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

 #14 SHS AT #3 CARTERET

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

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

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

MATCH LEADERS

ACES: Lynn 6

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

RECEIVE PERFECT PASS (3): Mackenna 9

PERFECT PASS %: Rylen 66.7%

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

KILLS: Mackenna 12

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

KILL %: Molly 45.5%

DIGS: Maren and Mac 8

BLOCKS: Molly 2

ASSISTS:  Nadia 34 

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

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

#14 SHS at #11 BELLEVILLE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MATCH LEADERS

ACES: Nadia 2

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

RECEIVE PERFECT PASS (3): Mac 10

PERFECT PASS %: Ayina 46.2%

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

KILLS: Mackenna 12

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

KILL %: Molly 50.0%

DIGS: Mac 15

BLOCKS: Catherine 3

ASSISTS:  Nadia 23

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

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

REGULAR SEASON COMES TO A CLOSE - STATE RUN ON THE HORIZON

 9th GRADERS

The 9th Grade Lady Hilltoppers ended their season on a high with a 2-0 win over Linden!  The young GOATS finished the season 11W-8L going 7W-1L over the last 3 weeks of the season!  Congrats to Coach Seifert and the 9th graders for their outstanding season and growth!

JUNIOR VARSITY

Although the JV Squad lost in the first round of counties to the Union Farmers,  the team did take the Farmers to 3 sets and then closed out the season with another 2-1 win over Linden and a 2-0 win on the road versus the Bulldogs of Dayton to finish the season 10W-14L!  The Squad finished the last month of the season with a 5W-1L record to close the season out on a high note! Congrats to Coach Ross and the girls for fighting through a very tough season and never giving up on growing as a team to finish the season with a couple of upset wins and a great closing to the Fall.

VARSITY

The squad dropped a 2-0 decision to the Rahway Indians at home in the first Round of the County Tourney in a match that saw the Top get outscored 28-25 in a match that went 23-25 and 17-25 in favor of the visitors.  SHS unfortunately won the error battle as the Hilltoppers committed 20 hitting, free ball and serving errors while Rahway netted only 12.  

Linden on Senior Night was a turning point as the squad outscored the Tigers 32-10 in a 25-14, 25-16 victory and committed only 9 errors the entire 2 sets.

Dayton was a 2-1 battle that the Hilltoppers won 25-22, 20-25 and 25-18 in an important tuneup to states.  The Top outscored the Bulldogs 44-33 in a match that saw SHS out-kill Dayton 29-21 and out-ace the home side 14-10 which proved to be the difference in the match.  Less than 18 hours later,  the final tuneup, a best out of 5 at Rahway awaited the Top.

Set 1 21-25

A rough start cost the Hilltoppers as the team was down 6-1 before the match was 5 minutes old... The team fought all the way back to within one at 21-22 but SHS had a dig error and gave up 2 aces to lose set 1.

Set 2 24-26

SHS looked like they were on the right track at 14-9 but a kill by Rahway preceeded 3 consecutive unforced hitting errors by Summit and soon the Indians saw themselves within striking distance at 17-16.  But then the Hilltoppers went on a 4-0 run that had them up again by a seemingly comfortable 21-16 lead but a free ball receive error, a dig error, an attack error and a Rahway ace and kill had SHS tied at 21.  Summit responded though to the adversity and held a 23-21 lead after a Sophie ace but another kill by Rahway followed by a Summit hitting error had the score at 23-23.  Unfortunately a service error and a hitting error by the Top in the last crucial points was the difference in the set loss

Set 3 13-25

Another rough start all but decided the set and match.  Down 8-2, SHS was able to claw back to within 2 at 6-8 but as had been the story all match key Summit errors at key points turned each set around.  Summit gave up a 5-0 run to trail again 13-8 and never was able to cut the lead down less than 5 after that as an 8-0 run by RHS (3 aces and 2 kills on overpasses) sealed the fate of the Hilltoppers.  

Despite the loss,  the squad ended on a 2w-2l run and seem poised to make some noise in the tourney as 
SHS tries to return to the semis of the state sectional tournament for consecutive years.  Summit has made it to semis in 1998, in 2010 and 2011 and again in Spring 2021 and Fall 2021.  Can the Hilltoppers do it again in the context of this challenging season?  

The opportunity is there for a great ending to a very challenging season.

SEASON MILESTONE ALERTS:

Claire is 27 kills away from 150

Mackenna is 4 aces away from 50

Nadia is 7 assists away from 350 for the season

CAREER MILESTONE ALERTS:

Lynn is 8 aces away from 50

Maren is 14 digs away from 250

Mackenna is 10 aces away from 150 and 24 kills away from 300

Molly is 3 kills away from 150 

Catherine is 2 kills away from 100

Here were the MATCH LEADERS for these last 4 matches:

MATCH LEADERS

ACES: Nadia 12, Mackenna 9, Sophie 8

SERVE RATING (4=ace, 0=err) : Lynn 2.33, Nadia 2.23, Mackenna 2.19

RECEIVE PERFECT PASS (3): Mackenna 19 Maren 11, Ayina 7

PERFECT PASS %: Mackenna 32.8  Maren 28.9, Ayina 28.0

RECEIVE RATING (3=perfect, 0=gave up ace): Mackenna 2.03, Ayina 1.84, Sophie 1.73

KILLS: Mackenna 32, Claire 14, Molly 13

HIT EFF. (k-e/total att) : Catherine .412,  Claire .194  

KILL %: Catherine 52.9,  Molly 44.8,  Claire 38.9

DIGS: Nadia 28,  Sophie 24, Mackenna 20

BLOCKS: Molly 3,  Natalie 1

ASSISTS:  Nadia 82, Mackenna 10,  Maren 3

BEST POINT SCORERS: Mackenna 41, Molly 16,  Nadia and Claire 14

BEST NET POINT SCORERS (0 or higher w/at least 5 earned pts.): Catherine 6, Natalie 5, Claire 4

TREND LINES BEGIN TO DEFINE LATE SEASON PUSH

 9th Graders

Elizabeth 1-2 Loss - Frosh come back set 2 and win after a set 1 25-19 loss and flip the script with a 25-19 set 2 win but come up short in the 3rd set as Elizabeth served and defended a little better than the Top

Chatham / Cranford / New Providence - a combined 6-0 set sweep over these 3 local rivals push the record of the Hilltoppers to 10W-7L for the year with one match left in the season.  Summit was 4W-6L on 10/6 and have gone 6W-1L in the 2nd half of the season to show their growth and development!

JUNIOR VARSITY

The JV Squad, now known as the Cardiac Kids,  have gone 3W-1L in the last 4 matches heading into the County Tournament.  Although the team lost to the Minutewomen of Elizabeth on the road in a tight 0-2 score-line,  the team has now won 3 consecutive 3 set matches,  upsetting Cranford,  Chatham and New Providence!  SHS has used an improved offense and serving attack to get to 8 Wins in the season!

VARSITY

The Hilltoppers have continued to be frustratingly competitive with some good programs in the last 4 matches.  Elizabeth had the SHS Squad come out on fire just to see serving errors and hitting errors give away the first set and never allow the Top be in the match in set 2.

Then the team played as consistent as they had the entire season in a tight 2 set battle versus the Chatham Cougars that saw SHS win the key points late in comeback set victories for the win!

Cranford was the next match (PINK OUT) and the team came out flying and took the #4 squad to the brink with a set 1 unlikely victory but had errors late in set 2 to give Cranford the chance it needed to close out a great match in 3 sets in favor of the Cougars.

New Prov lost to SHS in 3 at Summit earlier in the season in a very tight match that Summit won in September due to great pressure serving in set 3 which proved to be decisive.  Well,  the Pioneers returned the favor at their place and,  despite the amazing offensive production by the Top,  it was the serve receive (or NP serving) which made the difference in set 3 as the #8 Union County squad beat SHS, the #7 team,  at home in 3.

The Squad will host Rahway in the first round of Counties on 10/22,  has Senior Night on 10/29 versus Linden and close it out with Dayton on Halloween and Rahway in a best 3/5 on Saturday the 1st in a state tournament tune-up.  

