is the best record since 2011 at this juncture of the season. There is a real chance for this team to finish .500 and have a chance to qualify for Group Championships for the first time since 2011.
Summit is currently ranked 35/67 in Group 2 and only the top 32 teams make the tournament.
Val Guzman holds the #3 record for aces with 57. Summit has a 23 (Walsh) and a 24 (Guidetti) with a shot to take Guzman´s spot.
Kiera Stocks sits at 158 digs. Top 3 are Guzman 174, Jenny Ly 225 and Juli Avery 233.
Stocks is also averaging slightly over 5 digs per set which would put her #1 in the list right now.
Stocks is also averaging 5.44 receptions per set, just outside the top 3, but her total of 158 puts her in striking distance of the top 3 who are Avery at 301, Guzman 302 and Mendez 324.
With 76 kills, Sarah Maldonado is sitting pretty looking at 134 and 161 as the #2 and 3 top kill leaders, very reachable by current rate of production.
Kasey Walsh / Kyra Guenther combined thus far for 209 assists with 344, 433 and 426 as targets.
Sunday, September 29, 2019
BLAIR ACADEMY STYMIES SHORT-HANDED HILLTOPPERS
Teams have to deal with injuries and conflicts that arise with schedules during college and off-season sports often in the fall. Not many teams however have to deal with those issues coming off a tough loss and needing to rebuild some confidence but that´s what the Lady Hilltoppers had to do on Saturday versus Blair Academy.
Set 1 was as good of a start as the Top would have liked. After a Gabbie Guidetti kill tied the score at 1-1, SHS took immediate control with Kasey Walsh on the service line as she nailed 2 aces to give Summit an early 3-1 cushion. Blair Academy knotted the score up at 3 but a Sylvie Goudreau kill gave SHS the lead and serve back. Guidetti delivered an ace and forced an overpass that Goudreau blocked and Summit was back up at 6-3. The Hilltoppers maintained their composure and delivered a kill by Sarah Maldonado and a block by Erin Vostal to extend the lead to 10-5 and things seemed on the mend from the night before. Julissa Lopez took the spot of Sarah Brennan as Brennan was Libero for the match due to Kiera Stocks´ ankle injury the previous night and quickly made an impact with an ace and followed up with another serve that forced a hitting error giving the Top a 13-6 lead.
A Blair mini-run closed the deficit to 4 at 13-9 but Summit responded with one of their own as the Maroon and White benefited from 3 opponent errors to get SHS back up by 6 to 16-9 by the end of rotation 6. But the next 2 minutes were again a defining moment for this squad as the team allowed a 6-0 run sparked by a service error that Blair took full advantage of as they hit the Hilltopper defense for 3 kills and took the 2 Hilltopper hitting errors to knot the score at 16. Goudreau blocked a Blair attack and the run was over but the opponent got an immediate kill to get the set squared up again at 17.
SHS looked like they had lost momentum but then a gift from the Blair side, a service error. Summit got another block by Goudreau and the 19-17 lead looked like it had sparked the team back to form. Unfortunately, despite a great Guidetti serve that forced an overpass, the Hilltoppers shanked the free ball pass and the White and Blue took full advantage, going on a 4-0 run (1 ace, 1 hit error SHS, 1 kill, 1 free-ball pass error) that saw SHS trail by 2 at 21-19.
It felt like a Linden collapse but it was not in reality. The squad fought back with a key tip kill by Maldonado and an ace by Brennan to tie up the score. A kill and a ball handling error later saw Blair Academy back up by 2 at 23-21 but the Hilltoppers again fought adversity and despite facing 2 match points at 22-24, Summit got a two huge kills by Vostal to fight off both match points!
Blair responded with a kill of their own and facing their 3rd match point against, Brennan nailed a down ball kill to stave off elimination again. A service error gave the Blair squad another match point, their 4th, and this time they would hit true, knocking off Summit in set 1 27-25.
Four different players got an ace for the Top in the set but Walsh was the top server with 2 aces and a 2.75 rating. Guidetti was not far behind with a 2.60 and 1 ace. Brennan was solid as Libero in the absence of Stocks, passing safely 10/10 balls and rating a 1.80 while also leading the team with 4 digs. Goudreau had 2 blocks to lead the team and was the top scorer with 4 points in the set. Five different Hilltoppers had a kill but Maldonado, Vostal and Goudreau led the way with 2 kills each in a very balanced offense.
Set 2 was a tale of 2 halves in reality. In the first half, Summit would get out to a 7-1 lead behind 3 aces by Walsh and a down-ball kill by Brennan. That was all but erased in 2 minutes with Blair Academy cutting the lead down to 1 with a 5-0 run which included 2 Hilltopper unforced hitting errors. A Goudreau block broke serve and a hitting error, again forced by Goudreau, had the Top back up by 3 at 9-6 and a rotation later, 10-8. And that was the end of the first half.
The second half saw Blair outscore Summit 17-5. In that run, SHS suffered through 4 ball-handling penalties, a missed serve, and 4 hitting errors. The final score of 25-15 was more a reflection of Summit´s inability to produce enough points against the Blair defense.
Walsh was outstanding from the service line, going 12/13 with 5 aces and a 2.23 rating but two other players were particularly effective, Brennan with a 2.25 rating and Guidetti with a 2.29. Brennan was fantastic in Stocks´ absence, passing safely in 20/21 attempts with a 1.95 rating and leading the team with 8 digs.
Despite the loss of 2 starters, the squad was very competitive and had moments of a dominance but the string of errors with no off-setting point production was again a reason in the loss.
Set 1 was as good of a start as the Top would have liked. After a Gabbie Guidetti kill tied the score at 1-1, SHS took immediate control with Kasey Walsh on the service line as she nailed 2 aces to give Summit an early 3-1 cushion. Blair Academy knotted the score up at 3 but a Sylvie Goudreau kill gave SHS the lead and serve back. Guidetti delivered an ace and forced an overpass that Goudreau blocked and Summit was back up at 6-3. The Hilltoppers maintained their composure and delivered a kill by Sarah Maldonado and a block by Erin Vostal to extend the lead to 10-5 and things seemed on the mend from the night before. Julissa Lopez took the spot of Sarah Brennan as Brennan was Libero for the match due to Kiera Stocks´ ankle injury the previous night and quickly made an impact with an ace and followed up with another serve that forced a hitting error giving the Top a 13-6 lead.
A Blair mini-run closed the deficit to 4 at 13-9 but Summit responded with one of their own as the Maroon and White benefited from 3 opponent errors to get SHS back up by 6 to 16-9 by the end of rotation 6. But the next 2 minutes were again a defining moment for this squad as the team allowed a 6-0 run sparked by a service error that Blair took full advantage of as they hit the Hilltopper defense for 3 kills and took the 2 Hilltopper hitting errors to knot the score at 16. Goudreau blocked a Blair attack and the run was over but the opponent got an immediate kill to get the set squared up again at 17.
SHS looked like they had lost momentum but then a gift from the Blair side, a service error. Summit got another block by Goudreau and the 19-17 lead looked like it had sparked the team back to form. Unfortunately, despite a great Guidetti serve that forced an overpass, the Hilltoppers shanked the free ball pass and the White and Blue took full advantage, going on a 4-0 run (1 ace, 1 hit error SHS, 1 kill, 1 free-ball pass error) that saw SHS trail by 2 at 21-19.
It felt like a Linden collapse but it was not in reality. The squad fought back with a key tip kill by Maldonado and an ace by Brennan to tie up the score. A kill and a ball handling error later saw Blair Academy back up by 2 at 23-21 but the Hilltoppers again fought adversity and despite facing 2 match points at 22-24, Summit got a two huge kills by Vostal to fight off both match points!
Blair responded with a kill of their own and facing their 3rd match point against, Brennan nailed a down ball kill to stave off elimination again. A service error gave the Blair squad another match point, their 4th, and this time they would hit true, knocking off Summit in set 1 27-25.
Four different players got an ace for the Top in the set but Walsh was the top server with 2 aces and a 2.75 rating. Guidetti was not far behind with a 2.60 and 1 ace. Brennan was solid as Libero in the absence of Stocks, passing safely 10/10 balls and rating a 1.80 while also leading the team with 4 digs. Goudreau had 2 blocks to lead the team and was the top scorer with 4 points in the set. Five different Hilltoppers had a kill but Maldonado, Vostal and Goudreau led the way with 2 kills each in a very balanced offense.
Set 2 was a tale of 2 halves in reality. In the first half, Summit would get out to a 7-1 lead behind 3 aces by Walsh and a down-ball kill by Brennan. That was all but erased in 2 minutes with Blair Academy cutting the lead down to 1 with a 5-0 run which included 2 Hilltopper unforced hitting errors. A Goudreau block broke serve and a hitting error, again forced by Goudreau, had the Top back up by 3 at 9-6 and a rotation later, 10-8. And that was the end of the first half.
The second half saw Blair outscore Summit 17-5. In that run, SHS suffered through 4 ball-handling penalties, a missed serve, and 4 hitting errors. The final score of 25-15 was more a reflection of Summit´s inability to produce enough points against the Blair defense.
Walsh was outstanding from the service line, going 12/13 with 5 aces and a 2.23 rating but two other players were particularly effective, Brennan with a 2.25 rating and Guidetti with a 2.29. Brennan was fantastic in Stocks´ absence, passing safely in 20/21 attempts with a 1.95 rating and leading the team with 8 digs.
Despite the loss of 2 starters, the squad was very competitive and had moments of a dominance but the string of errors with no off-setting point production was again a reason in the loss.
1 MATCH, 1 LOSS, 4 MINUTES OF INCONSISTENCY
The Varsity Hilltoppers were sitting at 6W-5L entering the match Friday night against Linden. The team lost in 3 at Linden and looked to overcome the all too common 3 set losses versus the Tigers in the recent past. The Lady Hilltoppers had gone 2W-7L last 4 years versus Linden and had been part of some heartbreaking losses at home versus this squad.
