The Rahway match-ups have always been tough for any level historically with neither side ever comfortably winning regardless of record entering the match-up. The 2019 season proved to be much of the same as both the JV and Varsity levels had to hold off or overcome late Rahway runs to seal victories.
JV STAYS UNDEFEATED IN 2-0 VICTORY OVER RAHWAY
JV took the match 25-21, 25-18. Game 1 was blown open after Rebekah Thompson scored on 8 consecutive serves to take a 12-13 game to an insurmountable 20-13 Hilltopper lead that the Maroon and White used to hold on late for the 25-21 win.
Game 2 looked dire for SHS trailing 8-13 after 6 rotations but key kills by Catherine Eldridge and key serving runs by Jordan Parella (7 service points) and Hope Bassaman late (7 service points ) allowed the Hilltoppers to come from behind and pull away for the comfortable 25-18 win.
Catherine Eldridge led the Hilltoppers offensively and in total points with 6 kills while 5 different players hit for at least 1 ace, led by Rebekah Thompson who ripped 4 aces in the match.
VARSITY IMPROVES TO 2-1 WITH 2 GAME WIN VERSUS DIVISIONAL RIVAL RAHWAY
The Lady Hilltoppers hosted the Indians of Rahway in a key early divisional matchup. Summit looked to even out its divisional record and improve to 2-1 for the season. Despite some uneven play at times, SHS used its serving attack and key kills on offense to pull away late in both games and score a 25-22, 25-22 victory.
Summit took control early behind Gabby Guidetti´s serving as she rattled off 5 consecutive service points (1 ace) to give the Hilltoppers an early 6-2 lead. Summit saw the Indians slowly chip away at this lead through the next 4 rotations and by the 6th rotation, Rahway was knotted up at 11. An Annabella Yorio kill broke serve and put Kasey Walsh at the line and the setter did not disappoint with 7 service points (1 ace) and 3 assists to 3 different hitters to balloon the lead to 19-12 by the time her serving was completed. Rahway fought back as before, getting to within 2 at 19-21 but kills by Sarah Maldonado and Annabella Yorio late gave the Top the cushion it needed to close the game out 25-22.
Summit scored 15 points in game 1 led by Maldonado (4k), Yorio (3k) and Sylvie Goudreau (3k) who combined for 10 points.
The path to the game 2 victory was quite different. It was Rahway who controlled most of the game with SHS producing at one point seven consecutive errors, including 3 consecutive missed serves, to allow the Indians to take what looked like an insurmountable lead of 22-15 after a kill by the Rahway OH. Another kill by Maldonado stymied the run and brought the Captain, Kiera Stocks to the service line.
Stocks produced one of the best serving runs in recent memory, putting the Indians in a passing bind and allowing the offense to run its most effective plays thanks to easier transition passing because of her serving pressure. Erin Vostal got involved with a kill to zone 3 to get Summit to within 5 at 17-22. A couple of scramble plays leading to key digs by Stocks, Maldonado and Walsh eventually led to a Maldonado kill, 18-22. A Rahway hitting error and a ball handling error had the Hilltoppers at 20-22. The momentum had swung. A thunderous kill by Vostal to zone five off a set by Krista-Ann Clapp and followed by a Clapp kill to zone 5 had the Hilltoppers square with Rahway. The next nail in the coffin came in the form of an ace by Stocks who then followed up with another tough serve that led to yet another Vostal kill. The final ball at match point saw a scramble by Rahway lead to a Stocks dig and an overpass got Vostal an easy attack attempt that the Indians tried to keep alive but to no avail, 25-22; the comeback, complete.
Summit earned 9 of the 10 points Stocks served in the set with the only miss being when she missed her serve. Kasey Walsh contributed in the game with 2 of the team´s 4 aces and Maldonado tied for the game lead with 4 kills with Vostal, who got all 4 of her kills in crunch time.
Maldonado led all Hilltopper scorers with 8 points (8 kills) while Stocks dug up 17 balls (5 during the run) and handled almost 50% of the total team receptions.
As a team, SHS outscored Rahway 33-19 including a 23-13 kill advantage which proved to be the difference in the match.