Here were the MATCH LEADERS for this past 4 Match Week:

MATCH LEADERS

ACES: Mackenna 10, Sophie 8, Lynn 3

SERVE RATING (4=ace, 0=err) : Mackenna 2.29, Sophie 2.06, Lynn 2.0

RECEIVE PERFECT PASS (3): Mackenna 15, Maren 6, Sophie 4

PERFECT PASS %: Mackenna 25.9  Claire 18.8, Sophie 18.2

RECEIVE RATING (3=perfect, 0=gave up ace): Sophie 1.89, Mackenna 1.83, Rylen 1.52

KILLS: Mackenna 32, Claire 19, Molly 13

HIT EFF. (k-e/total att) : Catherine .400, Molly .273, Mackenna .061

KILL %: Molly 44.8, Catherine 40.0, Mackenna 32.7

DIGS: Mackenna 27, Maren 22, Nadia 16

BLOCKS: Catherine / Molly / Claire 2

ASSISTS:  Nadia 72, Mackenna 10

BEST POINT SCORERS: Mackenna 43, Claire 21, Molly 15

BEST NET POINT SCORERS (0 or higher w/at least 5 earned pts.): Catherine 6, Molly 4, Rachel 1  

FOUR MORE MATCHES - FOUR MORE INTERESTING RESULTS

9th Graders Have Turn-Around Week

9th Graders go 3W-1L this week to go to 7W-6L as the team struggled with their serving early but seemed to turn it around in the last 2 matches of the week to finish with a dominant 2-0 win versus the Barons of Woodbridge.  The young Hilltoppers will test themselves this week with matchups versus Elizabeth (1-2 loss in first matchup), Chatham (won 2-0 last year)  and Cranford (lost 1-2 in a scrimmage)  for PINK OUT !!!

JV Improve But Victories Are Elusive

JV went 1W-3L but was more competitive versus some of their opposition this time around the conference schedule which was clearly evident in the tight matches versus the Highlanders of GL (leading late in set 2), the Dragons of Kent Place (led in both sets late), the split earned with Scotch-Plains Fanwood and the 3 set battle versus the Barons of Woodbridge.

This week will be a challenge for the Top as the Summit JV take on Elizabeth who were victorious 2-0 over the Top in their first meeting.  Chatham took SHS in 2 last year as well in their last meeting and Cranford was also victorious over the Top 2-1 in a scrimmage in August.

Varsity Fight For Win versus SPF But Consistent Wins Evade the Top

Varsity will try to get a pivotal victory over the Minutewomen as they look to gain momentum for states in their 2nd match this season.  With a win,  the Top will guarantee themselves another season in the Watchung next year as well.  The first outing saw Elizabeth win 2-1 with a scoring advantage of 37-28 largely on the back of a 15-7 ace tally in favor of the visitors.  Summit was close on kill numbers, losing that battle by a 22-18 tally but Elizabeth committed only 3 hitting errors the entire match while SHS tallied 15.

Chatham matchups have been classics these last few seasons.  In 2023 Summit won 25-18, 25-23 at home. In 2024,  SHS won a classic battle on the road 25-23, 25-23.  What will 2025 bring? Undoubtedly another classic state tournament like match.

Lastly, the Cranford Cougars visit the Top on Thursday for the team's Dig Pink Night!  Cranford took two of three sets in this year's scrimmage by 25-21,  14-25 and 28-30 scores in a preview of the match to come.  Cranford has all but locked up the Mountain Division Title and will be moving up to the Watchung Division in 2026 but for this year,  the Cougars are looking to send a message to the County as they did when they traveled to UC and stunned the Vikings on the road.  

This week the Hilltoppers dropped a 2-0 decision to GL but showed still an error rate on offense and serving that was too high as the 25-13, 25-17 scores would indicate even though the SHS squad was only out-killed by a 14-11 margin for the match.

Kent Place dropped the Top 2-0 for the 2nd time this week by 25-23 and 25-16 scores.  SHS came back from 20-17 down to take a 22-20 lead in set 1 and 23-22 but failed to close out the Dragons.  Set 2 saw the Top trail 14-12 but later tied 15-15 but they were out-scored 11-1 from that point on to drop that 2nd set.

SPF was a pivotal match for the Top as a loss would all but guarantee a drop in Division by Summit but a win could put the SHS side in a position to stay up.  The match was a classic with SHS taking set 1 25-18,  dropping set 2 25-18 but saw Summit trail 23-9 and go on an 9-0 run to make it interesting at the end with a 23-18 score that forced a Raider TO before SPF closed it out.  

Set 3 came down to the very last 10 points as it has been the case most of the season.  SHS trailed 20-17 but a hitting error by the visitors led to an ace by Natalie who followed up with another tough serve which gave the SHS D a chance to get the ball to Claire who put it down for a kill to knot the score up at 20.  Another 2 Claire kills and a setting error by the visitors had Summit up 23-20 forcing a SPF TO.  The Raiders got a big kill out of the TO and then saw the Top tally 2 hitting errors to see the scoreboard go to 23-23.  SHS got a pivotal perfect pass by Maren and they eventually got a tip kill by Claire to give Summit a match point at 24-23.  On the match point play,  SHS saw Claire swing away, Nadia tip and Catherine block an attack but no point was earned.  SHS won on a 2nd ball return error by the SPF L who was trying to get the ball to the Raider's best OH but failed to do so to give SHS a 25-23 win!  

Less than 15 hours later the squad took on the Barons of Woodbridge in a best 3 of 5 match but the Squad was just off from the level of performance they showed against SPF as they dropped a 25-17, 25-20, 25-21 decision to the visitors.  Summit gave up 22 aces in the match which proved to be the deciding factor in a match that had the Top notch 23 kills despite only passing at a 1.23 rating.  

Summit's offense seems to be on the right track and just needs to produce less errors and the serving woes seem to be in the rearview mirror with the serve receive looking solid on most matchups now.  

Here were the MATCH LEADERS for this past week:

MATCH LEADERS

ACES: Sophie 6,  Rylen / Lynn 4

SERVE RATING (4=ace, 0=err) : Sophie 2.24, Nadia 2.06, Rylen 2.00

RECEIVE PERFECT PASS (3): Maren 18, Mackenna 17, Rylen 5

PERFECT PASS %: Mackenna 37.8  Maren 27.3, Rylen 15.6

RECEIVE RATING (3=perfect, 0=gave up ace): Mackenna 1.96  Maren 1.58, Sophie 1.29

KILLS: Claire 25, Mackenna 23, Molly 12

HIT EFF. (k-e/total att) : Molly .182,   Claire .179,  Lily .118

KILL %: Claire 37.3,  Molly 36.4,  Lily 29.4

DIGS: Mackenna 24, Maren 23, Sophie 18

BLOCKS: Catherine 4, Molly / Nadia / Claire 2

ASSISTS:  Nadia 68

BEST POINT SCORERS: Claire 27,  Mackenna 26,  Molly 14

BEST NET POINT SCORERS (0 or higher w/at least 1 earned pt.): Claire 9,   Molly 6,  Catherine 1  

TOUGH WEEK OF RESULTS BUT TEAMS ARE IMPROVING

 9th Graders faced an uphill battle this week with Westfield and Columbia but showed how far they have come with a 3 set thriller that finished WF's way and a tough 2 setter on the road against a very good Cougar Squad.  This week will prove to be another tough one with GL, Madison, SPF and Woodbridge on the schedule.  Let's see how far the team has come this week!

JV lost their starting setter Maddie to illness and had Naomi step in a a tough week to learn on the fly but the young athlete did just fine under the circumstances.  The Squad dropped a 2-0 decision to WF,  took the win by 2-0 over ALJ and dropped 2-0 decisions to Columbia and Kent Place.  This week will prove to be a real test of the team's development and we are hoping to get Maddie back and see what the team can accomplish when fully healthy.

Varsity committed to this new lineup change (Mackenna OH, Molly OPP, Nadia Setter, Lily MB) at the Millburn Classic and thanks to the team's showing there especially vs West Orange in the Quarter-Finals,  the decision was made to stick with it as the team's passing and offensive output skyrocketed in comparison to the previous 9 matches.  With 4 matches this previous week (WF, ALJ, COLUMBIA, KP),  to gather data on the performances,  this week would determine the success or lack thereof using this lineup in actual matchups.  

The team pushed the then #8 team in NJ to the end in a very tough 2 set loss.  SHS dominated the narrative versus the ALJ squad in a 2-0 win.  In one of the best matches in recent history,  the Top dropped a 25-27, 25-27, 25-15, 25-21, 14-16 decision to the Cougars.  The team ended the week dropping a pair of tough 25-20 set decisions to the Dragons of Kent Place in a match decided by each team's serving prowess at the end of each set.

Needless to say,  the record of 1W-3L for the week did not quite tell the story.  In the prior 9 matches,  Summit was averaging 2 aces per set,  just under 7 kills and about .75 blocks per set which meant the team was only scoring 9.55 points per set and relying on the opposition for the remaining 15 points, not a winning formula.

This past week,  the team is hitting for nearly 4.5 aces per set,  a little over 9.5 kills per set and even improved their blocking per set by about .1 for about 14.5 points per set,  a drastic improvement in the point scoring fueled by a drastic improvement in the serve receive numbers of the squad with the new receive patterns.  Fans of the squad will see more of this "new team" this week and we hope to see the wins start to follow with this new lineup's offensive and reception production.