In 2015 Linden became the Mountain Division Champions for the very first time. Summit faced them at Linden early season and upset the eventual division champions in a 2-1 thriller (25-22, 21-25, 25-20) but, in the return match at home, SHS started off slow and despite roaring back to tie the score at 23, the Tigers closed it out to take set 1 25-23. Set 2 was a different story as the Hilltoppers stormed out to an early lead (12-7), expanded it (21-13) and maintained it (25-18) for the set 2 win. In set 3, Summit held an 11-7 lead but was outscored 10-1 in the next rotation to go down 17-12 and never recover.
The 2019 home match up lived up to its rivalry hype but Linden somehow forged another win, this time thanks to a late set 2 collapse by the Hilltoppers that saved the match for Linden.
Set 1 jumped out to a 6-1 lead behind Gabbie Guidetti´s serving who ripped an ace to start the run and Sarah Maldonado benefited from solid defense by Kiera Stocks to hit for a kill. But, typical of the team this year, no lead is safe enough due to unforced errors and the Tigers benefited from that fact going on a 7-1 run that had Linden up 8-7 before a service error tied up the set again. The teams kept trading punches for a few rotations but after a spike error by the Top gave Linden a 12-13 lead, Krista-Ann Clapp put a hit down that sparked a 4-0 run (2 Linden hitting errors and a Guidetti ace) that forced the Tigers to call a time-out but to no avail as the next long rally yielded another two more Linden errors and a Maldonado kill before a ball handling error stopped the run with SHS up 19-14.
Summit moved closer to a set victory after tough serves by Meghan Tarashuk caused 2 more Linden errors before a Summit error had the Maroon and White up 22-16 and seemingly comfortably in control. After the teams traded points in the next rotation (23-16), Linden had a brief 3-0 run but to no avail as the Hilltoppers did not yield another long run in a key moment and won 25-20 on a Sarah Brennan down-ball kill.
Guidetti had the only 2 aces for the team in the set and the most service points while the team served at an 88% clip while defensively the team gave up only 3 aces led by Stocks who passed at a 2.33 rating, passing safely 6/6 passes. Four different players had a kill in an 8 kill effort led by Maldonado (3 kills) and Annabella Yorio (2 kills) who combined for 5 kills out of 13 swings with no errors. The squad was solid defensively with 18 digs, Stocks with 7 of them. Summit out-scored Linden 10-6, the difference in the set.
Set 2 was a bit more nip and tuck through the midpoint part of the set as the teams were tied at 9 after a Linden attack error but the Tigers rebounded with a 3-0 run fueled by 2 Summit errors (hit/serve) and the Hilltoppers trailed 9-12. A kill by Clapp and another ace by Guidetti got the Hilltoppers back in the game and later on, a Maldonado kill and a Tarashuk ace had the teams tied at 16.
Summit went on a 6-4 run that had the Maroon and White at the door of a 2 set sweep at 22-20. And then, the worst 2 minutes of the match began, albeit innocently enough.
Downball hit error, unforced... 22-21 Summit. Attack error in system... 22-22. Linden service error and Ace by Tarashuk... 24-22... 2 match and set points... service error... 24-23... Ace Linden, a whose ball moment for SHS, 24-24... attack error Summit, 24-25... ball handling error SHS... Linden takes set 2 24-26.
Two minutes of inconsistency, 5 Hilltopper errors, literally taking defeat out of the jaws of victory.
Could Varsity come back and recover?
Set 3 was a duplicate of set 2 but with Linden yet again in the lead 12-9, it was the Tigers that went on 4-2 mini run that gave them a 16-11 lead and the Hilltoppers had to respond. And respond they did with a block by Erin Vostal, a kill by Maldonado and an ace by Stocks to get Summit to within 1 at 15-16.
But then, the next two minutes derailed the Summit squad. Three consecutive Summit service errors set up the Linden 7-3 run that took all of 2 minutes and had SHS on the ropes at 18-23. With things looking bleak, Linden gave SHS a brief glimmer of hope with a missed attack. Down 18-23, Kasey Walsh stepped up and put a serve in that the Summit block defense created a hitting error by the Tigers to get to 20-23. Yorio nailed 2 kills to bring the Hilltoppers to the precipice of an amazing comeback at 22-23. Time-out Linden.
Off the time-out, Linden got a dump kill and a hitting error that followed sealed the set and win for the Linden Tigers 25-22.
Linden outscored Summit 13-11 in the set but SHS gave up 12 points in errors, 9 combined hitting and serving (5 hit / 4 serve) while Linden only committed only 7 (3 hit / 4 serve), ultimately the difference in the match late in set 2 and 3.
Summit out-killed Linden 21-20 in the match. Linden held a 3-2 lead in blocks but SHS out-aced the Tigers 8-5 for a total of 31 points while Linden tallied 28. The serving error discrepancy was ultimately the stat that revealed the reason for the loss as SHS notched 14 service errors while Linden had 9, a five point swing that was the difference in the set 2 and 3 results, especially when 5 of those occurred after the squad crossed the 19th point in each of set 2 and 3.
Tarashuk and Guidetti led the Hilltoppers with 3 aces apiece and had the most service points. Stocks was perfect in serve reception, passing safely in 18 attempts, 10 of which earned a perfect 3.0 pass rating, and rated a team high 2.33 to go along with her 26 digs. The team as a whole was outstanding, passing at a 2.03 for the match. Yorio and Maldonado led the hit parade with 6 kills each and had only 4 errors total combined to lead the squad. Kyra Guenther and Walsh tallied 10 assists each leading a balanced attack
Summit´s record dropped to 6W-6L and would face Blair Academy on Saturday in the last match of this long week.
In 2015 Linden became the Mountain Division Champions for the very first time. Summit faced them at Linden early season and upset the eventual division champions in a 2-1 thriller (25-22, 21-25, 25-20) but, in the return match at home, SHS started off slow and despite roaring back to tie the score at 23, the Tigers closed it out to take set 1 25-23. Set 2 was a different story as the Hilltoppers stormed out to an early lead (12-7), expanded it (21-13) and maintained it (25-18) for the set 2 win. In set 3, Summit held an 11-7 lead but was outscored 10-1 in the next rotation to go down 17-12 and never recover.
The 2019 home match up lived up to its rivalry hype but Linden somehow forged another win, this time thanks to a late set 2 collapse by the Hilltoppers that saved the match for Linden.
Set 1 jumped out to a 6-1 lead behind Gabbie Guidetti´s serving who ripped an ace to start the run and Sarah Maldonado benefited from solid defense by Kiera Stocks to hit for a kill. But, typical of the team this year, no lead is safe enough due to unforced errors and the Tigers benefited from that fact going on a 7-1 run that had Linden up 8-7 before a service error tied up the set again. The teams kept trading punches for a few rotations but after a spike error by the Top gave Linden a 12-13 lead, Krista-Ann Clapp put a hit down that sparked a 4-0 run (2 Linden hitting errors and a Guidetti ace) that forced the Tigers to call a time-out but to no avail as the next long rally yielded another two more Linden errors and a Maldonado kill before a ball handling error stopped the run with SHS up 19-14.
Summit moved closer to a set victory after tough serves by Meghan Tarashuk caused 2 more Linden errors before a Summit error had the Maroon and White up 22-16 and seemingly comfortably in control. After the teams traded points in the next rotation (23-16), Linden had a brief 3-0 run but to no avail as the Hilltoppers did not yield another long run in a key moment and won 25-20 on a Sarah Brennan down-ball kill.
Guidetti had the only 2 aces for the team in the set and the most service points while the team served at an 88% clip while defensively the team gave up only 3 aces led by Stocks who passed at a 2.33 rating, passing safely 6/6 passes. Four different players had a kill in an 8 kill effort led by Maldonado (3 kills) and Annabella Yorio (2 kills) who combined for 5 kills out of 13 swings with no errors. The squad was solid defensively with 18 digs, Stocks with 7 of them. Summit out-scored Linden 10-6, the difference in the set.
Set 2 was a bit more nip and tuck through the midpoint part of the set as the teams were tied at 9 after a Linden attack error but the Tigers rebounded with a 3-0 run fueled by 2 Summit errors (hit/serve) and the Hilltoppers trailed 9-12. A kill by Clapp and another ace by Guidetti got the Hilltoppers back in the game and later on, a Maldonado kill and a Tarashuk ace had the teams tied at 16.
Summit went on a 6-4 run that had the Maroon and White at the door of a 2 set sweep at 22-20. And then, the worst 2 minutes of the match began, albeit innocently enough.
Downball hit error, unforced... 22-21 Summit. Attack error in system... 22-22. Linden service error and Ace by Tarashuk... 24-22... 2 match and set points... service error... 24-23... Ace Linden, a whose ball moment for SHS, 24-24... attack error Summit, 24-25... ball handling error SHS... Linden takes set 2 24-26.
Two minutes of inconsistency, 5 Hilltopper errors, literally taking defeat out of the jaws of victory.
Could Varsity come back and recover?
Set 3 was a duplicate of set 2 but with Linden yet again in the lead 12-9, it was the Tigers that went on 4-2 mini run that gave them a 16-11 lead and the Hilltoppers had to respond. And respond they did with a block by Erin Vostal, a kill by Maldonado and an ace by Stocks to get Summit to within 1 at 15-16.
But then, the next two minutes derailed the Summit squad. Three consecutive Summit service errors set up the Linden 7-3 run that took all of 2 minutes and had SHS on the ropes at 18-23. With things looking bleak, Linden gave SHS a brief glimmer of hope with a missed attack. Down 18-23, Kasey Walsh stepped up and put a serve in that the Summit block defense created a hitting error by the Tigers to get to 20-23. Yorio nailed 2 kills to bring the Hilltoppers to the precipice of an amazing comeback at 22-23. Time-out Linden.