Tuesday, September 10, 2019
9TH GRADERS LOSE TO CHATHAM IN ANOTHER 3 GAME NAIL BITER
The ninth graders dropped a heart-breaker to the Chatham Cougars earning their first loss of the season in a three game battle that saw the Hilltoppers take the first game 25-16 but dropped the next two games 24-26 and 12-15.
Abigail Wells and Stella Yarden combined for 8 service points to lead the squad in game 1, especially late in the game when the Hilltoppers held a slim 18-15 lead. Yarden extended the lead to 21-15 and a service break later, Wells closed it out to give SHS the game 1 victory.
Game 2 was another tight affair as both teams found themselves knotted at 10 after 6 rotations. The Cougars found themselves up 19-15 late in game 2 but Olivia Baldwin brought them back with 3 consecutive service points to knot the score up at 20. Summit fought off 1 game point but could not overcome two tough serves by Chatham to close out game 2 with a 26-24 loss.
The rubber game was again predictably close with neither team being able to pull away early on. Summit held a 5-2 lead by the 3rd rotation but saw the Cougars storm back to take a 7-5 lead. Chatham held that lead through the next 2 rotations (10-8) but Yarden again came up with 3 key service points to give the Hilltoppers what looked to be a momentum changing 12-10 lead. Chatham was able to break serve and the subsequent server closed out the game and match with 4 service points that gave the Maroon and White their first loss of the season by a 12-15 count.
Next up for the 9th Graders will be Linden and Union on the road.
Abigail Wells and Stella Yarden combined for 8 service points to lead the squad in game 1, especially late in the game when the Hilltoppers held a slim 18-15 lead. Yarden extended the lead to 21-15 and a service break later, Wells closed it out to give SHS the game 1 victory.
Game 2 was another tight affair as both teams found themselves knotted at 10 after 6 rotations. The Cougars found themselves up 19-15 late in game 2 but Olivia Baldwin brought them back with 3 consecutive service points to knot the score up at 20. Summit fought off 1 game point but could not overcome two tough serves by Chatham to close out game 2 with a 26-24 loss.
The rubber game was again predictably close with neither team being able to pull away early on. Summit held a 5-2 lead by the 3rd rotation but saw the Cougars storm back to take a 7-5 lead. Chatham held that lead through the next 2 rotations (10-8) but Yarden again came up with 3 key service points to give the Hilltoppers what looked to be a momentum changing 12-10 lead. Chatham was able to break serve and the subsequent server closed out the game and match with 4 service points that gave the Maroon and White their first loss of the season by a 12-15 count.
Next up for the 9th Graders will be Linden and Union on the road.
Sunday, September 8, 2019
HILLTOPPERS REACH SEMI-FINALS OF RAIDER TOURNEY, BEST SHOWING EVER BY SHS
The Hilltoppers traveled to Scotch-Plains Fanwood this past Saturday to compete in the yearly Raider Tournament. The team has traditionally used this event to experiment with lineup changes and adjustments to deal with early season issues that are evident upon the conclusion of the first week of the regular season. The entire squad also gets an an opportunity to play and each individual can make a case for playing time based on their performance in the tournament.
Given that context, the Lady Hilltoppers have usually not made it past the quarter-finals of the tournament when they have qualified for the playoff rounds. That is, until this season. This Saturday, the team earned the highest seed entering the playoff round (4th) and made it to the semi-finals before losing to eventual tournament champion Piscataway (#1 seed).
MATCH 1 - Scotch-Plains Fanwood
The squad made a couple of changes to the line-up and order in which they began their first 2 regular matches earlier this week and it showed in some uncertainty and reaction to plays in their first match versus the Raiders of Scotch-Plains. Summit dropped the first game 21-17 as key errors off the service line and some miscommunication cost SHS some key points. On a positive note, the lineup tweaks allowed Sylvie Goudreau more opportunities to swing and her 3 kills were tied for the team lead in game 1. Annabella Yorio had 3 kills as well as the entire offense hit for 8 kills, 1 block and 3 aces for 12 points, a higher output than earlier in the week. The only negative was that the switches in lineup clearly affected the other hitters who had already been producing in the prior matches this week and the offense was clearly not balanced. The second game saw the serve receive falter and the offense then could not get get any consistent flow and the 21-13 loss was a reflection of that fact. However, the serving attack was alive and well and kept the Hilltoppers in the match late as the team´s power serving and 4 ace production (Cassandra Hrehorovich 3 aces) forced SPF into numerous offensive errors.
