HILLTOPPERS' MISTAKES FUEL DEFEAT TO THE RAMS

Summit traveled to Edison to take on the Rams of Wardlaw-Hartridge.  Summit lost 20-25, 16-25 in a match that saw the Rams take full advantage of the Hilltoppers' mistakes which proved to be the difference in the match.

Summit fell behind early 6-2 after 3 attack but cut the lead down to 1 at 6-5 after a kill by Kathleen Morano.  After a service error by the Rams, Summit led 10-9 and seemed to be finding their passing and attacking game.  Unfortunately, a service error by the Hilltoppers erased the lead and sparked an 8-0 run that gave the Rams a lead they would not relinquish at 18-10.

Summit fought back to within 3 at 20-17 and 21-18 behind kills by Julianne Smolyn and Margo Reigle but another subsequent service and attack error led to a Ram 23-18 lead.  A kill by Cassidy O'Malley helped Summit get to within 4 at 24-20 but a service error ended the set at 25-20.

Summit got 5 kills from 4 players in the set but served only at a 67% clip which cost the team dearly in the set.  Summit however gave up only 2 aces which was a great improvement over the last 2 matches.  Margo Reigle led the way defensively with 3 digs and the team passed at a 1.63 rating led by Emani Mile's 2.33.

The second set started very badly for the Hilltoppers.  Summit fell behind 13-1 after giving up 6 aces. After a couple of back row substitutions, the team seemed to settle down and found Cassidy O'Malley for 2 kills and added an ace in a run that got the Hilltoppers to within 10 at 17-7.  A kill by Casey Nardino a few points later had the Hilltoppers within 6 at 20-14 but a ball handling error and 2 other attack and passing errors sealed the deal for the Rams as their lead grew again to 9 points at 24-15.

Although Summit got the ball back, a back row attack by the Rams finished the Hilltoppers at 25-16.  The team falls to 1W-3L (0W-2L on the road).

Casey Nardino and Cassidy O'Malley led the way with 2 kills each and the team served a solid 81% with 2 aces in the set.  Angela Scott led the way defensively with 3 digs in the set and although the team passed at a 1.52, Rau Soares and Gabby Mejia solidified the passing game with an impressive 6 error free passes at a 2.33 rating each.  Julianne Smolyn and Emani Miles were outstanding as well later in the set with 4 blemish free passes at a 2.0  rating each.

In the match, 5 different players combined for the 10 team kills and Angela Scott led the setting crew with 7 assists and was the team leader in aces with 2 and led the team in digs as well with 5.

MAXPREPS PLAYERS OF THE MATCH

MAXPREPS has highlighted the following players as players of the game for the first 3 matches of the 2014 season.

Opponent-Plainfield

#18 Cassidy O'Malley

Summit (NJ)

Dominated at the net with 4 kills and added a block. Had a .500 Hitting efficiency and led the team in points.

Opponent-Bridgewater-Raritan

#12 Margo Reigle

Summit (NJ)

Top defensive player for the day

Opponent-New Providence

#2 Kathleen Morano

Summit (NJ)

Season High 6 kills and a team leading .500 hitting efficiency

HILLTOPPERS FALL TO NEW PROVIDENCE DESPITE OFFENSIVE OUTBURST

Summit traveled to New Providence to take on division foe New Providence in the first of 2 match-ups this season.  Summit came away with a 25-12, 25-16 loss but showed marked offensive improvement and continued to serve consistently.

After falling behind 3-1 early, Summit got a kill from Margo Reigle to get within 1 at 3-2.  Summit's serve receive was not on early on though and the Hilltoppers gave up a 6-2 run that was fueled by numerous Summit passing errors before a Kathleen Morano kill pulled the Hilltoppers within 5 at 9-4.  Another 10-3 run put the set out of reach despite an ace from Margo Reigle that got Summit within shouting distance at 20-12.  Summit gave up another 5-0 run to seal the set at 12-25.

The Hilltoppers hit -.062 for the set with Kathleen Morano getting 2 kills out of 3 attempts.  Despite Emani Miles and Julianne Smolyn passing for a 1.83 rating,  the rest of the team passed for only a 1.25,  giving up 9 aces.  Summit served at an amazing 93% however, a great turnaround from last match.

The second set saw a much better performance early from the Hilltoppers as Kathleen Morano and Casey Nardino combined for 6 kills in 8 attempts to power Summit to a 12-7 lead.  However, the Summit serve receive faltered and New Providence closed out the set on a 18-4 run due in large part to Summit's mounting passing and hitting errors.

Summit hit for a solid .200 thanks to Nardino and Morano's efforts.  Jess Salter handed out 4 assists and the Hilltoppers served at an 81% clip (87% for the match).

Summit will try to put the 3 phases of the game together on Thursday when the Hilltoppers travel to Wardlaw-Hartridge for an out of conference match.

HILLTOPPERS DROP TO 1W-1L AT THE HANDS OF THE PANTHERS

Summit took on the Panthers of Bridgewater Raritan today and the team was hoping to stay close in the match and surprise the Panthers at the end of the sets.  The Panthers serving attack was, unfortunately, too much for the Hilltoppers as Summit yielded 12 aces while only scoring 1 of their own.