Off the time-out, Linden got a dump kill and a hitting error that followed sealed the set and win for the Linden Tigers 25-22.
Linden outscored Summit 13-11 in the set but SHS gave up 12 points in errors, 9 combined hitting and serving (5 hit / 4 serve) while Linden only committed only 7 (3 hit / 4 serve), ultimately the difference in the match late in set 2 and 3.
Summit out-killed Linden 21-20 in the match. Linden held a 3-2 lead in blocks but SHS out-aced the Tigers 8-5 for a total of 31 points while Linden tallied 28. The serving error discrepancy was ultimately the stat that revealed the reason for the loss as SHS notched 14 service errors while Linden had 9, a five point swing that was the difference in the set 2 and 3 results, especially when 5 of those occurred after the squad crossed the 19th point in each of set 2 and 3.
Tarashuk and Guidetti led the Hilltoppers with 3 aces apiece and had the most service points. Stocks was perfect in serve reception, passing safely in 18 attempts, 10 of which earned a perfect 3.0 pass rating, and rated a team high 2.33 to go along with her 26 digs. The team as a whole was outstanding, passing at a 2.03 for the match. Yorio and Maldonado led the hit parade with 6 kills each and had only 4 errors total combined to lead the squad. Kyra Guenther and Walsh tallied 10 assists each leading a balanced attack
Summit´s record dropped to 6W-6L and would face Blair Academy on Saturday in the last match of this long week.
9TH GRADERS POST ANOTHER WIN IN ANOTHER THREE SET BATTLE
The 9th Graders continue their outstanding play during the program´s re-inaugural season as they beat Linden by a 28-26, 22-25, 25-13 slug-fest against the Tigers.
The most exciting set was set 1 by far as the Hilltoppers found themselves 8-15 down by the end of 6 rotations. By the time the Tigers got through rotation 8, Summit was down by 10 at 10-20 and Coach G was forced to take a 2nd time-out to get the team focused and ready for the 2nd set.
But the Hilltoppers were not done quite yet. Down 20-11, the 9th graders rip a 5-0 run and the squad was down only 16-20. A Tiger serving miss got SHS to within 17-21 and then the Hilltoppers ripped a 5-0 run to take the lead 22-21! The pressure of the set began to show itself as errors began to creep into the match. Summit had match point at 24-23 but squandered that opportunity. Linden then lost their opportunity to earn a match point and SHS had a 25-24 lead but failed to convert and that opened the door for Linden to try to win the set.
The Tigers were poised to win the set at 26-25 but failed to convert and the Hilltoppers made the Linden squad pay with a 2-0 run to seal the set 28-26.
Set 2 saw Linden take control late and pull away from the Hilltoppers to close the Maroon and White 25-22. Set 3 wasn´t a contest as the serving attack and consistency wore down the Tigers and saw SHS overwhelm the Tigers 25-13 for their 7th win of the season with only 1 loss!
The most exciting set was set 1 by far as the Hilltoppers found themselves 8-15 down by the end of 6 rotations. By the time the Tigers got through rotation 8, Summit was down by 10 at 10-20 and Coach G was forced to take a 2nd time-out to get the team focused and ready for the 2nd set.
But the Hilltoppers were not done quite yet. Down 20-11, the 9th graders rip a 5-0 run and the squad was down only 16-20. A Tiger serving miss got SHS to within 17-21 and then the Hilltoppers ripped a 5-0 run to take the lead 22-21! The pressure of the set began to show itself as errors began to creep into the match. Summit had match point at 24-23 but squandered that opportunity. Linden then lost their opportunity to earn a match point and SHS had a 25-24 lead but failed to convert and that opened the door for Linden to try to win the set.
The Tigers were poised to win the set at 26-25 but failed to convert and the Hilltoppers made the Linden squad pay with a 2-0 run to seal the set 28-26.
Set 2 saw Linden take control late and pull away from the Hilltoppers to close the Maroon and White 25-22. Set 3 wasn´t a contest as the serving attack and consistency wore down the Tigers and saw SHS overwhelm the Tigers 25-13 for their 7th win of the season with only 1 loss!
JV DOMINATES TIGERS, IMPROVE TO 9W-3L
After a disappointing loss on the road to a game Rahway team, the Hilltoppers returned to action in Summit for some good old fashioned home cookin' against the Linden Tigers. The team was successful on the road versus the Tigers earlier this season and hoped to right the ship after a loss to the Indians on the road. Summit did not disappoint and took care of business early, beating the Tigers by 2-0 (25-6, 25-13).
Set 1 was over quickly as Jordan Parella led off Summit in rotation 1 to a 13-1 lead (set leading 3 aces) which effectively ended the set. Summit had 2 more runs of 4 or more points over the next 3 rotations which signaled that the Linden squad had all but given up on the set after rotation 1.
Summit was more than just Parella´s serving in set 1 as 6 different Hilltoppers had a kill in the set led by Eva Oberhuber and Natalie Peralta with 2 apiece.
Set 2 was more of the same by the Top as Linden could not solve the serving attack of the Hilltopper squad. Sarah Noa led SHS to a 3-1 (1 ace) lead to start , Parella got it to 6-2 and Hope Basaman had the lead up to 11-3 by the end of rotation 3 (1 ace) with 5 consecutive service points. Once again, the set was effectively over as the Tigers could not generate offense consistently enough to mount a comeback. By the end of rotation 6 the Hilltoppers still maintained a 21-9 lead and it was just a matter of 2 rotations before the set and match were sealed at 25-13.
Eva Oberhuber was the top offensive player with 3 kills and Rebekah Thompson tallied 3 digs to lead the defense. Victoria Macarthur and Jordan Parella combined for a team leading 3 aces apiece to spearhead a very effective serving attack.
SATURDAY - HEAL THE CHILDREN TOURNAMENT
The JV Squad participated in the Heal the Children Tournament this past Saturday, a Varsity event, and went up against Scotch Plains-Fanwood, ALJ, Benedictine Academy, Wardlaw-Hartridge and Rahway in round-robin play. The Hilltoppers lost a tight 2 sets to BA, lost 2 to SPF, took 2 from Rahway and Wardlaw but was unable to get a split vs. ALJ which might have put them in the finals. As it turned out, the JV Hilltoppers took 3rd overall in a Varsity only event, an outstanding showing for this young crew (12/14 sophomores).
Set 1 was over quickly as Jordan Parella led off Summit in rotation 1 to a 13-1 lead (set leading 3 aces) which effectively ended the set. Summit had 2 more runs of 4 or more points over the next 3 rotations which signaled that the Linden squad had all but given up on the set after rotation 1.
Summit was more than just Parella´s serving in set 1 as 6 different Hilltoppers had a kill in the set led by Eva Oberhuber and Natalie Peralta with 2 apiece.
Set 2 was more of the same by the Top as Linden could not solve the serving attack of the Hilltopper squad. Sarah Noa led SHS to a 3-1 (1 ace) lead to start , Parella got it to 6-2 and Hope Basaman had the lead up to 11-3 by the end of rotation 3 (1 ace) with 5 consecutive service points. Once again, the set was effectively over as the Tigers could not generate offense consistently enough to mount a comeback. By the end of rotation 6 the Hilltoppers still maintained a 21-9 lead and it was just a matter of 2 rotations before the set and match were sealed at 25-13.
Eva Oberhuber was the top offensive player with 3 kills and Rebekah Thompson tallied 3 digs to lead the defense. Victoria Macarthur and Jordan Parella combined for a team leading 3 aces apiece to spearhead a very effective serving attack.
SATURDAY - HEAL THE CHILDREN TOURNAMENT
The JV Squad participated in the Heal the Children Tournament this past Saturday, a Varsity event, and went up against Scotch Plains-Fanwood, ALJ, Benedictine Academy, Wardlaw-Hartridge and Rahway in round-robin play. The Hilltoppers lost a tight 2 sets to BA, lost 2 to SPF, took 2 from Rahway and Wardlaw but was unable to get a split vs. ALJ which might have put them in the finals. As it turned out, the JV Hilltoppers took 3rd overall in a Varsity only event, an outstanding showing for this young crew (12/14 sophomores).
Friday, September 27, 2019
HILLTOPPERS FACING TOUGHEST WEEK OF 2019 SEASON BUT COMING UP WITH BEST VOLLEYBALL THUS FAR
The Lady Hilltoppers finished last week with their season record at .500 record (4W-4L), made the finals of the Fall Classic for the first time and seemed to be ready to face the toughest week of the season, a week where the Top would be playing 5 matches in 6 days, 3 of them in-conference and 4 of them on the road.
The week was always a pivotal one for SHS but the team would have to prove to itself that it could be something it had not been in the last couple of seasons: road warriors. In 2015, Summit had a record of 4W-8L on the road, in 2016, 4W-9L, in 2017, despite a 6W-6L home record, the Hilltopper away record was 2W-7L. In 2018 the trend continued as SHS managed only a 4W-9L away record.
The 2019 season began ominously enough for the Lady Hilltoppers on the road as the team had a 2W-1L record after the first 3 matches but then went on the road and dropped 2 matches in a row versus Union and Linden. Summit bounced back with a win versus Cranford on the road to even out their record to 3W-3L but dropped another road game to New Providence before bouncing back at home with a win over the Roselle Catholic Lions.
The squad would open the week with 3 consecutive road games against the #2 divisional team, the Crusaders of Governor Livingston, followed by the Payne Tech Lions -winners of the Fall Classic- and then would see the long-time rival Rahway Indians. With a 1W-3L road record, there was reason for concern.