Team Leaders Match 1
Aces- Hrehorovich 3
Kills- Goudreau, Yorio 3
Blocks- Sarah Maldonado 2
Digs- Gabbie Guidetti, Kiera Stocks 3
Assists- Kasey Walsh 5
Total Points- Goudreau, Maldonado 4
MATCH 2 - JFK Iselin
The Hilltoppers had to wait nearly 90 minutes for their next match and it took nearly half of the entire game 1 versus JFK for the squad to get on track. By that point, the Maroon and White were trailing by 10 points and despite playing even with their opponents by the end of the game, Summit fell by a 21-11 score. Game 2 was a different story as the team got into a rhythm and finally seemed comfortable with the new lineup rotations. Summit controlled the game from the onset and defeated JFK 21-10, winning the match by point differential.
Team Leaders Match 2
Aces- Julissa Lopez 3
Kills- Maldonado 5
Blocks- Goudreau 2
Digs- Stocks 6
Assists- Kyra Guenther 4
Total Points- Maldonado 6
MATCH 3 - St. Thomas Aquinas (formerly Bishop Ahr)
Summit faced off against St. Thomas Aquinas in the last of their pool play immediately after the JFK match and the familiarity with the new lineup was beginning to show. The 21-14, 21-17 scores were not reflective of the Hilltopper dominance in certain parts of the match. SHS committed numerous errors late but the byproduct of their aggression was a much higher point scoring output that led to their victory. The Maroon and White scored 15 points in game 1 and 19 in game 2 to more than overcome any errors. This was the best point scoring output by any Hilltopper squad in the last 4 seasons in any type of match. Would this trend hold versus their rival Rahway in their final pool play match?
Team Leaders Match 3
Aces- Lopez, Sarah Brennan 4
Kills- Maldonado, Yorio 5
Blocks- Goudreau, Yorio, Erin Vostal 1
Digs- Stocks 6
Assists- Guenther 4
Total Points- Yorio 6
MATCH 4 - Rahway
Summit ended pool play with rival Rahway in a preview of their match on this upcoming Monday. Both the Hilltoppers and the Indians had to wait approximately 40 minutes to play in their final match. Two game wins by the Maroon and White would guarantee a top 4 seed in playoffs and 2 wins by the Indians could propel them to 6th seed. SHS took game 1 21-19 but the Indians were the beneficiary of 5 consecutive Summit unforced errors toward the end of game 1 to make the score appear closer than it had seemed most of the match-up. Game 2 was a different story as SHS got out to a lead early and never looked back, closing it out 21-10 for a comfortable 2 game sweep. Game 1 saw the Lady Hilltoppers score 10 points and 14 more in game 2.
Team Leaders Match 4
Aces- Guidetti 5
Kills- Maldonado 7
Blocks- none
Digs- Stocks 9
Assists- Guenther, Abby Doyle 5
Total Points- Maldonado 7
MATCH 5 - Quarter-Finals v. Linden
The #4 v #5 match-up could not be any more exciting for Summit as the Tigers and the Hilltoppers have always had very close matches throughout the years. A few years ago, the Tigers were odds on favorites to win the Mountain Division but the Hilltoppers, slated to finish near the bottom of the division that year, went into Linden and upset the eventual division champions in 3 sets. Fast forward to 2018, the Hilltoppers were looking to get off to a fast start and the Tigers were the upset minded ones and almost pulled off a huge upset in Summit in week one as SHS escaped with a tight 3 game win. Linden returned the favor in the 2nd meeting of the squads in Linden and had a resounding 2 game win in the county tournament over the Hilltoppers.
The quarter-final match-up turned out to be another close affair but it was evident early on that the serving advantage would go to Summit. This led to many more attack opportunities for the Hilltoppers and allowed SHS to dictate the offensive pace and outscore the Tigers on this day for a 25-21 win. The final score was closer than it needed to be as once again the Maroon and White found themselves with a large lead late but a run of unforced errors saw the Tigers close to within 3 at 22-19 before the Hilltoppers pulled away again and closed out the game.
Of note, the Hilltoppers hit for 5 aces as a team with 4 of the 6 servers getting at least 1 ace. The team scored 8 kills as well and earned 13 total points in the match which is a higher point total production than last year´s average.