The Hilltoppers 15-25, 10-25 loss had few highlights as the Panthers managed to snuff out Summit's attacks throughout the match.  Cassidy O'Malley had 2 kills to lead the Hilltoppers who only managed 4 kills for the match.

Gabby Mejia continued her great serving with 1 ace and no errors on 6 attempts.  Margo Reigle led the way defensively with 6 of the Hilltoppers' 13 digs.

In set 1, the Panthers jumped out to a 7-1 lead before the Hilltoppers got the ball back from a serving error. After a 4-2 run, Summit trailed 11-3 but the Hilltoppers went on a 3-0 run led by a kill from Kathleen Morano to cut the lead to 11-6.  The Panthers responded with a 7-1 run of their own to pull away to an 18-7 lead. A 5-2 spurt by the Hilltoppers fueled by 2 O'Malley kills and a Gabby Mejia ace got the Hilltoppers to a 12-20 deficit.  Summit's defense continued to press and managed to hit for 3 more points but the Panthers had too much offense and closed out the set on a 5-3 run to close the set 25-15. Summit ended the set with 4 kills to 3 errors and went 13/15 from the service line with 1 ace.

The second set saw a much more spirited SHS side but the inability to consistently pass the ball hampered the Hilltoppers' attack.  Summit couldn't muster any kills although the play was of a higher level on both sides.  The Panthers made numerous kill saving plays while the Hilltoppers were just one contact away from getting back into the set.  Emani Miles led the way with a 1.66 pass rating and Margo Reigle chipped in with 4 digs defensively.  The team went 8/11 from the service line but couldn't get any aces. 

Summit started well, trailing only 5-2 early but a 14-1 run by the Panthers blew the game open and they never looked back.  The Hilltoppers actually outscored the Panthers 7-6 for the remainder of the set but with no offensive production, Summit could not make it more of a set.

Margot Reigle gets Player of the Game due to her 6 dig - 0 error performance.

Summit travels to New Providence tomorrow to face division rival New Providence as the Hilltoppers try to move back over .500

CARDINALS NO MATCH FOR THE HILLTOPPERS

Summit had a successful home opener against the Plainfield Cardinals, winning both sets by a count of 25-9 and 25-8.  The Hilltopper serving game was on point as 6 different Hilltoppers hit for at least 2 aces and sophomore setter Gabbie Mejilla led the way with 4 of the teams 17 aces.

Summit's offense was also very efficient as it generated 9 kills out of 24 attempts.  The Hilltoppers were led by the combined efforts of Cassidy O'Malley and Margo Reigle as they pounded out 7 of the team's 9 kills (4k and 3k respectively).  O'Malley was particularly effective as she got the 4 kills in 8 attempts and added a block to the Hilltopper effort.

Cassidy O'Malley takes Player of the Game for her 4 kill - 0 error - 8 attempt performance.

Summit will next face-off against Bridgewater Raritan on Monday and New Providence on Tuesday next week.




JV story

The JV lost 2 heartbreaking sets to the Cardinals 22-25 and 21-25.  Serving errors were the difference of the match although Madison Young was particularly effective, leading the way for the Hilltoppers with 5 aces.

HILLTOPPERS FIRST OBSTACLE : PLAINFIELD

In the last 3 years, Summit has experienced a great deal of success against the Plainfield Cardinals.  The Hilltoppers are 5W-1L against this Union County opponent, their only blemish coming in 2012 in a 2-1 defeat on the road.

Summit opened the 2013 season with a 25-11, 25-16 win on the road versus the Cardinals and picked up another win later on in the season at home with a 3-set win by scores of 25-19, 24-26, 14-25.

The Hilltoppers used their serving offense to win both matches, hitting for 22 aces combined in the wins.  Cassidy O'Malley was the offensive driving force in the last match in 2013 versus the Cardinals, pounding out a season high 9 kills in the match.

Summit has a daunting start to a busy September, playing 5 matches (3 are division matches) in 7 days before playing in Scotch Plain's Saturday Tournament on the 13th.  The following week offers no relief for the Hilltoppers as the team will have 4 matches in a 7 day span (2 division) and will be playing in their next Saturday Tournament at Morristown Beard on the 20th.

HILLTOPPERS GO DOWN 3 STRAIGHT GAMES TO COLONIA

The Lady Hilltoppers traveled to Colonia to play their 3rd scrimmage of the 2014 season and mustered only 13, 11 and 12 points in sets 1, 2 and 3 respectively.

Kathleen Morano led the Hilltopper attack with 4 kills and a .375 hitting %.  Emani Miles led Summit again from the service line hitting 3 aces out of 6 attempts. Margo Reigle was the best defender with 2 digs and Gabby Mejia led the Hilltopper defense with 2 blocks as she paired up with Casey Nardino and Cassidy O'Malley to stuff 2 of Colonia's attacks.

Summit will open their season at home on Friday, 4pm versus division rival Plainfield.