The Crusaders were dominant versus the Hilltoppers in yet another road loss for the Maroon and White dropping their record to 4W-5L (1W-4L on the road) but the team had to find an answer to their road woes quickly as the squad would be up against the wall versus Rahway and Payne Tech, needing wins over these two squads to keep themselves in the state tournament conversation.
HILLTOPPERS AVENGE FALL CLASSIC LOSS TO LIONS
The Summit Squad might have been delayed by traffic getting to the Newark school but it did not impact their offense and serving as SHS seemed to be on time with everything they tried in set 1. Summit jumped out to an early 7-3 lead after 4 rotations with 2 kills by Sarah Maldonado, 1 by Sylvie Goudreau and Gabbie Guidetti who also hit for an ace in the run.
Payne Tech fought back to take the lead at 10-9 by rotation 7 but Kyra Guenther broke momentum with a setter dump that got SHS knotted up at 10. That play sparked a 4-0 run that gave the Hilltoppers a 14-10 lead in which Kasey Walsh´s serving forced the Lions into 3 hitting errors. But yet again Payne Tech fought back and by rotation 9, a 5-0 run had the Lions up by 2 at 20-18 before a line fault broke the serve and gave the ball back to Summit at 19-20.
The teams traded points over the next 2 rotations but a Maldonado kill seemed to elevate the Hilltopper spirit and a Payne Tech error after a long rally had the Maroon and White knotted up at 22 with set 1 on the line. Erin Vostal put a kill down out of the middle and Guenther got a key block to seemingly gain control of the set at 24-22. Unfortunately, late errors have been the teams´ Achile´s heel and 2 Summit errors had the game tied at 24. After a rally ensued on the next serve, Meghan Tarashuk put up a perfect dig that Guenther set up to Annabella Yorio for a resounding kill that got Abby Doyle to the serving line. Doyle pounded out an ace to seal the set and get SHS closer to a rare road win.
The Hilltoppers rode the tough serving of Guidetti, Sarah Brennan and Walsh in the set as they scored 11 of the Hilltoppers´ 14 points off the serve. Maldonado led a group of 6 Hilltoppers who got at least 1 kill in the set by scoring 4 kills on 6 attempts. The Lion serving attack did give the Hilltoppers trouble as they were only able to pass at a 1.71 clip for the set led by Kiera Stocks´ 1.69.
Set 2 was much of the same for Summit but the Top took control of the set in rotations three through five, scoring 9 points and taking a 13-6 lead that seemed safe. That did not change through rotation 12 when the Hilltoppers were still looking at a 23-18 lead. But then, the wheels came off after a serving error by the Maroon and White placed the Lions´ best server at the line down 19-23.
This player had scored 11 consecutive points against the Hilltoppers in the Fall Classic, bringing the team back from an 8 point deficit in the final to a 3 point lead that eventually was the reason Payne Tech hung on to win the Classic. Add to that performance a 6-0 run that had the Hilltoppers go from 23-19 up to losing set 2 25-23. In that run, SHS had 4 hitting errors which helped the Lions´ cause.
Things did not look good for the Top but SHS rebounded magnificently from the disappointing performance in set 2 by breaking the serve of Payne Tech´s best server in one ball and taking a 6-1 lead after just 2 rotations as Walsh hit for an ace, Yorio nailed 2 kills and Goudreau got a block to set the early tone. After the Lions cut the early lead to 6-3, another block by Goudreau deflated Payne Tech and then Captain Stocks stepped up to the line delivering 7 service points in which she hit for an ace, Maldonado dropped 2 kills and Guidetti ripped a downball kill late to give SHS a 14-4 lead that was just insurmountable. Appropriately enough, it was Guidetti who finished the set off for Summit. A tough serve that forced an overpass saw Goudreau put down a kill with authority which gave SHS a 23-12 lead. Another short rally saw Stocks give a perfect free ball pass that Goudreau put through the floor for 24-12. A hitting error by the Lions ended the set and match in a rare road win that saw the Top show a survival instinct and a resilient attitude despite major adversity and disappointment.
Six different Hilltoppers scored an ace in the match for a team total of 9. Stocks and Tarashuk each had 9 digs to lead the Summit defense while Goudreau and Guenther combined for 5 blocks defensively. Offensively, Maldonado hit 11 of the team´s 27 kills with an amazing kill % of 50% and an efficiency of .364.
SUMMIT SURVIVES SET 2 SCARE AGAIN AND OUT-PLAYS INDIANS IN THE 3RD FOR 2ND CONSECUTIVE ROAD WIN
Fresh off the Payne Tech road win, Summit faced off against their long time rival Rahway, a match that has always been dangerous for both teams as the record of each squad entering the contest tends to have very little to do with how the final match result will look like. Rahway entered the match at 2W-6L and SHS was back to .500 at 5W-5L,
Set one was the Gabbie Guidetti show as her serving resulted in easy points and offensive chances for the Hilltoppers. Guidetti scored 13 of the team´s 17 service points in two separate Hilltopper runs (8-0 and 5-0) with 4 aces in the mix. The first run took SHS from a 2-2 tie to an 11-2 lead and the final run led SHS to the set win as Rahway had closed to within 2 at 17-19 just to see Guidetti close the set out for a 25-17 set 1 win.
Goudreau led the offense with 3 kills and 4 players had at least 1 kill. Stocks was a defensive force, digging up 8 balls and passing at a 2.38 rating.
Set 2 was a tale of two matches. In match 1, Summit was flawless form the service line and hit with efficiency and precision. Every decision was nearly perfect and errors were almost a result exclusively of physical errors and not mental lapses of concentration. Rahway had no answers and were down and out after 7 rotations with SHS up 17-8.
Match 2 began at that point. The Indians outscored Summit 17-6 the rest of the way with Rahway physically scoring 8 points while the rest were all due to Summit errors of all types. A microcosm of the set was rotation 11. Summit had absorved a number of mini-runs and they could feel Rahway breathing down their necks. Up 21-17 but receiving serve, SHS got a gift with a serving error by the Indians but returned the favor in the very next ball which brought Rahway´s most dangerous server up and, predictably enough, the young woman did not miss a serve, going on a 6-0 run to finish off the Hilltoppers 25-23.
But this team´s resiliency is starting to become its M.O. and despite the 2nd set trouble, SHS was consistent in its serving attack and wore down the Indians who committed numerous errors late to come up short in the decisive set. Maldonado got off to a fast start with 2 early kills and Goudreau and Yorio chipped in 1 apiece to help Summit get an early 5-4 lead. Stocks then got the serve and much like usual, the Captain put a ton of pressure on the Rahway serve receive and when they couldn´t deliver an offensive blow, Erin Vostal was there to do so for the Maroon and White. A 3-0 serving run by Stocks had SHS up 9-4 and one wondered if Rahway had any more runs left in them.
That question was still mostly unanswered as both teams got to rotation 6 with the squads separated by the same distance at 13-8 Hilltoppers. A Yorio kill, an Indian hitting error and a Walsh ace pushed the lead to 18-10 and even Coach Martins seemed content with that advantage. Rahway called a time-out and it did its job in freezing the server as Summit missed the next serve but a perfect pass by Stocks on serve receive led to a Goudreau put away which ballooned the lead back up to 8 at 19-11 and one got the sense that Rahway had just run its course. Maldonado and Goudreau got the next 2 kills and with the score at 21-11, you could see the relaxation on the faces of the Hilltoppers with the awareness that this would most likely end in their favor. Maldonado hit for another kill to get SHS to 23 while Rahway was making desperation plays all over the court to stay alive and Summit began to press for the last 2 points, over-hitting many in-system plays.
Seeing a repeat of set 2 was not in the plan and therefore a time-out followed at 23-19. The team seemed to relax and after an Indian hitting error, Brennan ripped a serve that resulted in an out of system swing by Rahway that went awry, giving the Hilltoppers the 25-19 set 3 and match win!
Stocks handles 27 of the team´s 55 receptions at an amazing 2.22 rating, giving up only 1 ace. She also tallied 26 digs to lead the backline. Meanwhile, Maldonado had another double digit kill day with 10 kills and only 4 errors for a 27.8 kill % and a .167 efficiency. Goudreau was not far behind with 8 kills, hitting at a 50% kill % but an efficiency of .438.
Walsh and Guidetti accounted for all 9 of the team´s aces in the match and were 2 of the top servers with a 2.38 and 2.33 serve rating respectively. The two young ladies also accounted for 31 of the 44 service points won by the team.
With the back to back road wins, the Lady Hilltoppers are now 6W-5L with a road record of 3W-4L and a home record of 3W-1L.
Next up are the long time rivals Linden Tigers at Home and the week ends with Blair Academy on the road on Saturday.
Preview:
Blair Academy - new team to the Hilltoppers. Their record now stands at 2W-2L
Linden: Last 4 years - 2W-8L
2015 - Split with 2-1 results
2016 - Lost both matches 2-0
2017 - Lost both 2-1
2018 - Won 1 2-1 Lost 2x 2-1
2019 - Lost 2-1
The week was always a pivotal one for SHS but the team would have to prove to itself that it could be something it had not been in the last couple of seasons: road warriors. In 2015, Summit had a record of 4W-8L on the road, in 2016, 4W-9L, in 2017, despite a 6W-6L home record, the Hilltopper away record was 2W-7L. In 2018 the trend continued as SHS managed only a 4W-9L away record.
The 2019 season began ominously enough for the Lady Hilltoppers on the road as the team had a 2W-1L record after the first 3 matches but then went on the road and dropped 2 matches in a row versus Union and Linden. Summit bounced back with a win versus Cranford on the road to even out their record to 3W-3L but dropped another road game to New Providence before bouncing back at home with a win over the Roselle Catholic Lions.
The squad would open the week with 3 consecutive road games against the #2 divisional team, the Crusaders of Governor Livingston, followed by the Payne Tech Lions -winners of the Fall Classic- and then would see the long-time rival Rahway Indians. With a 1W-3L road record, there was reason for concern.