Team Leaders Match 5
Aces- Brennan 2
Kills- Yorio 5
Blocks- none
Digs- Stocks 5
Assists- Walsh 4
Total Points- Yorio 5
MATCH 6 - Semi-Finals v. Piscataway
Even though Summit upset Piscataway two seasons ago in the Heal the Children Tournament for the Championship that year, the performance at the Raider tournament this year was not up to the level necessary to be competitive this time around. Perhaps the length of the day, perhaps the realization that the team had already achieved its most successful outing at this tournament, perhaps a very motivated Piscataway team, maybe all of those reasons and more led to a lackluster effort in the last match. The reality was that Summit just ran out of answers early against a talented and superior team on this day and dropped a 25-4 decision in the semis. A great run by the Top Squad that hopefully will translate to a great upcoming regular season week.
Team Leaders Match 6
Aces- none
Kills- Vostal 2
Blocks- none
Digs- Guidetti 2
Assists- Walsh, Guenther 1
Total Points- Vostal 2
Friday, September 6, 2019
JV AND 9th GRADERS DOWN THE CRUSADERS; GL HANDS VARSITY FIRST LOSS
Friday brought the excitement of all 3 levels playing at home at Summit´s main and auxiliary gym with JV opening up the afternoon in the main gym against the Governor Livingston Crusaders and the 9th graders playing their 2nd match versus GL in the auxiliary gym to open up the 4 o´clock matches.
The Junior Varsity squad was stellar in the 2-0 victory versus the Crusaders by 25-16, 25-18 tallies. The Hilltoppers relied on tough serving and a solid defense to propel the team to its 2nd victory of the season. Through the first 5 rotations, SHS and GL were locked in a tight battle with the teams tied at 7 and not getting into any consistent offensive flow. Entering the 6th rotation knotted at 8, Hope Basaman ripped off 3 consecutive aces and earned 5 service points to give the Hilltoppers a 13-8 lead they would not relinquish. The Crusaders cut the lead down to 3 late at 19-16 but a kill by Olivia Lawlor put away any hope for a comeback and the Maroon and White closed it out 2 rotations later for a 25-16 game 1 win.
Game 2 saw the Top sprint out to a 13-8 lead after 6 rotations and despite many mini runs at the Hilltoppers, Summit still held that 5 point margin by rotation 12 at 22-17. The match was over soon after with a 25-18 game 2 and match victory.
The defense was anchored by Sarah Noa and Thea Rind who each contributed with 8 digs apiece in the match. Setter Jordan Parella was particularly active offensively with a team leading 6 kills to add to her 7 assists. Rebecca Thompson (5 aces) and Hope Basaman (3 aces) led the way from the service line for the Top. The Hilltoppers with the most points on the day were Thompson with 5 points and Parella with 6.
9th GRADERS EARN THEIR SECOND 3-GAME MATCH WIN
The 9th grade squad took on GL looking to see how they would measure up against an established program with a lot of success. It did not take long to figure out this match would have a different tenor than the Wardlaw matchup. Game 1 was very close through 6 rotations with Summit trailing 11-13 after 6 rotations. SHS had tied it at 14 by rotation 9 but the Maroon and White blew it open behind an 8 point barrage in rotation 10 that closed the game out at 25-14.
Game 2 was close throughout but Summit was trailing and playing catch-up most of the game. By rotation 6, Governor Livingston held a slim 9-6 lead but a 5-3 mini run in the next 3 rotations opened up a 5 point lead for the Blue and White. But then came the Summit run, one which saw the Hilltoppers rattle off 5 points to tie the score at 14. GL bounced back though and had the lead back late in game 2 after the 12th rotation with a 3-0 run that took the Crusaders to a 20-17 lead. Summit managed only 2 more points and dropped game 2 by a 25-19.
Game 3 was another tight one with both teams separated by a mere 2 points with Summit holding a 7-5 lead midway through the set. Abby Wells turned what still was a close game late (9-7) into a resounding win with 5 straight service points to close out the match 15-7 to improve their record to
2W-0L!