This week:

KILLS        SHS 102    OPPONENTS 79

BLOCKS    SHS 9        OPPONENTS 11

ACES         SHS 47       OPPONENTS 33

TTL PTS    SHS 158 (14.36 per set)     OPP 123 (11.18 per set)

PASS RATING    SHS 1.74    OPPONENTS 1.40

SIDEOUT %        SHS 48.7    OPPONENTS 48.3

PT SCORE %       SHS 51.7    OPPONENTS 51.3

HIT ERR/ SERV ERR/ FREE ERR/ FAULTS

SHS 124 PTS (11.27 pts per set)  OPPONENTS 84 PTS  (7.64 pts per set)

This is a situation where the numbers do tell the story of a team that can score on anyone and force the issue but has still too many errors to keep opponents in the mix.  

Here were the MATCH LEADERS for this past week:

MATCH LEADERS

ACES: Mackenna 13  Sophie 10  Nadia / Lynn 8

SERVE RATING (4=ace, 0=err) : Lynn 2.22  Nadia 2.18   Sophie 2.17

RECEIVE PERFECT PASS (3): Mackenna 21 Maren 12  Sophie 11

PERFECT PASS %: Mackenna 37.5  Sophie 27.5 and Maren 23.5

RECEIVE RATING (3=perfect, 0=gave up ace): Mackenna 1.79  Sophie 1.79  Maren 1.76

KILLS: Mackenna 41  Claire 24  Molly 12

HIT EFF. (k-e/total att) : Catherine .429  Claire .220  Lily .182

KILL %: Catherine 47.6  Claire 40.7  Mackenna 38.3

DIGS: Mackenna 36  Maren / Sophie 15  Rylen 13

BLOCKS: Catherine 4  Molly 3  Nadia / Lily 2

ASSISTS:  Nadia 88

BEST POINT SCORERS: Mackenna 55   Claire 24   Molly 15

BEST NET POINT SCORERS (0 or higher w/at least 1 earned pt.): Catherine 8  Lily 3  Claire 3  

SUMMIT SHOWS DRASTIC IMPROVEMENT VS WESTFIELD / JV and VARSITY EARN WINS VS ALJ

The 9th Graders bounced back nicely versus the Blue Devils after a first set loss and took their opponents to an incredibly close third set finish which saw the squad succumb to the Westfield Squad by a mere 2 points.

JV also showed great improvement as the squad played a much more competitive match versus the Blue Devils at home as the Hilltoppers got much more offense than their first matchup and saw a better defensive output as the team kept plays alive after Westfield attacks to give themselves better transition opportunities.  Westfield played a much more consistent game overall however and were effective on offense which allowed them to end up on top 2-0 at the end.

Varsity had seen a very dominant Westfield squad on the road and the number 8 team in the state looked to replicate the effort in this matchup as they visited the Hilltoppers in the 2nd match this season. But that expectation went quickly out the window as the Top managed to stay in touch with and push the top 10 Blue Devils throughout the 2 sets.  

The Summit squad out served the Blue Devils netting a 9-8 advantage in aces which meant more to the match once you factored in the errors which were 5 for SHS and 9 for WF to give Summit a net gain of 5 points.  But the difference in the match was the key offensive points late in each set which the Blue Devils won from the service line and the offensive line.  Summit lost the kill battle 19-12 but fracturing the errors,  SHS lost the offensive battle by 10 points in the match which proved to be a main factor in this tight match that was decided late.  

In set 1; Summit was only outscored by a 13-12 margin but out passed Westfield 2.14 to 1.13 and out aced the visitors 5-0 which gave them a chance late in the set.  The late points in the set were a microcosm of the match as the SHS kept asking questions of the Blue Devils but the WF side was able to find a final answer each time.  Summit was down 16-12 but Mackenzie got a tip kill to get SHS 16-13. A missed serve by Summit was followed by another Mackenna kill and a Sophie ace to put the score at 17-15. WF got a kill but Lily got the ball back for the Summit side with a key point out of the middle which was followed by a Mackenna ace for an 18-17 score line and a Blue Devil TO.  But the next 3 points off the TO went the visitor’s way with a kill and 2 SHS errors which forced a Martins TO at 21-17. The Top managed only 2 more points to Westfield’s 4 which saw WF out kill Summit 2-0 in that stretch which proved to be the difference.  

Set 2 

With the score 20-14 WF,  SHS went on a 4-0 run fueled by a Blue Devil service error and 3 consecutive aces by Lynn forcing a Westfield TO but a service error by the Summit side saw WF take advantage with a kill and 3 aces to win 25-18.  WF outscored Summit 17-9 but stayed in the game by only notching one serving error to 4 aces while WF got 8 aces but also tallied 5 errors. 

Despite the loss, the Hilltoppers continued their consistent play from the weekend tournament and looked to do the same against ALJ the following match.

JV earned their 4th win of the season with a 2-0 win versus the ALJ squad in a match that saw the Hilltoppers dominate from the service line and out-kill their opponents by a wide margin to earn a well deserved victory.

Varsity continued its good play earning a 25-15, 25-17 win versus the visiting ALJ Squad in a match that had SHS out score the visitors 11-4 in set 1 and 20-9 in the 2nd set in a dominant performance to earn their 3rd win of the season.  Summit service errors (10 of them) kept their serve percentage below 80% but a near 25% ace percentage made up for it as did the team’s hitting efficiency clicked for .316 with a kill percentage of nearly 48%.  

Taking into account both matchups, here were the team leaders:

MATCH LEADERS

ACES: Mackenna 7 and Sophie 5

SERVE RATING (4=ace, 0=err) : Rylen 2.67 and Mackenna 2.50

RECEIVE PERFECT PASS (3): Mackenna 7 and Rylen/Maren with 4

PERFECT PASS %: Rylen 44.4 and Mackenna 33.3

RECEIVE RATING (3=perfect, 0=gave up ace): Rylen 2.10 and Sophie 2.00

KILLS: Mackenna 12 and Catherine 5

HIT EFF. (k-e/total att) : Catherine .556 and Lily .250

KILL %: Catherine 55.6 and Lily 50.0

DIGS: Mackenna 10 and Rylen 4

BLOCKS: Lily and Maddie 1

ASSISTS:  Nadia 28

BEST POINT SCORERS: Mackenna 19 and Lily/Catherine/Sophie 5

BEST NET POINT SCORERS (0 or higher w/at least 1 earned pt.): Lily/Catherine/Mackenna +2

 

A SUMMARY OF THE PAST HANDFUL OF MATCHES

9TH GRADERS SIT AT 4W-3L AFTER A SPLIT OF THE LAST 2 MATCHES

In a quick look at the last 2 matches,  the 9th graders struggled to match the serve receive and defense of the Minutewomen and despite getting the match to a 3rd set,  the squad could not overcome the Elizabeth consistency and dropped the match 2-1 but came back versus the Vikings of Union Catholic and took the visitors in 2 with improvement in defensive transition.  The squad continues to show improvement on their defensive play and will look to test themselves against the Westfield Blue Devils on Monday who swept them in 2 last matchup.

JV GOES 2W - 2 L TO IMPROVE TO 3W-6L

JV traveled to their neighbor's house at Oak Knoll and took away a 2-0 victory using their offense and consistent serving attack to separate from the Royals late in each set.  

Elizabeth was next and the Minutewomen out-served and out defended the Top in each set and despite a good showing in the 2nd set,  it was the Elizabeth defense and serving attack which always got the best of the Hilltopers in winning 2-0.

The Vikings were next and the squad showed drastic improvement in the 2nd matchup but still came up short versus the UC squad.

The team bounced back nicely though against Madison and came away with a 2-0 victory with an especially effective offensive production led by the squad's serving attack.

VARSITY INJURIES A FACTOR AS A 0-4 STRETCH DROPS RECORD TO 2W-7L

The team continued to struggle to get their offense going with Molly coming back from an ankle injury but then losing both Rachel and Nat in a space of a week which has forced the squad to get creative in its scoring offense by putting Nadia in the setting position, moving Molly to the opposite and getting Mackenna into the OH spot.  Although the switch has yet to yield results,  the tournament performance of the team at Millburn this past weekend gives the team hope for the upcoming week with 4 matches on the calendar.

The squad dropped a pair of 1-2 decisions to the Royals of Oak Knoll and the Minutewomen of Elizabeth in matches that saw the Top both dominate offensively but see their serving or their passing let them down at key points of the game.  That led to a lackluster first set in both the UC and the Madison matches which led to better but yet imperfect set 2s that yielded a loss.  