The Crusaders were dominant versus the Hilltoppers in yet another road loss for the Maroon and White dropping their record to 4W-5L (1W-4L on the road) but the team had to find an answer to their road woes quickly as the squad would be up against the wall versus Rahway and Payne Tech, needing wins over these two squads to keep themselves in the state tournament conversation.
HILLTOPPERS AVENGE FALL CLASSIC LOSS TO LIONS
The Summit Squad might have been delayed by traffic getting to the Newark school but it did not impact their offense and serving as SHS seemed to be on time with everything they tried in set 1. Summit jumped out to an early 7-3 lead after 4 rotations with 2 kills by Sarah Maldonado, 1 by Sylvie Goudreau and Gabbie Guidetti who also hit for an ace in the run.
Payne Tech fought back to take the lead at 10-9 by rotation 7 but Kyra Guenther broke momentum with a setter dump that got SHS knotted up at 10. That play sparked a 4-0 run that gave the Hilltoppers a 14-10 lead in which Kasey Walsh´s serving forced the Lions into 3 hitting errors. But yet again Payne Tech fought back and by rotation 9, a 5-0 run had the Lions up by 2 at 20-18 before a line fault broke the serve and gave the ball back to Summit at 19-20.
The teams traded points over the next 2 rotations but a Maldonado kill seemed to elevate the Hilltopper spirit and a Payne Tech error after a long rally had the Maroon and White knotted up at 22 with set 1 on the line. Erin Vostal put a kill down out of the middle and Guenther got a key block to seemingly gain control of the set at 24-22. Unfortunately, late errors have been the teams´ Achile´s heel and 2 Summit errors had the game tied at 24. After a rally ensued on the next serve, Meghan Tarashuk put up a perfect dig that Guenther set up to Annabella Yorio for a resounding kill that got Abby Doyle to the serving line. Doyle pounded out an ace to seal the set and get SHS closer to a rare road win.
The Hilltoppers rode the tough serving of Guidetti, Sarah Brennan and Walsh in the set as they scored 11 of the Hilltoppers´ 14 points off the serve. Maldonado led a group of 6 Hilltoppers who got at least 1 kill in the set by scoring 4 kills on 6 attempts. The Lion serving attack did give the Hilltoppers trouble as they were only able to pass at a 1.71 clip for the set led by Kiera Stocks´ 1.69.
Set 2 was much of the same for Summit but the Top took control of the set in rotations three through five, scoring 9 points and taking a 13-6 lead that seemed safe. That did not change through rotation 12 when the Hilltoppers were still looking at a 23-18 lead. But then, the wheels came off after a serving error by the Maroon and White placed the Lions´ best server at the line down 19-23.
This player had scored 11 consecutive points against the Hilltoppers in the Fall Classic, bringing the team back from an 8 point deficit in the final to a 3 point lead that eventually was the reason Payne Tech hung on to win the Classic. Add to that performance a 6-0 run that had the Hilltoppers go from 23-19 up to losing set 2 25-23. In that run, SHS had 4 hitting errors which helped the Lions´ cause.
Things did not look good for the Top but SHS rebounded magnificently from the disappointing performance in set 2 by breaking the serve of Payne Tech´s best server in one ball and taking a 6-1 lead after just 2 rotations as Walsh hit for an ace, Yorio nailed 2 kills and Goudreau got a block to set the early tone. After the Lions cut the early lead to 6-3, another block by Goudreau deflated Payne Tech and then Captain Stocks stepped up to the line delivering 7 service points in which she hit for an ace, Maldonado dropped 2 kills and Guidetti ripped a downball kill late to give SHS a 14-4 lead that was just insurmountable. Appropriately enough, it was Guidetti who finished the set off for Summit. A tough serve that forced an overpass saw Goudreau put down a kill with authority which gave SHS a 23-12 lead. Another short rally saw Stocks give a perfect free ball pass that Goudreau put through the floor for 24-12. A hitting error by the Lions ended the set and match in a rare road win that saw the Top show a survival instinct and a resilient attitude despite major adversity and disappointment.
Six different Hilltoppers scored an ace in the match for a team total of 9. Stocks and Tarashuk each had 9 digs to lead the Summit defense while Goudreau and Guenther combined for 5 blocks defensively. Offensively, Maldonado hit 11 of the team´s 27 kills with an amazing kill % of 50% and an efficiency of .364.
SUMMIT SURVIVES SET 2 SCARE AGAIN AND OUT-PLAYS INDIANS IN THE 3RD FOR 2ND CONSECUTIVE ROAD WIN
Fresh off the Payne Tech road win, Summit faced off against their long time rival Rahway, a match that has always been dangerous for both teams as the record of each squad entering the contest tends to have very little to do with how the final match result will look like. Rahway entered the match at 2W-6L and SHS was back to .500 at 5W-5L,
Set one was the Gabbie Guidetti show as her serving resulted in easy points and offensive chances for the Hilltoppers. Guidetti scored 13 of the team´s 17 service points in two separate Hilltopper runs (8-0 and 5-0) with 4 aces in the mix. The first run took SHS from a 2-2 tie to an 11-2 lead and the final run led SHS to the set win as Rahway had closed to within 2 at 17-19 just to see Guidetti close the set out for a 25-17 set 1 win.
Goudreau led the offense with 3 kills and 4 players had at least 1 kill. Stocks was a defensive force, digging up 8 balls and passing at a 2.38 rating.
Set 2 was a tale of two matches. In match 1, Summit was flawless form the service line and hit with efficiency and precision. Every decision was nearly perfect and errors were almost a result exclusively of physical errors and not mental lapses of concentration. Rahway had no answers and were down and out after 7 rotations with SHS up 17-8.
Match 2 began at that point. The Indians outscored Summit 17-6 the rest of the way with Rahway physically scoring 8 points while the rest were all due to Summit errors of all types. A microcosm of the set was rotation 11. Summit had absorved a number of mini-runs and they could feel Rahway breathing down their necks. Up 21-17 but receiving serve, SHS got a gift with a serving error by the Indians but returned the favor in the very next ball which brought Rahway´s most dangerous server up and, predictably enough, the young woman did not miss a serve, going on a 6-0 run to finish off the Hilltoppers 25-23.
But this team´s resiliency is starting to become its M.O. and despite the 2nd set trouble, SHS was consistent in its serving attack and wore down the Indians who committed numerous errors late to come up short in the decisive set. Maldonado got off to a fast start with 2 early kills and Goudreau and Yorio chipped in 1 apiece to help Summit get an early 5-4 lead. Stocks then got the serve and much like usual, the Captain put a ton of pressure on the Rahway serve receive and when they couldn´t deliver an offensive blow, Erin Vostal was there to do so for the Maroon and White. A 3-0 serving run by Stocks had SHS up 9-4 and one wondered if Rahway had any more runs left in them.
That question was still mostly unanswered as both teams got to rotation 6 with the squads separated by the same distance at 13-8 Hilltoppers. A Yorio kill, an Indian hitting error and a Walsh ace pushed the lead to 18-10 and even Coach Martins seemed content with that advantage. Rahway called a time-out and it did its job in freezing the server as Summit missed the next serve but a perfect pass by Stocks on serve receive led to a Goudreau put away which ballooned the lead back up to 8 at 19-11 and one got the sense that Rahway had just run its course. Maldonado and Goudreau got the next 2 kills and with the score at 21-11, you could see the relaxation on the faces of the Hilltoppers with the awareness that this would most likely end in their favor. Maldonado hit for another kill to get SHS to 23 while Rahway was making desperation plays all over the court to stay alive and Summit began to press for the last 2 points, over-hitting many in-system plays.
Seeing a repeat of set 2 was not in the plan and therefore a time-out followed at 23-19. The team seemed to relax and after an Indian hitting error, Brennan ripped a serve that resulted in an out of system swing by Rahway that went awry, giving the Hilltoppers the 25-19 set 3 and match win!
Stocks handles 27 of the team´s 55 receptions at an amazing 2.22 rating, giving up only 1 ace. She also tallied 26 digs to lead the backline. Meanwhile, Maldonado had another double digit kill day with 10 kills and only 4 errors for a 27.8 kill % and a .167 efficiency. Goudreau was not far behind with 8 kills, hitting at a 50% kill % but an efficiency of .438.
Walsh and Guidetti accounted for all 9 of the team´s aces in the match and were 2 of the top servers with a 2.38 and 2.33 serve rating respectively. The two young ladies also accounted for 31 of the 44 service points won by the team.
With the back to back road wins, the Lady Hilltoppers are now 6W-5L with a road record of 3W-4L and a home record of 3W-1L.
Next up are the long time rivals Linden Tigers at Home and the week ends with Blair Academy on the road on Saturday.
Preview:
Blair Academy - new team to the Hilltoppers. Their record now stands at 2W-2L
Linden: Last 4 years - 2W-8L
2015 - Split with 2-1 results
2016 - Lost both matches 2-0
2017 - Lost both 2-1
2018 - Won 1 2-1 Lost 2x 2-1
2019 - Lost 2-1
Thursday, September 26, 2019
JV SPLITS WITH PAYNE TECH AND RAHWAY; 9th GRADERS WIN AGAIN IN 3
The 9th graders continue to roll through victories in their young season with a 2-1 victory over the Lions of Payne Tech. These young athletes are now 6W-1L and will have a re-match against the Linden Tigers tomorrow in the Aux Gym.