GOVERNOR LIVINGSTON OUTLASTS SUMMIT WITH CONSISTENT SERVICE PRESSURE
Summit had a tight 2 set loss at home last year to the Crusaders in which the Maroon and White outscored GL 30-25 despite a 17-13 kill advantage for the Crusaders. In the return match at GL, Summit pushed the home team to 3 games despite being outscored in that match 52-39 and out-killed by a 43-27 margin. Summit needed big points at big times to beat this outstanding squad and early on in 2019, SHS looked like it would do just that.
The Hilltoppers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in game 1 but soon found themselves trailing 6-3 as the GL game-plan was clearly to pressure opponents with their serving attack and it was yielding results early versus the SHS receive. A fortunate down ball kill by Kiera Stocks stalled the GL momentum and Summit was within 2 at 6-4. A Sarah Maldonado kill and a Crusader hitting error saw the Maroon and White knot up the game at 6 and it seemed that despite Governor Livingston´s power serving, the Top could find a way to overcome it.
That hope was dashed in rotation 4 as the Blue and White ran a 6-2 run that had them up by a 14-8 tally before another Maldonado kill ended the run. Sarah Brennan continued where she left off in the last match and ripped an ace to get a point back and then forced an errant pass that Sylvie Goudreau put down to get the Top back within 3 at 14-11. Unfortunately, SHS could not convert on a free ball which was forced by another Brennan serve and gave the ball back on an unforced error which sparked an 8-0 run that Summit could not recover from, thus giving game 1 to the Crusaders by a 25-17 margin. Summit actually won over 50% of its serves thanks to 2 aces by Kasey Walsh and 1 apiece by Brennan and Gabbie Guidetti. GL had no answer for Maldonado who led the Hilltoppers with 3 kills on just 6 swings and 0 errors. Defensively, Guidetti and Stocks tallied 4 digs apiece but the receiving game struggled to find consistency.
Game 2 was a tale of 2 Summit squads, the one before a GL time-out after a Goudreau ace that had SHS only down by 1 at 8-9 and the squad that came in after that time-out and allowed Governor Livingston to go on a 16-1 run to close out the game and match at 25-9. Summit was down early 3-0 and never seemed to be able to close the gap as GL extended the lead to 8-3 three rotations later. Maldonado yet again stymied the run with a kill and it set up Brennan to hit for another ace and cut the lead to 3. Despite a break in serve, GL could not extend the lead as a serving error on their end de-railed the momentum. Goudreau forced an error with her service game and also hit for an ace to bring the team back to within 1 at 8-9 when the time-out was called. Nothing much needs to be said of the 16-1 run other than SHS could not handle the Crusader service game and when they did, the offense sputtered.
Brennan and Goudreau tallied the only aces in the game for the Top while Maldonado and Yorio notched the only kills for the Hilltoppers. Brennan led the way with 3 digs defensively and Stocks tallied 2.
For the match, Brennan and Walsh led the way with 2 aces apiece while also being the most highly rated servers (3.0 and 2.5 respectively) while defensively, Stocks tallied 6 digs and Guidetti got 4 to lead the team. Maldonado was outstanding, hitting for 4 kills on only 7 swings with 0 errors and lead the team with 4 points.
Here are some highlights of this match:
GL HIGHLIGHTS
The Junior Varsity squad was stellar in the 2-0 victory versus the Crusaders by 25-16, 25-18 tallies. The Hilltoppers relied on tough serving and a solid defense to propel the team to its 2nd victory of the season. Through the first 5 rotations, SHS and GL were locked in a tight battle with the teams tied at 7 and not getting into any consistent offensive flow. Entering the 6th rotation knotted at 8, Hope Basaman ripped off 3 consecutive aces and earned 5 service points to give the Hilltoppers a 13-8 lead they would not relinquish. The Crusaders cut the lead down to 3 late at 19-16 but a kill by Olivia Lawlor put away any hope for a comeback and the Maroon and White closed it out 2 rotations later for a 25-16 game 1 win.
Game 2 saw the Top sprint out to a 13-8 lead after 6 rotations and despite many mini runs at the Hilltoppers, Summit still held that 5 point margin by rotation 12 at 22-17. The match was over soon after with a 25-18 game 2 and match victory.
The defense was anchored by Sarah Noa and Thea Rind who each contributed with 8 digs apiece in the match. Setter Jordan Parella was particularly active offensively with a team leading 6 kills to add to her 7 assists. Rebecca Thompson (5 aces) and Hope Basaman (3 aces) led the way from the service line for the Top. The Hilltoppers with the most points on the day were Thompson with 5 points and Parella with 6.