For this stretch, here were the leaders:

MATCH LEADERS

ACES: Mackenna 5

SERVE RATING (4=ace, 0=err) : Catherine 2.25

RECEIVE PERFECT PASS (3): Mackenna 14

PERFECT PASS %: Mackenna 31.1

RECEIVE RATING (3=perfect, 0=gave up ace): Mackenna 1.96

KILLS: Mackenna 28

HIT EFF. (k-e/total att) : Mackenna .087

KILL %: Mackenna 35.0

DIGS: Mackenna 20

BLOCKS: Catherine 4

ASSISTS:  Nadia 31

BEST POINT SCORERS: Mackenna 34

BEST NET POINT SCORERS (0 or higher w/at least 1 earned pt.): Catherine and Nat +2

FROSH HILLTOPPERS DROP A TOUGH 2-1 DECISION TO LANCERS; JV CONTINUE TO IMPROVE IN LOSS; VARSITY STRUGGLE TO SCORE WITHOUT DEVANEY

 The 9th Graders continue to show improvement despite their 2nd loss of the season.  The serve receive was much improved after some technical changes and the team seems to have found some consistency from the service line and on offense... GL out defended them in transition and the visitors were able to score more often in that phase of the game which was the difference in the match.

JV faced off against another tough serving and hitting team and again showed resiliency in their game as the team was able to mitigate some of the Lancers power with key digs and serving runs of their own.  The consistency in the GL attack eventually wore down the Top and in the 2nd set,  the Hilltoppers were within 3 points late but a late ace and a kill by GL after a Hilltopper hitting error sealed the deal but the young crew (mainly Sophs) continues to show improvement as they face stiff opposition on a game by game basis.

Varsity was without the services of Ayina and Molly but were looking to use their serving and consistent attack to match the GL attack led by A. Kim.  The match was ripped open on the Kim service spot as the GL OH went on a 10-0 service run that gave the Lancers an 11 point cushion that remained until the end of the set at 25-12.  The only silver lining was that the Top were able to stymie her service run the 2nd time around and played even the rest of the way, hope for the 2nd set.

Unfortunately the 2nd set went much the same way of the first with the Hilltoppers yielding too many hitting errors and wasting opportunities to score while the GL crew got some key kills to extend service runs in transition to beat the SHS side by an average of 2-1 or 3-1 in any given service rotation due to the serve receive woes of the squad.  Final score of 25-12 again served as a reminder of the recent offensive struggles by the team.  with a 2W-3L record,  the team face a tough week versus the Royals of Oak Knoll on Monday on the road,  the Minutewomen of Elizabeth and SPF at home Wednesday and Thursday respectively.  The Top has handled their Summit neighbors in recent history, split with Elizabeth last year and so far this year has had a razor this advantage over SPF, winning 4 of 6 sets by an average of only 3.2 points across all sets.

MATCH LEADERS

ACES: Sophie and Mackenna 1

SERVE RATING (4=ace, 0=err) : Sophie 2.29

RECEIVE PERFECT PASS (3): Maren 4

PERFECT PASS %: Maren 28.6%

RECEIVE RATING (3=perfect, 0=gave up ace): Rylen and Maren 1.68

KILLS: Madison 2

HIT EFF. (k-e/total att) : Madison .250

KILL %: Madison 50%

DIGS: Lynn and Maren 5

BLOCKS: none

ASSISTS:  Mackenna 4

BEST POINT SCORERS: Madison 2, Sophie/Natalie/Claire/Mackenna with 1

BEST NET POINT SCORERS (0 or higher w/at least 1 earned pt.): none

BLUE DEVILS TOO MUCH FOR THE HILLTOPPERS

The Summit Program traveled to Westfield to take on the Blue Devils across all 3 levels.  The Blue Devils proved yet again that not only are they a perennial top 2 team in the county but also one of the top 15 programs in the state.

Summit finally dropped a match at the 9th grade level for the first time in over one year (amazing feat !!!) going down to the Blue Devils 25-12, 25-18.  Although the team showed some of the positives of the past 3 matches,  its serve receive faltered due to a Westfield consistent serving attack.

Junior Varsity dropped set 1to the Blue Devils as the Westfield side kept the Top at bay on the serve and dominated on attack.  Set 2 was the reverse,  Summit used a very consistent and nearly flawless serve attack (1 error all set) with an efficient attack and opportunistic defensive stops (2 blocks, 5 digs) to take the set from the Westfield side in a surprising result.  Set 3 unfortunately saw the home side again trouble the Top from the service line and the Summit crew could not adjust or match their effort and succumbed to a very good WF squad 2-1.

Varsity dropped a 2 set decision to Westfield by a 25-13, 25-9 score line.  The numbers show a clear Blue Devil advantage with the Top losing the kill battle 14-11,  out blocked 4-1 and out-aced 5-3 for a WF total scoring advantage of 23-15 but that would indicate a much closer match than it turned out to be... but when one factors in the combined 18 service and attack errors by the Top,  you don't need a PHD in vball analytics to identify the problem.  Summit will try to regain the consistency they showed at the Healing the Children Tourney this past weekend with a tough matchup against the potent GL squad.  

Despite the error numbers,  SHS matched the Westfield serve receive rating with a 1.67 a very big silver lining which could yield great results for the future if the consistency game to game remains.  

MATCH LEADERS

ACES: Nadia, Lynn, Molly 1

SERVE RATING (4=ace, 0=err) : Lynn 2.50

RECEIVE PERFECT PASS (3): Maren 4

PERFECT PASS %: Maren 44.4%

RECEIVE RATING (3=perfect, 0=gave up ace): Lynn 2.29

KILLS: Claire 6

HIT EFF. (k-e/total att) : Claire .154

KILL %: Claire 46.2%

DIGS: Mackenna 3

BLOCKS: Molly, Mackenna 1

ASSISTS:  Mackenna 7

BEST POINT SCORERS: Claire 6, Molly 3, Mackenna 3

BEST NET POINT SCORERS (0 or higher): Lynn +1

VARSITY REPEATS AS HEALING THE CHILDREN TOURNEY CHAMPION

Saturday Tournaments  are an opportunity for the teams to work on consistency, new offensive or serve receive patterns and to give the future of the program an opportunity to get some invaluable experience.  

This tournament was no different as Mackenna got to set 3.5 times in round robin play and got to play as an OH the rest of the time which opened the door for Nadia to run the squad as the setter.  With Natalie and Lynn taking the ACT during the round robin portion of the tournament,  Ayina and Rylen got lots of opportunities to pass and play D throughout the sets and Maddie got to roll through the OH position a few times.  Lily also got in replacing Catherine in the MB spot but unfortunately left early due to illness.  

Once Natalie and Lynn arrived,  they were used in the playoffs so they could get some Saturday reps,  especially after a minor injury to Ayina opened up a playing spot for a DS.

RAHWAY 

Summit ripped off a series of aces late and had key kills out of the middle to beat the Indians 25-21 late in set 1 after trailing most of the set.

Summit dropped set 2 to Rahway 25-21 as the serving errors and quick consecutive aces by the Indians proved to be the difference at the midpoint of the set.

ROSELLE PARK

RP dominated the SHS crew from the service line which stifled the Summit offense and led to a comfortable 25-19 win by the Roselle Park team

Set 2 semed to be going much the same route as the scrappy and opportunistic team were leading late 20-16 but then the service attack from the Top came to life and in 2 rotations the Summit squad had aced their way to a 23-22 lead and closed it out through their OH 25-22.

SCOTCH-PLAINS FANWOOD

In their 2nd meeting of the week and 4th and 5th set overall,  the SPF team took the first set 25-19 relying on a nearly perfect serving attack that kept the squad at bay despite Mackenna getting some great production from the OH position.  Serving errors proved to be a major factor in the set loss.

In set 2 however the script flipped as it was the Summit squad who dominated from the service line and allowed the team to come back from a slight deficit late to get multiple match points, fight off one and eventually ace their way to a 30-28 set win.

PLAYOFFS

Madison #1 1st round bye

SPF #2 1st Round Bye

Rahway #3 vs. Roselle Park #6

Summit #4 vs. Roselle Catholic #5

QUARTER-FINALS - Roselle Catholic

With Lynn and Natalie playing for the first time all day,  the squad had a new OH combination and a new serve receive partnership with Lynn filling in for Ayina (out with minor ankle injury).  

Lynn served for Natalie out of rotation 2 and picked up where she left off as a serving specialist blowing the one set elimination wide open with a point service run (3 aces) and Mackenna finished it off late with a 6 point run to lead the Top to a 25-12 set win.  Natalie led the squad with 4 kills. 