JV earned a hard fought victory over the Payne Tech Lions in 2 sets, 27-25, 25-13, for their 8th win. In set 1, Sarah Noa opened the match with a 6-0 run that seemed to spell the early demise of the Lions. Payne Tech began to chip away at the Hilltopper lead over the next few rotations and the Top saw their lead get cut to a mere 2 points at 10-8. By rotation 4 however, the Lions ran off 5 points and the Summit girls found themselves trailing 14-10. But then Victoria Macarthur happened. The sophomore DS hit for 6 service points and brought her team back to lead 17-14. Payne and SHS could not find any edge or momentum to separate themselves until, trailing 21-17, the Lions woke up and put on a 5-0 run that had the Hilltoppers on the ropes at 23-21. Payne got a match point at 24-21 but failed to get it over the net which led to a 3-0 Summit run that had the Top up 25-24. Despite the fact that SHS was facing its second match point, Summit fought that off and ran off 2 points to come grom behind to get
the set. The match was technically done after Jordan Parella ran off a 7-1 run to open set 2. By rotation 6, Summit held a 15-6 lead and never looked back, finishing off the set and match on a 10-7 run.
The Squad came back the next day and looked to continue the momentum they had created from the Payne Tech victory and it looked like they had done just that with a resounding 25-13 set 1 win that was settled after Thea Rind served up 6 service points against the Rahway Indians to give SHS an 11-4 lead they would never relinquish as they closed out the set 25-13. Olivia Lawlor led the way offensively with 4 kills and 1 block. Parella notched 8 assists as 5 different players getting at least a kill.
Second set was quite different as it was Summit trailing after 6 rotations 14-9. SHS got as close as 23-18 but to no avail as the Indians slammed the door and closed out set 2 25-19. Jaclyn Szabados was all over the court, notching digs (2), kills (2) and hitting for an ace as well. Parella got another 7 assists as she found 5 different players who got a kill.
Although Coach Ross was not happy with the JV performance in the second set, the fact remained that the team held an overwhelming advantage in front row height and had offensively been dominant most of the match. Three service errors in a decisive 3rd set were never going to lead to good things and they did not in this case. Summit trailed 13-6 in rotation 5 but by rotation 6 the match was still in doubt. SHS had trimmed the lead to 14-10 behind Rebekah Thompson´s serving but, with only 1 point to play with, Summit ran out of time and saw their hopes of a comeback get dashed as they dropped the set 15-10.
Summit got a 2 dig, 2 kill performance from Szabados and Eva Oberhuber chimed in with 1 kill.
Next up:
Tigers of Linden
JV earned a hard fought victory over the Payne Tech Lions in 2 sets, 27-25, 25-13, for their 8th win. In set 1, Sarah Noa opened the match with a 6-0 run that seemed to spell the early demise of the Lions. Payne Tech began to chip away at the Hilltopper lead over the next few rotations and the Top saw their lead get cut to a mere 2 points at 10-8. By rotation 4 however, the Lions ran off 5 points and the Summit girls found themselves trailing 14-10. But then Victoria Macarthur happened. The sophomore DS hit for 6 service points and brought her team back to lead 17-14. Payne and SHS could not find any edge or momentum to separate themselves until, trailing 21-17, the Lions woke up and put on a 5-0 run that had the Hilltoppers on the ropes at 23-21. Payne got a match point at 24-21 but failed to get it over the net which led to a 3-0 Summit run that had the Top up 25-24. Despite the fact that SHS was facing its second match point, Summit fought that off and ran off 2 points to come grom behind to get
the set. The match was technically done after Jordan Parella ran off a 7-1 run to open set 2. By rotation 6, Summit held a 15-6 lead and never looked back, finishing off the set and match on a 10-7 run.
The Squad came back the next day and looked to continue the momentum they had created from the Payne Tech victory and it looked like they had done just that with a resounding 25-13 set 1 win that was settled after Thea Rind served up 6 service points against the Rahway Indians to give SHS an 11-4 lead they would never relinquish as they closed out the set 25-13. Olivia Lawlor led the way offensively with 4 kills and 1 block. Parella notched 8 assists as 5 different players getting at least a kill.
Second set was quite different as it was Summit trailing after 6 rotations 14-9. SHS got as close as 23-18 but to no avail as the Indians slammed the door and closed out set 2 25-19. Jaclyn Szabados was all over the court, notching digs (2), kills (2) and hitting for an ace as well. Parella got another 7 assists as she found 5 different players who got a kill.
Although Coach Ross was not happy with the JV performance in the second set, the fact remained that the team held an overwhelming advantage in front row height and had offensively been dominant most of the match. Three service errors in a decisive 3rd set were never going to lead to good things and they did not in this case. Summit trailed 13-6 in rotation 5 but by rotation 6 the match was still in doubt. SHS had trimmed the lead to 14-10 behind Rebekah Thompson´s serving but, with only 1 point to play with, Summit ran out of time and saw their hopes of a comeback get dashed as they dropped the set 15-10.
Summit got a 2 dig, 2 kill performance from Szabados and Eva Oberhuber chimed in with 1 kill.
Next up:
Tigers of Linden
Monday, September 23, 2019
CRUSADERS DOWN SUMMIT IN 2-0 SWEEPS IN JV AND VARSITY LEVELS
The Crusaders were looking to avenge an earlier loss Summit at the JV level while Varsity was looking to improve on its performance against the Crusaders last match when GL created 17 aces against the Hilltoppers.
Summit´s JV dropped a 2-0 decision to GL by 25-21 and 25-23 scores but the game turned on a couple of GL runs that were fueled by Summit errors. The match was the typical Crusader - Hilltopper matchup with both teams trading points early and seemingly not able to get a run going. Summit held a slight lead at 9-7 but the Crusaders stormed back in rotation 6 with a 6-0 run that get them the lead at 13-9. Sarah Noa got SHS back in it with 2 quick service points and the Hilltoppers looked to have righted the ship with the score 11-13. That feeling was short lived as the home team ran off another 4 points to extend its lead to a seemingly insurmountable 17-11 lead.
With GL leading 21-16 due to inopportune hitting errors by the Top, Victoria Macarthur stepped up and delivered from the service line 3 consecutive tough serves that forced the GL into errors get Summit to within 2 at 19-21. But that was about all Summit could muster as the Crusaders finished on a 4-2 run which saw SHS unable to but the ball down when it needed, thus ending set 1 21-25.
Set 2 began ominously enough for the Top as the squad trailed by 4-10 scored a mere 4 rotations into set 2. Rebekah Thompson ripped an ace down the middle of the GL serve receive and got another 2 points to get SHS back into it at 10-7 but the Maroon and White were still finding it very difficult to score on offense and their usual ace production was justifiably down against a better opponent.
Still trailing 9-13 after 7 rotations, Summit got a boost when Hope Basaman scored on 4 swings from the service line (1 ace) to get Summit knotted up at 13. But GL responded in a big way as they had done the entire match, relying on great defense and Hilltopper errors to go on a 9-4 run over the next couple of rotations to jump to a 22-17 lead.
It all seemed academic at that point, Summit couldn´t generate the aces it needed and the offense could not score consistently to make up for that production do it seemed to be all but over... until a few GL hitting errors and key serving from Jordan Parella including an ace got the Top to within 1 at 22-23. Unfortunately, SHS committed another unforced error and the Maroon and White finally ran out of time and lost the set and match 23-25.
Sabrina Ippolito had 3 kills in the loss along with Eva Oberhuber who also added a block. Jackie Szabados held the fort defensively with 5 digs and also added a kill to the team total. Catherine Eldridge stormed back in the 2nd set after a disappointing first to hit for 2 kills, earn a block and dig up one ball to help that late Summit run. Jordan Parella ran an efficient enough offense dishing out 10 assists and adding a kill, an ace and 2 digs to the cause. In both sets, late Hilltopper runs masked what was inconsistent play from the the team, particularly from the front line in the beginning phases of the match that saw SHS trailing badly before responding late.
CRUSADERS GET SEASON SWEEP OF SHS DESPITE MUCH IMPROVED PASSING BY THE TOP
There isn´t much to add to a blog entry when the opponent out-kills you 18-5 in the match in a 25-10, 25-12 loss. Summit trailed 9-3 after 2 rotations and held their own through their serve in rotation 5 at 7-12 but the relentless GL serving pressure broke down the passing attack and therefore the offense was non-existent. Summit had given up 17 aces in their first match up, in today´s matchup, in set one alone, the Top had yielded 8.
But the team rallied in set 2 and led by Captain Kiera Stocks, the squad gave up only 2 more aces and gave the Hilltoppers a chance to get some swings.
How effective was the Summit serving attack? It matched the GL ace output in the second set with 2 aces.
How effective was the Summit reception game? It actually rated higher than GL in set 2 with a 1.86 rating to the Crusaders´ 1.73. And it provided the Maroon and White with 22 attack opportunities, including 7 from transition defense after key digs.
Kiera Stocks passed at a 2.0 rating, passing safely on 12/13 reception attempts while also leading the team in digs with 5. Despite a shaky start, Sarah Brennan ended up passing safely in 10/12 attempts (7/7 in set 2).
Abby Doyle, Meghan Tarashuk, Gabbie Guidetti and Kasey Walsh all hit for 1 ace in the match and Tarashuk was especially effective, rating a 3.25 on her service attempts while Stocks and Guidetti rated at a 2.00.
Summit will try to get back to .500 with a win at Payne Tech tomorrow on both JV and V level.
Summit´s JV dropped a 2-0 decision to GL by 25-21 and 25-23 scores but the game turned on a couple of GL runs that were fueled by Summit errors. The match was the typical Crusader - Hilltopper matchup with both teams trading points early and seemingly not able to get a run going. Summit held a slight lead at 9-7 but the Crusaders stormed back in rotation 6 with a 6-0 run that get them the lead at 13-9. Sarah Noa got SHS back in it with 2 quick service points and the Hilltoppers looked to have righted the ship with the score 11-13. That feeling was short lived as the home team ran off another 4 points to extend its lead to a seemingly insurmountable 17-11 lead.
