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!