SEMI-FINALS - SPF

Madison vs Roselle Park (upset Rahway 25-22)

RP beats Madison in a nail-biter to reach 2nd consecutive final

SPF vs. Summit (defeated RC 25-12)

Summit took a near perfect serving attack (2 errors to 6 aces) and key kills from the OHs Claire and Natalie to power the Top to the win.  Serve receive was solid with Sophie, Rylen and Maren leading the way and Lynn coming up with key digs late to help the transition attack. 

FINALS - ROSELLE PARK

Summit split the round robin, winning their set with late service runs that propelled them to a split but the Park squad really won the transition game and stifled the SHS offense.  In the finals,  SHS was able to pass better,  serve with more consistency to match the RP efforts and held a lead late 20-16 lead before 2 consecutive hitting errors led to a 21-22 RP scoreline.  SHS managed to ride Molly's serving to a 24-23 lead late and the tourney game point was an anti-climactic foot fault by RP to give SHS the 25-23 Tourney win!

FROSH ROLL TO WINS 2 AND 3 / JV SHOWS IMPROVEMENT VS UC AND GETS WIN OVER PIONEERS / VARSITY FIGHTS HARD VS VIKINGS AND EARNS A TOUGH WIN VS NEW PROV

 9th GRADERS GO TO 3 WINS - 0L

The 9th grade squad continued its march toward improvement with a 2-0 win over the Vikings of UC after using a dominant serving attack to take set 1 25-10.  Set 2 proved to be a bit more challenging for the Top as the squad saw the UC team come back late in the set to within 3 but the Hilltoppers hung tough  together and took the set and win 25-21.

The Frosh continued their stellar serving and much improved serve receive in their match vs the Pioneers of New Prov as the team pressured the visitors in set 1 with their serving and near flawless defense to take set 1 25-10.  Set 2 was going much the same way early as the young athletes held a 10-3 lead but NP got on a 3 rotation serving run sandwiched around some Hilltopper kills and service errors and soon the Pioneers were within striking distance late at 21-19.  But the 9th graders got their key serves in and did not allow an ace down the stretch as the team closed it out 25-21 for their 3rd win of the season.

JV SPLIT WITH VIKINGS AND PIONEERS TO MOVE TO 1W-2L

JV struggled a bit on serve receive early and couldn't find any rhythm on offense until late in set 1 but the damage was done early and UC took set 1.  Set 2 proved to be a much more difficult affair for the visitors as SHS kept fighting back to within 1 or 2 points but the Vikings converted on key transition plays down the stretch to close out the Top 25-22 in a match that showed the JV they had a lot of potential and were starting to develop some chemistry.

That potential and team chemistry was seen against the match vs New Prov as the team was locked in a tight duel with NP at 16-15 but ended up going on a 9-1 run to take set 1 25-16.  Set 2 was a bit more dominant from the service line as the Top rattled off serve after serve to control the tempo of the game and allow SHS to earn their first win with a 25-14 win off great pressured hitting and serving. 

VARSITY GOES TO 2W-1L AFTER A HARD FOUGHT 3 SET BATTLE WITH THE PIONEERS

SET 1 25-23 SHS        SET 2  20-25        SET 3  25-22 

SHS trailed early 3-1 but Claire got a kill to get the Top going and Molly ripped an ace to get SHS to 3-3.  Both teams continued to trade kills and aces over the next few rotations and Molly again found the floor with a quick 1 after an Ayina dig and the Hilltoppers were up 9-8.  But a service error and an error on attack flipped the score again to 9-11 New Prov.  The set then progressed through a series of mini runs which had each team feeling like they had control of the set.  First,  Claire put down a transition kill which was followed by a Pioneer attack error and an ace by Rylen and SHS went up 14-12.  That was promptly followed by a 2-0 visitor run to knot up the teams at 14.  Both squads traded points over the next few rotations and then a kill by Nat started a 4-1 run (Molly kill, Mackenna ace) which forced a Pioneer TO trailing 21-19.

Off the TO,  both teams kept trading points off hitting or service errors,  a reflection of early season nerves.  Result was SHS with a set point at 24-22 but a service error gave the ball back to New Prov at 24-23.  Claire then put up a good reception that Mackenna quickly set the soph up with and Claire put it away for a kill and the set win.

Summit passed at a 1.95 rating, best of the year,  but served at only a 1.74 rating (8 service errors), a key factor in keeping New Prov in the set.  But the Hilltopper offense was stellar in the set,  hitting for 12 kills and only 4 errors for a .258 efficiency and nearly a 40% kill % led by Claire's 5 kiils.

Set 2

Before the fans had a chance to come off the relief of a close set 1 win,  New Prov had run off with a 6-1 lead to open set 2.  The offense kept chipping away at the lead relying on Claire to lead the way and after a quick 2 kills by the soph,  SHS had gotten to within 2 at 6-8.  The set was fairly even from that point and the Pioneers had a 12-9 lead midway but again the Top allowed a quick 3 point burst and the lead ballooned to 15-9.  

A Mackenna dump kill and a Claire kill got the Top some momentum but again 2 quick errors had NP up by 17-12.  An ace by Claire and a block by Mackenna had the Summit crew within 3 again at 19-16 but SHS just could not get any sustained run going to make up for the 6-1 opening run and the final 25-20 reflected the impact of that early run.

SHS again struggled to keep serves in with another 5 errors and only a 1.67 rating.  The passing also dropped off to a 1.66 rating but the offense continued to click despite all of that with a .318 efficiency off a 9 kill 2 error effort led again by Claire's 5 kills and a 41% kill %.

SET 3

With the Top down 2-3 early,  Rachel got the team going with a kill that sparked a 5-0 run (2 kills Molly, 2 kills Claire) to give Summit a 7-3 lead.  New Prov responded with a 5-0 run of their own after a Summit service error but yet again SHS looked to Claire for a change of momentum and another kill by the soph halted the run at 8-8.  Catherine chipped in with a block and Mackenna destroyed an overpass as Ayina served the Pioneers into trouble to get the home side a 14-9 lead.  Maren continued the serving pressure which led to 2 consecutive New Prov errors and a Summit 16-10 lead that forced a visitor's TO.

Off the time-out the SHS crew continued to roll to an 18-11 lead but 3 consecutive Summit attack errors got New Prov to within 4 at 18-14.  A service error by the visitors led to another Claire kill to seemingly give the Top an insurmountable 20-14 lead late in the match.  It seemed inevitable after another Catherine block and a Green and White hitting error and the scoreboard showing 22-15.  

But then,  a kill by NP and an ace had SHS up 22-17.  Dump kill by Catherine, 23-17.  Hitting error Summit,  23-19.  Claire kill 24-18, match point... Kill New Prov x 3 after 3 poor receptions by Summit and Coach was forced into a TO at 24-21.  Another tough serve by the visitors led to another Pioneer kill (24-22) but a Sophie reception that had the team in system lead to a sequence that drew a net call against the Pioneers and the Top, finally, ended the match and set at 25-22.

Summit's serving yielded 3 more errors and only an ace but was so consistently tough that it was the best rated serve rating of the match at 2.12.  The passing struggled at times with only a 1.62 rating but Maren managed to pass nearly perfectly 40% of the time and led the squad with a 2.06 rating which helped SHS continue their highly efficient offense (.261) which was the most lethal of the 3 sets (43.5%).  Led by Claire's 6 kills for the set.  

 MATCH LEADERS

ACES: Molly 3

SERVE RATING (4=ace, 0=err) : Mackenna-Rylen 2.20

RECEIVE PERFECT PASS (3): Maren-Claire 4

PERFECT PASS %: Claire 33.3%

RECEIVE RATING (3=perfect, 0=gave up ace): Maren 1.70

KILLS: Claire 16

HIT EFF. (k-e/total att) : Claire .400

KILL %: Claire 53.3%

DIGS: Maren 11

BLOCKS: Catherine 2

ASSISTS:  Mackenna 26

BEST POINT SCORERS: Claire 17, Molly 10, Mackenna 6

BEST NET POINT SCORERS: Claire +9, Catherine 4, Rachel-Molly +2

FROSH TAKE 2 FROM THE RAIDERS, JV DROPS A 2-0 DECISION AND VARSITY WINS 2-1 IN A THRILLING CONTEST

 The 9th Graders opened up their season with a 2-0 win versus SPF 25-22, 25-14... The squad has been working a lot on serve receive formations and serve receive and it showed today as the team used their improved passing to secure a win, their first in the 2025 campaign.

JV struggled early in the match versus SPF dropping the first set 25-13 but bounced back nicely in set 2 despite a 23-25 loss.  The squad will look to carry the momentum of set 2 into tomorrow's matchup versus the Vikings of Union Catholic.

VARSITY AND SPF GO THE DISTANCE

The Summit and Scotch-Plains Fanwood rivalry goes back years and always seems to be a classic matchup decided by a few points each time.  This one was no different and repeated an earlier matchup in Summer League versus the Raiders.  