With GL leading 21-16 due to inopportune hitting errors by the Top, Victoria Macarthur stepped up and delivered from the service line 3 consecutive tough serves that forced the GL into errors get Summit to within 2 at 19-21. But that was about all Summit could muster as the Crusaders finished on a 4-2 run which saw SHS unable to but the ball down when it needed, thus ending set 1 21-25.
Set 2 began ominously enough for the Top as the squad trailed by 4-10 scored a mere 4 rotations into set 2. Rebekah Thompson ripped an ace down the middle of the GL serve receive and got another 2 points to get SHS back into it at 10-7 but the Maroon and White were still finding it very difficult to score on offense and their usual ace production was justifiably down against a better opponent.
Still trailing 9-13 after 7 rotations, Summit got a boost when Hope Basaman scored on 4 swings from the service line (1 ace) to get Summit knotted up at 13. But GL responded in a big way as they had done the entire match, relying on great defense and Hilltopper errors to go on a 9-4 run over the next couple of rotations to jump to a 22-17 lead.
It all seemed academic at that point, Summit couldn´t generate the aces it needed and the offense could not score consistently to make up for that production do it seemed to be all but over... until a few GL hitting errors and key serving from Jordan Parella including an ace got the Top to within 1 at 22-23. Unfortunately, SHS committed another unforced error and the Maroon and White finally ran out of time and lost the set and match 23-25.
Sabrina Ippolito had 3 kills in the loss along with Eva Oberhuber who also added a block. Jackie Szabados held the fort defensively with 5 digs and also added a kill to the team total. Catherine Eldridge stormed back in the 2nd set after a disappointing first to hit for 2 kills, earn a block and dig up one ball to help that late Summit run. Jordan Parella ran an efficient enough offense dishing out 10 assists and adding a kill, an ace and 2 digs to the cause. In both sets, late Hilltopper runs masked what was inconsistent play from the the team, particularly from the front line in the beginning phases of the match that saw SHS trailing badly before responding late.
CRUSADERS GET SEASON SWEEP OF SHS DESPITE MUCH IMPROVED PASSING BY THE TOP
There isn´t much to add to a blog entry when the opponent out-kills you 18-5 in the match in a 25-10, 25-12 loss. Summit trailed 9-3 after 2 rotations and held their own through their serve in rotation 5 at 7-12 but the relentless GL serving pressure broke down the passing attack and therefore the offense was non-existent. Summit had given up 17 aces in their first match up, in today´s matchup, in set one alone, the Top had yielded 8.But the team rallied in set 2 and led by Captain Kiera Stocks, the squad gave up only 2 more aces and gave the Hilltoppers a chance to get some swings.
How effective was the Summit serving attack? It matched the GL ace output in the second set with 2 aces.
How effective was the Summit reception game? It actually rated higher than GL in set 2 with a 1.86 rating to the Crusaders´ 1.73. And it provided the Maroon and White with 22 attack opportunities, including 7 from transition defense after key digs.
Kiera Stocks passed at a 2.0 rating, passing safely on 12/13 reception attempts while also leading the team in digs with 5. Despite a shaky start, Sarah Brennan ended up passing safely in 10/12 attempts (7/7 in set 2).
Abby Doyle, Meghan Tarashuk, Gabbie Guidetti and Kasey Walsh all hit for 1 ace in the match and Tarashuk was especially effective, rating a 3.25 on her service attempts while Stocks and Guidetti rated at a 2.00.
Summit will try to get back to .500 with a win at Payne Tech tomorrow on both JV and V level.
SUMMIT REACHES FINALS OF FALL CLASSIC FOR THE FIRST TIME IN PROGRAM HISTORY
Summit traveled to Morristown-Beard on Sunday to be part of the Fall Classic Tournament. Summit had reached the semi-finals a few times but had failed to get to the finals at any point. This proved to be the most competitive and well balanced year for the tournament as 2 teams stood atop the rankings at the end of round robin play at 5W-3L and 3 more had a 4W-4L record and the #6 seed earned a 3W-5L tally to round out the playoff seeding.
VILLA WALSH (#1)
Summit opened the day with Villa Walsh and split the 2 games by a 22-25, 22-16 scores. Summit out-scored VW 29-23 for the match. Stocks led the way from the service line with 4 aces and defensively led the team with 7 digs. Vostal led the way offensively with 4 kills and chipped in a block. Guenther dished out 5 assists in the match.
MORRIS TECH (#6)
Summit´s 2nd match was against Morris Tech. Summit again split the score with a 25-22, 14-16 score and outscored their opponent by a 22-14 score . Walsh got 2 aces to lead the team from the service-line. Maldonado edged 2 other Summit hitters for the team lead in kills with 5. Stocks another 7 digs and Goudreau chipped in 2 blocks to round out the defensive efforts. Walsh and Guenther earned 5 assists each.
ST. MARY´S (#4)
Summit had a great third match with a hard-fought victory over St. Mary´s by a 25-19, 19-24 scores. Summit out-scored their opponent by a 17-13 margin. Tarashuk led the way with 2 aces and Maldonado and Yorio got 3 kills apiece. Stocks and Guidetti chipped in 2 digs each. Walsh notched up 9 assists.
MOUNTAIN LAKES (#5)
Summit took 2 close games against Lakes (25-23, 25-21), out-scoring Lakes 20-11. Guidetti bombed for 3 aces, Maldonado and Vostal yet again lead the way with 4 kills each and Stocks had a match high 8 digs while Yorio and Vostal chipped in a block. Walsh also led the squad in assists with 5.
SEMI-FINALS VS. MOUNTAIN LAKES (SHS #2 vs. #5)
Summit wins 25-22 and out-scores Lakes by a 14-12 margin, a true reflection of the final score but a closer look at the numbers revealed why the Hilltoppers will live and die by their performance on the service line. Lakes out-killed SHS by a 10-7 margin but lost the ace battle as the Maroon and White hit for 7 aces while only giving up 1. That turned out to be the difference in the match and the cushion Summit needed to win the match in a come-from-behind fashion.
The score was knotted at 7 after Summit missed a serve but Lakes followed suit with a miss of their own and SHS held an 8-7 lead. Doyle came in to serve and ripped 2 aces and another serve that had Lakes sending an errant ball out of bounds and the team held an 11-7 lead. SHS still held a 3 point lead after a Lakes´ hitting error at 12-9 but then the wheels came off the Maroon and White offense as a couple of quick offensive errors and subsequent passing errors saw Lakes go on a 7-0 run that flipped the game on its head at 12-16. A Yorio kill and a Guidetti ace got the Top to within 2 at 14-16 and lifted the Hilltopper spirit.
Summit fought to within 1 at 18-19 but a service error derailed that run. Lakes couldn´t convert on that opportunity as they gave the ball back on a service error of their own and a Goudreau push kill had the teams knotted at 21. The momentum had swung and it was just a matter of who could be the team that could execute their offense and serving error free. Summit took the opportunity given and got 2 kills by Yorio, an ace by Walsh and a final ace by Yorio for their last 4 scoring points of the match to take the set and win 25-22.
Five of the seven serving players in the match hit for at least 1 ace in the win and Doyle and Walsh both led the squad with 2 apiece. Yorio´s heroics late in the match gave her the team kill lead with 3 kills and also the scoring lead with 4 points. Brennan chalked up a team leading 4 digs in the win and Walsh dished out 3 assists for the team lead.
The win cemented the first time Summit had ever won a semi-final match at the Fall Classic and, obviously, the first time they would be playing in the final, this year against Payne Tech who had upset Villa Walsh in the semis and who was to face SHS on Tuesday in Newark in a regular season matchup.
PAYNE TECH LATE RUN THWARTS HILLTOPPER BID TO FALL CLASSIC CROWN
(SHS #2 vs. #3)
Summit dropped a close 20-25 decision to Payne Tech in a final matchup that was a classic set of runs and, unfortunately, Payne Tech had the last major run to seal their victory. Summit outscored Tech 13-12, hitting for a 10-6 kill advantage but the Newark school out-aced the Maroon and White by 1 (4-3), a reflection of how they used tough serving to get SHS out of system and cause unforced errors which turned the match. SHS had 9 combined hitting or free ball return errors and added 4 service errors versus Payne Tech, who gave the Top a combined 6 error points all match, and only 1 from the service line.
Payne had the first run of the match early, jumping to a 5-2 lead after a Summit fault, service error, hitting error and free ball return error. SHS broke serve on a Goudreau kill and that sparked an 11-3 run by the Maroon and White fueled by aces by Stocks and Doyle and kills by Vostal, Clapp, Yorio and Goudreau to give the Top a 13-8 lead and seemingly control of the set.
Despite a break of serve, SHS kept the pressure on with kills by Yorio and Goudreau and saw themselves inching closer to the title at 16-10. Payne took a time-out and the momentum generated by the Hilltoppers was lost in a mere 3 minutes. Payne Tech went on a 7-1 run that had the game knotted up at 17 but the momentum had swung and the Payne serving attack had done its damage. In the 7-1 run, Summit had 4 hitting errors, 1 free ball return error and saw a Payne Tech ace and kill take away their lead. Only a service error by the opponent stopped the run but the match had changed tone.
Payne took the lead back on a key kill by their OH but Summit fought back despite the palpable stress in the air, getting crucial kills by Vostal and Maldonado to get control at 19-18. But an inopportune service error eliminated any momentum swing and that error lifted Payne Tech to another level emotionally. The opponent hit for 2 consecutive aces to give Payne a 21-19 lead and despite the lead being miniscule, the Hilltoppers seemed to have no answers for the Payne Tech aggression. A Summit hitting error followed by another Payne ace (3rd in 4 serves at this juncture) had SHS reeling trailing 23-19 but a powerful kill to zone 1 by Maldonado opened the door for the Top at 20-23. Unfortunately, another serving error (2nd in a row), shut the door on any comeback and another offensive error by the Top closed the match out at 25-20.