SET 1

SHS started off nervously despite 3 perfect serve receive passes by Ayina as the Top hit for an error on the deciding third touch on 4 of the first 5 points.  Molly was able to put away a ball out of the middle and Summit saw a 1-4 deficit as Molly stepped up to serve after receiving a ball back into SPF's court that was left unplayed.  This sparked a 4-0 run in which Catherine and Mackenna both notched kills to get SHS to a 5-4 lead.  With the team trailing 6-7,  SHS ran off a 7-1 run with kills by Claire and Mackenna and an ace by Maren to give the Black and Gold the 14-7 lead.  Summit did not let up and ran off another 4 points (kill Nat and 2 kills Mackenna) after a brak of serve and it all looked all but over with an 18-8 lead.  

Someone forgot to tell SPF that fact and after a 13-0 home team run,  SHS unbelievable were down 18-21.  A service error and a hitting error got SHS to 20-21.  Teams traded points and SHS missed a serve to flip the scoreboard to the 21-23.  Rachel though had a monster solo block on the Raider's OH and Summit was only down 22-23.  A net call negated any good feelings as the Top were facing a set point against.  

Lynn put up a decent pass that Mackenna dropped in the path of Claire who crushed it line for a 23-24 scoreline.  Claire then stepped up in this crucial moment and the Soph delivered a great serve that was overpassed to the delight of Catherine who put it down for a kill to stave off a set point.

SPF forces an errant pass by the Top, 25-24 SPF.

Serving error home team, SHS 25- SPF 25.

Another clutch serve by Ayina, Sophie with a key dig sent over by Ayina,  Maren with a dig followed up by another Sophie dig which led to a SPF hitting error, 26-25 SHS.  Maren closed things out with a great short serve that was overpassed by the SPF OH which led to a Mackenna overpass kill to put the exclamation point on a 27-25 set 1 win.  

Summit out-killed SPF 10-4, each team notched 2 blocks while SPF held a 6-3 ace advantage.  SHS outscored SPF 15-12 to take the set despite passing at a paltry 1.30 while SPF clicked on a 1.71 rating.

SET 2

In a set that saw the home side out-score SHS 13-9 by a 5-2 block and ace combined advantage while only mustering a 1.29 pass rating to SPF's 1.70,  it was no surprise that -despite a Molly kill getting SHS to within 1 at 12-13- SPF was bound a deciding run at some point.  A 9-2 run ripped the set wide open with SHS trailing 22-14.  Summit did not give up, marking kills from Madison and Claire but at 18-22,  SPF called a TO and rattled off the 3 points off of that timeout to seal the victory.  

SET 3

Although the squad was out-passed again by a 1.81-1.63 rating advantage,  this was by far the best passing rating of the night by the Top.  This led to an increase in offense with Summit winning the kill battle 13-8 but the best part and most important,  13 kills to 0 errors while SPF notched 8 kills and 5 errors.  SHS out-scored the home side 16-14 and had only 8 errors in the set to SPF's 10.  

The highlights of the set were clear.  Summit early on was tied at 4 all after a Claire kill, Ayina was introduced as a server and the junior ripped off 3 consecutive aces to settle the squad and Summit responded,  expanding the lead to 12-5 after a 4th consecutive SPF error.  Scotch Plains again relied on the serving to crawl back into the match and by the tail end of the set,  SHS was clinging to an 18-17 lead.  

Claire puts up a decent pass and gets it back from Mack which she probably puts down for a 19-17 lead.  Teams traded points, often through errors and a serving error late in the set by SPF gave the Hilltoppers the cushion they needed at 21-19.  Maren again was instrumental from the service line and allowed good transition offense to happen in the key points in the set.  Molly, Mackenna and Natalie all hit for kills down the stretch as Summit committed only 2 errors from the 21-19 scoreline on to seal the set and match victory.  

MATCH LEADERS

ACES: Ayina 3, Mackenna 2, Nadia/Maren/Nat 1

SERVE RATING (4=ace, 0=err) : Ayina 2.33, Claire 2.17, Maren 2.15

RECEIVE PERFECT PASS (3): Ayina 6, Maren 2, Lynn/Sophie/Rachel/Nat/Claire 1

PERFECT PASS %: Ayina 50,  Rachel 20, Maren 16.7

RECEIVE RATING (3=perfect, 0=gave up ace): Ayina 1.92, Nat 1.42, Lynn 1.33

KILLS: Molly 11,  Claire and Mackenna 6

HIT EFF. (k-e/total att) : Mackenna .385,  Molly .353,  Claire .200

KILL %: Molly 58.8,  Mackenna 46.2, Claire 40

DIGS: Sophie 9, Maren 5, Claire/Mackenna 4

BLOCKS: Rachel and Catherine 1 each

ASSISTS:  Mackenna 27

BEST POINT SCORERS: Molly 10, Mackenna 8, Claire 6

BEST NET POINT SCORERS: Rachel/Catherine with +0

Home Cookin' next few days !  UC tomorrow and New Prov on Friday!

BUSY WEEK FOR THE TOP ACROSS ALL LEVELS

All levels are in action this week against the same opponents, Scotch-Plains Fanwood,  Union Catholic and New Providence.

9th Graders have been working hard to improve their serve receive and hope to show their progress from the service line and receive game this week against 3 of their tougher opponents in the schedule.

Junior Varsity last year took SPF 2-0 at homein a tight match,  dropped a 0-2 decision to UC both home and away and had a tough 2-1 win versus New Prov so the beginning of the season will be a tough test for the young Hilltoppers.

Varsity will begin their season with a perennial rival, SPF whom they took 2-0 at home last year in a very competitive 2 set sweep.  UC has never lost to Summit but last year,  although the Top dropped 0-2 decisions at home, on the road and at the County Semis to the Vikings,  the home match proved to be a very competitive one with SHS leading in both sets by a couple of points in the midpoint or late in each set.  New Prov is always a tough, scrappy opponent for the SHS squad.  Last year the Pioneers took Summit to 3 at their Pink Out match, a match SHS survived due to serving and attacking efficiency in the 3rd set.  Summit had only 

VARSITY SCRIMMAGE SEASON WRAPUP

 SHS out-killed their opposition by a 99-90 tally for the week.  The team out-blocked their opposition 10-5.  SHS was out-aced 48-36,  with Summit tallying a -7 ace to error ration while the opposition managed a +11.

However,  the overall pass rating was nearly identical at 1.53 SHS and 1.59 Opposition. 

Lots of options for the Hilltoppers with such a young crew on the pins available.  Can't wait for the season to start.

PRE-SEASON LEADERS

ACES: Molly 8,  Nadia 6, Mackenna 4

SERVE RATING (4=ace, 0=err) : Natalie 2.55, Nadia 2.29,  Rylen 2.17

RECEIVE PERFECT PASS (3): Maren 21, Rylen 5, Ayina 5

PERFECT PASS %: Maren 34.4, Mackenna 23.5, Rylen 20.0

RECEIVE RATING (3=perfect, 0=gave up ace): Mackenna 2.00, Maren 1.88, Sophie 1.67

KILLS: Mackenna 26, Molly 17, Claire 14

HIT EFF. (k-e/total att) : Molly .438,  Natalie .308,  Mackenna .243

KILL %: Molly 53.1, Rachel 40.0,  Natalie 38.5

DIGS: Maren 17,  Mackenna 16,  Nadia 14

BLOCKS: Molly 4,  Lily, Catherine and Mackenna 3

ASSISTS:  Nadia 40,  Mackenna 38

BEST POINT SCORERS: Mackenna 33,  Molly 29,  Claire 18

BEST NET POINT SCORERS: Molly +9,  Natalie +7,  Catherine +3

SCRIMMAGE 3 - CRANFORD COUGARS TAKE 2/3 FROM VARSITY, FROSH GO 1-2 and THE COUGARS TAKE 2 OF 3 FROM JV

 9TH GRADERS

The young Hilltoppers ran into a much more solid passing team at this point in the season and struggled to gain a foothold in this match.  Their usual serving advantage was negated by the Cranford squad with tough serving of their own but the Cougars held a better passing consistency throughout and were able to get 2 set wins.  Despite the set losses,  SHS looks poised to have a big season again in the 9th grade level!

JUNIOR VARSITY

 The JV took the first set in a thrilling 28-26 score,  dropped the 2nd set 25-13, and despite losing the 3rd 25-23,  they team stormed back from a 23-12 deficit to make it highly interesting.  The Squad will need better offensive consistency and serving production but they look on their way to an exciting season.

VARSITY 

The squad dropped two of three with 3 different lineups again but saw a lot of interesting performances against a solid Cranford team.  SHS and Cranford were nearly identical in kill production with the Cougards holding a 28-27 edge.  Each team had 4 blocks and Cranford held a slight edge in aces with an 11-9 advantage.  Overall,  SHS was out-scored by a 43-40 tally.  The main difference in a very tight 3 set match that went 25-21, 14-25, 28-30 was the net offensive production of the squads.  Cranford tallied only 10 hitting errors for a net of +18 for the 3 sets while SHS tallied 15 errors for a net of +12... Despite some service woes by the Top,  over the 3 sets with most players serving over the 3 sets,  SHS had a -1 net ace to error production while Cranford held a -4.  

SET 1

It was a rough start for the Hilltoppers with Cranford up 6-0 in the very first rotation but the SHS Squad started to find their rhythm and after getting to a 6-11 scoreline,  Summit ripped off a 9-2 run that forced a Cranford TO at 15-13.  Cranford got their footing back and held a 19-16 advantage but the Hilltoppers kept at it going on a 4-1 run to tie it at 20. A service error and a hitting error by the Cougars and 2 kills and a block by the top sealed the deal at 25-21.  Summit out-scored Cranford 16-13 in the set.

SET 2

SHS and Cranford started off well in the set, a very ofensive and clean set that had Summit down 9-8 but serving.  But slowly, through multiple unforced hitting errors and key service errors,  the Top saw themselves down 20-12 and soon saw any hope evaporate with 3 consecutive hitting errors to seal the set at 25-14.  Cranford out-scored SHS by only 2 at 12-10 and SHS actually out-killed the Cougars 10-8 but the 7-1 disadvantage in hitting errors and a 5 serving error performance by the Top speeled the end of set 2.

SET 3

In a reversal of fortunes,  SHS ran off a 10-3 run to start the first 2 rotations of set 3 and it looked like Summit might have an easier time this set but a key TO by Cranford again seemed to settle their squad down and before SHS could blink it was 10-8 and despite a kill in the middle of the run,  Cranford continued the pressure and the Hilltoppers saw an 11-12 deficit.  

But a Cranford service error opened the door for SHS and no time-out was going to stop the momentum as Summit went on a 9-3 run to seemingly retake control of the set but 2 attack errors and 2 aces given up erased the comfort level SHS had built.  But the team continued to fight and a block point had the team back up to 22-20 lead just to see a service error give the ball back to the Cougars and soon the Cranford side had a set point at 24-23.  

Hitting error Cranford off a great serve by SHS, 24-24.  Kill SHS, 25-24.  Net fault SHS and kill Cougars, 25-26.  Cougars service error, 26-26.  Kill Cougars, service error, attack error Cranford, 28-27 SHS.  Kill Cranford, ace Cougars and kill Cougars to seal the set 30-28. 

Cranford out-killed the Top 12-7 in the set with a net advantage of +6 to +2 and they out-scored Summit 18-14 despite SHS out-passing the Cranford side by a 1.61-1.54 margin and out-ace the Cougars 6-4 with a net advantage from the service line of +4 to -3.  

SCRIMMAGE LEADERS

ACES: Molly 4, Nadia and Natalie 2

SERVE RATING (4=ace, 0=err) : Nadia 2.80, Natalie 2.50, Molly 2.08

RECEIVE PERFECT PASS (3): Maren 5, Ayina 3, Claire 2

PERFECT PASS %: Maren 26.3,  Mackenna 25.0,  Ayina 23.1

RECEIVE RATING (3=perfect, 0=gave up ace): Mackenna 2.25, Maren 1.76, Ayina 1.62

KILLS: Claire 6,  Mackenna 6, Molly 5

HIT EFF. (k-e/total att) : Catherine .600,  Natalie .500,  Molly .333

KILL %: Natalie 50.0,  Molly 41.7, Claire 37.5

DIGS: Maren 9,  Sophie 6, Lynn, Ayina and Mackenna with 5

BLOCKS: Catherine, Molly and Natalie with 2

ASSISTS:  Mackenna 16, Nadia 6

BEST POINT SCORERS: Molly 11,  Natalie and Claire with 7

BEST NET POINT SCORERS: Catherine, Molly and Natalie with 4

SCRIMMAGE #2 - HOME COOKING VS MADISON FOR JV AND VARSITY AND FROSH ON THE ROAD

 The 9th Graders continued serving well and keeping balls in play on offense which helped them overcome the Madison squad in a sweep.  Serve Receive continued to be a work in progress but the team's advantage in serving was the key to their 3-0 set win.

Junior Varsity took 2 of 3 from the Madison Team and showed passing and serving consistency in their two set wins (16 and 21) but failed to reach passing consistency in their set loss.  Overall the offense continues to fight for a rhythm but missing a key offensive player to the mix has caused some players to be put in different roles but the squad still cam out with a 2-1 set advantage on the day.

Varsity also took 2 of 3 from Madison, 27-25, 17-25, and 25-22.  Yet again the Top used 3 different lineups as Coach Martins continued to give players opportunities so show their skill set in a game-like environment.

SET 1

SHS out-scored Madison 18-15 but out-killed their opposition 14-8,  a major factor in the win.  Both Squads were tied at 11 when Summit ran a mini string of points off aces and a kill to take a 14-11 lead.  Madison responded with a run of their own and led 16-14 and later 20-16 but the home squad go a few kills to get within striking distance at 19-20.  Summit then lost a few longer rallies and looked dead in the water but a service error by Madison opened the door for SHS and they took the opportunity and soon knotted the score at 23.  The Top fought off a set point at 24-23 and then used their middle attack to seal the come from behind victory at 27-25.

SET 2

Madison out-killed Summit 8-5 and out-scored the home side by a 14-10 edge which proved to be the Top's undoing.  The major issue was the team's hitting errors which negated the serving pressure SHS put on the Madison visitors as the team out-passed their rivals 1.36 to 1.21 for the set.

SET 3

Despite the close final score of 25-22,  SHS out-killed Madison 15-3, out-blocked their opponents 2-0 and out-scored them 20-10.  Madison stayed in the set by pressuring the SHS serve receive and earning a 7-3 ace advantage.  Add in the 8 missed SHS serves and the answer to "HOW" the Madison team stayed in the set was answered.  But credit to the SHS squad for staying with their offense as the squad was down 8-12 at one point but ran off an 8-1 streak with flawless hitting and serving performances to take a 16-13 lead.  Despite the Madison team cutting the lead down to 2 at 18-16,  SHS yet again ran off a mini 3-0 point streak to get to what looked to be an unsurmountable 21-16 lead and at 24-20,  it looked inevitable.  A service error by the Top and an ace later and suddenly, Madison was right there at 24-22 but a good pass by the SHS crew led to a tip kill to close out the match 25-22.

SCRIMMAGE LEADERS

ACES: Rylen, Lynn, Maddie, Mackenna with 2 apiece

SERVE RATING (4=ace, 0=err) : Rylen 2.43, Ayina 2.25, Catherine 2.17

RECEIVE PERFECT PASS (3): Rylen, Sophie, Mackenna with 2 apiece

PERFECT PASS %: Rylen 22.2, Sophie 18.2, Mackenna 16.7

RECEIVE RATING (3=perfect, 0=gave up ace): Mac 1.83, Maren 1.75, Rylen 1.67

KILLS: Mackenna 12, Rachel 6, Molly and Maddie 4

HIT EFF. (k-e/total att) : Molly .800, Rachel .625, Mackenna .455 

KILL %: Molly 80, Rachel 75, Mackenna 54.5

DIGS: Mackenna 9, Nadia 4, Natalie 3

BLOCKS: Lily 3, Nadia, Rachel and Mackenna 1

ASSISTS: Nadia 13, Mac 11

BEST POINT SCORERS: Mackenna 15, Rachel 7, Maddie 6

BEST NET POINT SCORERS: Mackenna +7, Rachel +5, Lily and Nat +2

SCRIMMAGE #1 - WOODBRIDGE HS

 This opening scrimmage allowed the coaching staff to try out their first lineups and to assess the skill set of the team so that it could better guide the best steps forward in practice.

The outcome of each scrimmage is less relevant than the individual and team performances at this stage of the season.

9th GRADERS:  25-9, 25-19 

The 9th graders used consistent serving to win both sets but the serve receive will be the focus of the next practice and of the squad moving forward.

JUNIOR VARSITY

The JV Squad went 15-25, 18-25 and 9-15 against Woodbridge and showed flashes of what the team might develop into but with an almost completely new offensive squad and brand new setters,  the focus will be on developing consistency from the service line and offensive consistency with the setters.  Serve receive was a consistent positive so the squad has some work to do but will build the foundation from a passing strength which is a great thing.