The close score through most of the match hid the fact that the squad was scoring mainly on the serving of Stocks (team leading 2 aces) and Walsh who led the Hilltoppers in serve rating. Vostal led the team offensively with 3 kills and 4 different players had at least 1 kill in an impressive kill percentage of 55.6%. However, the 8 errors stifled that number, making the efficiency rating for Summit of a mere .111. Stocks was a defensive force with a team leading 7 digs and Walsh ran a highly effective offense with 8 assists.
The Summit run in the Fall Classic was , overall, a tremendously positive one and it allowed the Hilltoppers to play 10 sets of tight, closely contested games that demonstrated that the team will be in a lot of matches moving forward thanks to their serving and much improved offense.
A look at the tournament in general saw the Hilltoppers out-kill their opponents by a 64-49 margin for a 10.4 kills per match average. The team also out-aced their opponents by a 34-20 margin, hitting for 3.4 aces per match and only giving up 2.0 per match. The team had a side-out percentage (receive) of 49% while opponents got only 44.8% and SHS point scored (serving) at a 55.2% clip while opponents were at 51%.
Here are the top players in each category listed:
ACES: Stocks 8, Guidetti 6, Walsh 6
SERVE RATING: Walsh 2.55, Doyle 2.29, Tarashuk 2.26
SERVE %: Lopez 100%, Doyle 95.7%, Walsh 93.3%
ACE %: Stocks 23.5%, Guidetti, 22.2%, Doyle 20%
KILLS: Maldonado 18, Vostal 16, Yorio 13
KILL %: Vostal 93%, Maldonado 81.8%, Yorio 65%
EFFICIENCY: Vostal .860, Maldonado .636, Yorio .300
BLOCKS: Vostal, Yorio, Goudreau (all with 2)
DIGS: Stocks 34, Brennan 8, Walsh 8
ASSISTS: Walsh 26, Guenther 23, Doyle 7
VILLA WALSH (#1)
Summit opened the day with Villa Walsh and split the 2 games by a 22-25, 22-16 scores. Summit out-scored VW 29-23 for the match. Stocks led the way from the service line with 4 aces and defensively led the team with 7 digs. Vostal led the way offensively with 4 kills and chipped in a block. Guenther dished out 5 assists in the match.
MORRIS TECH (#6)
Summit´s 2nd match was against Morris Tech. Summit again split the score with a 25-22, 14-16 score and outscored their opponent by a 22-14 score . Walsh got 2 aces to lead the team from the service-line. Maldonado edged 2 other Summit hitters for the team lead in kills with 5. Stocks another 7 digs and Goudreau chipped in 2 blocks to round out the defensive efforts. Walsh and Guenther earned 5 assists each.
ST. MARY´S (#4)
Summit had a great third match with a hard-fought victory over St. Mary´s by a 25-19, 19-24 scores. Summit out-scored their opponent by a 17-13 margin. Tarashuk led the way with 2 aces and Maldonado and Yorio got 3 kills apiece. Stocks and Guidetti chipped in 2 digs each. Walsh notched up 9 assists.
MOUNTAIN LAKES (#5)
Summit took 2 close games against Lakes (25-23, 25-21), out-scoring Lakes 20-11. Guidetti bombed for 3 aces, Maldonado and Vostal yet again lead the way with 4 kills each and Stocks had a match high 8 digs while Yorio and Vostal chipped in a block. Walsh also led the squad in assists with 5.
SEMI-FINALS VS. MOUNTAIN LAKES (SHS #2 vs. #5)
Summit wins 25-22 and out-scores Lakes by a 14-12 margin, a true reflection of the final score but a closer look at the numbers revealed why the Hilltoppers will live and die by their performance on the service line. Lakes out-killed SHS by a 10-7 margin but lost the ace battle as the Maroon and White hit for 7 aces while only giving up 1. That turned out to be the difference in the match and the cushion Summit needed to win the match in a come-from-behind fashion.
The score was knotted at 7 after Summit missed a serve but Lakes followed suit with a miss of their own and SHS held an 8-7 lead. Doyle came in to serve and ripped 2 aces and another serve that had Lakes sending an errant ball out of bounds and the team held an 11-7 lead. SHS still held a 3 point lead after a Lakes´ hitting error at 12-9 but then the wheels came off the Maroon and White offense as a couple of quick offensive errors and subsequent passing errors saw Lakes go on a 7-0 run that flipped the game on its head at 12-16. A Yorio kill and a Guidetti ace got the Top to within 2 at 14-16 and lifted the Hilltopper spirit.
Summit fought to within 1 at 18-19 but a service error derailed that run. Lakes couldn´t convert on that opportunity as they gave the ball back on a service error of their own and a Goudreau push kill had the teams knotted at 21. The momentum had swung and it was just a matter of who could be the team that could execute their offense and serving error free. Summit took the opportunity given and got 2 kills by Yorio, an ace by Walsh and a final ace by Yorio for their last 4 scoring points of the match to take the set and win 25-22.
Five of the seven serving players in the match hit for at least 1 ace in the win and Doyle and Walsh both led the squad with 2 apiece. Yorio´s heroics late in the match gave her the team kill lead with 3 kills and also the scoring lead with 4 points. Brennan chalked up a team leading 4 digs in the win and Walsh dished out 3 assists for the team lead.
The win cemented the first time Summit had ever won a semi-final match at the Fall Classic and, obviously, the first time they would be playing in the final, this year against Payne Tech who had upset Villa Walsh in the semis and who was to face SHS on Tuesday in Newark in a regular season matchup.
PAYNE TECH LATE RUN THWARTS HILLTOPPER BID TO FALL CLASSIC CROWN
(SHS #2 vs. #3)
Summit dropped a close 20-25 decision to Payne Tech in a final matchup that was a classic set of runs and, unfortunately, Payne Tech had the last major run to seal their victory. Summit outscored Tech 13-12, hitting for a 10-6 kill advantage but the Newark school out-aced the Maroon and White by 1 (4-3), a reflection of how they used tough serving to get SHS out of system and cause unforced errors which turned the match. SHS had 9 combined hitting or free ball return errors and added 4 service errors versus Payne Tech, who gave the Top a combined 6 error points all match, and only 1 from the service line.
Payne had the first run of the match early, jumping to a 5-2 lead after a Summit fault, service error, hitting error and free ball return error. SHS broke serve on a Goudreau kill and that sparked an 11-3 run by the Maroon and White fueled by aces by Stocks and Doyle and kills by Vostal, Clapp, Yorio and Goudreau to give the Top a 13-8 lead and seemingly control of the set.
Despite a break of serve, SHS kept the pressure on with kills by Yorio and Goudreau and saw themselves inching closer to the title at 16-10. Payne took a time-out and the momentum generated by the Hilltoppers was lost in a mere 3 minutes. Payne Tech went on a 7-1 run that had the game knotted up at 17 but the momentum had swung and the Payne serving attack had done its damage. In the 7-1 run, Summit had 4 hitting errors, 1 free ball return error and saw a Payne Tech ace and kill take away their lead. Only a service error by the opponent stopped the run but the match had changed tone.
Payne took the lead back on a key kill by their OH but Summit fought back despite the palpable stress in the air, getting crucial kills by Vostal and Maldonado to get control at 19-18. But an inopportune service error eliminated any momentum swing and that error lifted Payne Tech to another level emotionally. The opponent hit for 2 consecutive aces to give Payne a 21-19 lead and despite the lead being miniscule, the Hilltoppers seemed to have no answers for the Payne Tech aggression. A Summit hitting error followed by another Payne ace (3rd in 4 serves at this juncture) had SHS reeling trailing 23-19 but a powerful kill to zone 1 by Maldonado opened the door for the Top at 20-23. Unfortunately, another serving error (2nd in a row), shut the door on any comeback and another offensive error by the Top closed the match out at 25-20.
The close score through most of the match hid the fact that the squad was scoring mainly on the serving of Stocks (team leading 2 aces) and Walsh who led the Hilltoppers in serve rating. Vostal led the team offensively with 3 kills and 4 different players had at least 1 kill in an impressive kill percentage of 55.6%. However, the 8 errors stifled that number, making the efficiency rating for Summit of a mere .111. Stocks was a defensive force with a team leading 7 digs and Walsh ran a highly effective offense with 8 assists.
The Summit run in the Fall Classic was , overall, a tremendously positive one and it allowed the Hilltoppers to play 10 sets of tight, closely contested games that demonstrated that the team will be in a lot of matches moving forward thanks to their serving and much improved offense.
A look at the tournament in general saw the Hilltoppers out-kill their opponents by a 64-49 margin for a 10.4 kills per match average. The team also out-aced their opponents by a 34-20 margin, hitting for 3.4 aces per match and only giving up 2.0 per match. The team had a side-out percentage (receive) of 49% while opponents got only 44.8% and SHS point scored (serving) at a 55.2% clip while opponents were at 51%.
Here are the top players in each category listed:
ACES: Stocks 8, Guidetti 6, Walsh 6
SERVE RATING: Walsh 2.55, Doyle 2.29, Tarashuk 2.26
SERVE %: Lopez 100%, Doyle 95.7%, Walsh 93.3%
ACE %: Stocks 23.5%, Guidetti, 22.2%, Doyle 20%
KILLS: Maldonado 18, Vostal 16, Yorio 13
KILL %: Vostal 93%, Maldonado 81.8%, Yorio 65%
EFFICIENCY: Vostal .860, Maldonado .636, Yorio .300
BLOCKS: Vostal, Yorio, Goudreau (all with 2)
DIGS: Stocks 34, Brennan 8, Walsh 8
ASSISTS: Walsh 26, Guenther 23, Doyle 7
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