VARSITY

The team lost 3 sets by 2 points, 23-25, 24-26, 24-26, one by a 19-15 tally and the final set by a 10-15 score.

Set 1

The team played essentially 5 different teams (lineups) in the 5 sets as the team is trying to find its starting offense and receive rotations for the upcoming season.  Set one saw the Barrons go from a 17-17 tie to a controlling 22-18 lead over the Top but SHS rallied back to 23-24 before a service error ended the set.

Set 2 

Down 14-6, Summit took a TO and proceeded to take the next 4 points to spark a good run in set 2.  SHS managed to get within striking distance at 18-21 but a net call on a block and 2 attack errors ended any hope late and Summit fell 25-19 to Woodbridge.

Set 3

Summit went on a 5-1 run after Woodbridge tied the score at 12 to hold a 17-13 lead but the Barrons roared back to tie the set at 17 just to see SHS go up by 21-18 in the next rotation.  Summit had a 23-21 and a 24-22 lead but could not close the set out as Summit passing let them down late and the Home team attack was flawless late to take the set from Summit 26-24.

Set 4 

In this set,  the team was lethal from the attack after trailing 12-4 due to 4 hitting errors, 1 ball handling error and a net violation.  The squad found their rhythm and took the lead at 16-15.  SHS seemed poised to take the set when another mini-run had the team up 21-18 but a service error, a hitting error and an ace by WB forced a TO by the Top trailing 22-21.  The team won the point off the TO and fended off a set point to tie the score at 24 but 2 consecutive hitting errors gave the set to Woodbridge at 26-24.

Set 5

Yet again a good start by the Maroon and Gold as they led at the halfway point 7-6 but the Barrons scored 4 consecutive points off 2 aces and a free ball return error by SHS to take a commanding 10-7 lead in a race to 15.  Summit got to within 1 at 10-9 but 2 tip kills by the Home Squad and an attack error spelled the end for the Top as the Woodbridge side took the set 15-10.

Overall, a lot of tremendous positives to take out of the scrimmage and a real sense that the squad was very close to a dominant performance despite playing very different lineups.  Some key hitting errors and service errors were to blame for late set results which will drive the practice plan in the near future.

SCRIMMAGE LEADERS

ACES: Nadia 4, Maren 3, Molly 3

SERVE RATING (4=ace, 0=err) : Molly 2.75, Claire 2.21, Nadia 2.21

RECEIVE PERFECT PASS (3): Maren 15, Rylen 3, Nat 2

PERFECT PASS %: Maren 44.1, Rylen 25.0,  Ayina 22.2

RECEIVE RATING (3=perfect, 0=gave up ace): Maren 1.97, Sophie 1.79, Nat 1.50

KILLS: Molly and Mac 8, Claire 6

HIT EFF. (k-e/total att) : Molly .400, Nat .273, Mac .138

KILL %: Molly 53.3, Nat 36.4, Claire 35.3

DIGS: Nat and Claire 8, Lynn and Maren 6

BLOCKS: Mac and Molly 2, Catherine and Claire 1

ASSISTS: Nadia 21, Mac 11

BEST POINT SCORER: Molly 13, Mac 12, Claire 9

BEST NET POINT SCORERS: Molly +7, Nat +1, Lily +0

WELCOME TO THE SUMMIT HILLTOPPERS VOLLEYBALL TEAM CLASS OF 2029!!!

TWENTY - SIX young ladies took a risk and put themselves out there in a 3 day tryout process that focused on exposure and teaching of skills required in the sport as well as learning about the game by playing in a controlled setting (small courts)  and building up to more of a real match environment today, the last day of tryouts. 

I spoke to the 9th graders at length regarding the options they have if they do not find their names on the list below.  I hope these 3 days sparked a love for the sport that they will carry for the rest of their lives. The entire coaching staff wants to congratulate these young women for their efforts and energy through the process,  a difficult one for such young athletes. However,  we had to get the team down to a number that made sense so, without further delay,  here is the 

9th Grade Lady Hilltoppers Volleyball Team

Setter - Juliana Charilas

Outside Hitters - Isabel Dacosta (*backup setter) / Emily Travis / Gabby Guicardi

Opposite - Elena Gingeleskie

Middle Blockers - Melina Carranza / Rose Devaney / Georgina Stevenson

Libero - Olivia Giovambattista

Defensive Specialists - Julia Stefanini,  Lily Bashoff,  Michelle Win,  Julianna Porsse,  Olivia Wu

2025 VARSITY REVEAL

 Decisions here were very positionally specific and with an eye to the future based on performances over the last 2 days.  

Congrats to all who made this team,  this was one of the most difficult decisions in quite a while for the entire coaching staff to solidify this team. 

Setters: Mackenna Welsh - Nadia Moghal

OH / OPP: Claire Jesionowski - Natalie Wu - Rachel Jesionowski - Madison Welsh 

MB: Molly Devaney - Catherine DeYonge - Lily Beake

DS: Maren Heary - Lynn Basaman - Sophie Meltzer - Ayina Colon - Rylen Conroy 

JUNIOR VARSITY 2025

This was a very difficult try-out process this year because of the quality of the athletes that came out to try to make the team this year.  We had 39 players today trying out for 26 spots but more importantly, the most difficult position to try-out for, defensive specialist, had a grand total of 21 players trying out for 6-10 spots max across Varsity and Junior Varsity.

The body of work of each player across both days was evaluated with some emphasis placed on the serve / receive drills today and the end of practice scrimmages (performance under fatigue) although in the scrimmages we had a lot of data from the myriad of games we played over the last 2 days.  

Congrats to the ones listed below.  If you do not see your name,  you may reach out to Coach Martins via BAND to request the details of the decision.  We can email it to you, send it via BAND or see you in person to explain.  You decide how you want the feedback and if you want it.  

Setters:  Maddie Mirliss - Naomi Kim - 

OH / OPP: Sarah Barber - Ava Kovarik - Ava Duetsch

MB: Emma Easton - Sophia Shrekgast

DS: Catherine Erday - Alta Lind - Lillian Santilian - Sophia Peña - Sophie Festejo - Bethany Stanton

2024 LADYHILLTOPPER VBALL TEAM EARNS ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

 THE 2024-25 LADY HILLTOPPERS VOLLEYBALL TEAM PROVED TO BE THE GOATS IN THE CLASSROOM YET AGAIN

The 2024-25 Summit Girls Varsity Volleyball Team achieved their most important goal for the year as they again secured the American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award (sponsored by INTENT) this past month - their 8th consecutive year receiving this award and 9th overall! 

As the AVCA explained in this year's press release, “Volleyball programs from across the country continue to prove their dominance off the court as a record-breaking 1,450 collegiate and high school volleyball teams maintained a year-long grade-point average of at least 3.3 on a 4.0 scale (or 4.1 on a 5.0 scale), to earn the 2025 AVCA Team Academic Award.”

“It is very exciting to see that the record-setting, on-court successes during the 2024-25 season have extended to the classroom,” says AVCA CEO Jaime Gordon. “The fact that more programs earned the Team Academic Award than ever before is evidence of how committed our coaches are when it comes to helping their players reach their goals as both students and athletes.”

Additionally, The Summit Lady Hilltoppers were also further recognized for being one of the top 20% High School Teams academically,  earning a spot in the Team Academic Honor Roll as one of the Top 20% HS Volleyball Team GPAs in the country this past season!

Congratulations to the Program for their excellence on and off the court!

POST SEASON ACCOLADES AND RECOGNITION

 Highlights of the 2024 Season came in the form of school, county, state and media recognition.

Historical

3rd Most Wins in School History

5th Best Win %

VARSITY - 19W-11L

***STATE SECTIONAL SEMI-FINALIST

***COUNTY TOURNAMENT SEMI-FINALIST

JV- 16W-6L

9th - 18W-0L

Varsity

MVP - Liv Ge

Hilltopper - Caroline Henry

Most Improved - Mackenna Welsh

Junior Varsity

MVP - Sophie Meltzer

Hilltopper - Hayden Knight

Most Improved - Emari Miles

9th Graders

MVP - Rylen Conroy

Hilltopper - Lily Beake

Most Improved - Claire Jesionowski

Records Set

SEASON RECORDS

CAROLINE HENRY #3 TOTAL ACES

CAROLINE HENRY #2 TOTAL DIGS

CAROLINE HENRY #1 TOTAL RECEPTIONS

CAROLINE HENRY #3 TOTAL RECEPTIONS/SET

LIV GE #4 TOTAL POINTS 

CAREER RECORDS

CAROLINE HENRY #2 TOTAL DIGS

CAROLINE HENRY #3 TOTAL DIGS/SET

CAROLINE HENRY #1 TOTAL RECEPTIONS 

CAROLINE HENRY #1 TOTAL RECEPTIONS/SET