9th GRADERS EARN THEIR SECOND 3-GAME MATCH WIN
The 9th grade squad took on GL looking to see how they would measure up against an established program with a lot of success. It did not take long to figure out this match would have a different tenor than the Wardlaw matchup. Game 1 was very close through 6 rotations with Summit trailing 11-13 after 6 rotations. SHS had tied it at 14 by rotation 9 but the Maroon and White blew it open behind an 8 point barrage in rotation 10 that closed the game out at 25-14.
Game 2 was close throughout but Summit was trailing and playing catch-up most of the game. By rotation 6, Governor Livingston held a slim 9-6 lead but a 5-3 mini run in the next 3 rotations opened up a 5 point lead for the Blue and White. But then came the Summit run, one which saw the Hilltoppers rattle off 5 points to tie the score at 14. GL bounced back though and had the lead back late in game 2 after the 12th rotation with a 3-0 run that took the Crusaders to a 20-17 lead. Summit managed only 2 more points and dropped game 2 by a 25-19.
Game 3 was another tight one with both teams separated by a mere 2 points with Summit holding a 7-5 lead midway through the set. Abby Wells turned what still was a close game late (9-7) into a resounding win with 5 straight service points to close out the match 15-7 to improve their record to
2W-0L!
GOVERNOR LIVINGSTON OUTLASTS SUMMIT WITH CONSISTENT SERVICE PRESSURE
Summit had a tight 2 set loss at home last year to the Crusaders in which the Maroon and White outscored GL 30-25 despite a 17-13 kill advantage for the Crusaders. In the return match at GL, Summit pushed the home team to 3 games despite being outscored in that match 52-39 and out-killed by a 43-27 margin. Summit needed big points at big times to beat this outstanding squad and early on in 2019, SHS looked like it would do just that.
The Hilltoppers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in game 1 but soon found themselves trailing 6-3 as the GL game-plan was clearly to pressure opponents with their serving attack and it was yielding results early versus the SHS receive. A fortunate down ball kill by Kiera Stocks stalled the GL momentum and Summit was within 2 at 6-4. A Sarah Maldonado kill and a Crusader hitting error saw the Maroon and White knot up the game at 6 and it seemed that despite Governor Livingston´s power serving, the Top could find a way to overcome it.
That hope was dashed in rotation 4 as the Blue and White ran a 6-2 run that had them up by a 14-8 tally before another Maldonado kill ended the run. Sarah Brennan continued where she left off in the last match and ripped an ace to get a point back and then forced an errant pass that Sylvie Goudreau put down to get the Top back within 3 at 14-11. Unfortunately, SHS could not convert on a free ball which was forced by another Brennan serve and gave the ball back on an unforced error which sparked an 8-0 run that Summit could not recover from, thus giving game 1 to the Crusaders by a 25-17 margin. Summit actually won over 50% of its serves thanks to 2 aces by Kasey Walsh and 1 apiece by Brennan and Gabbie Guidetti. GL had no answer for Maldonado who led the Hilltoppers with 3 kills on just 6 swings and 0 errors. Defensively, Guidetti and Stocks tallied 4 digs apiece but the receiving game struggled to find consistency.
Game 2 was a tale of 2 Summit squads, the one before a GL time-out after a Goudreau ace that had SHS only down by 1 at 8-9 and the squad that came in after that time-out and allowed Governor Livingston to go on a 16-1 run to close out the game and match at 25-9. Summit was down early 3-0 and never seemed to be able to close the gap as GL extended the lead to 8-3 three rotations later. Maldonado yet again stymied the run with a kill and it set up Brennan to hit for another ace and cut the lead to 3. Despite a break in serve, GL could not extend the lead as a serving error on their end de-railed the momentum. Goudreau forced an error with her service game and also hit for an ace to bring the team back to within 1 at 8-9 when the time-out was called. Nothing much needs to be said of the 16-1 run other than SHS could not handle the Crusader service game and when they did, the offense sputtered.
Brennan and Goudreau tallied the only aces in the game for the Top while Maldonado and Yorio notched the only kills for the Hilltoppers. Brennan led the way with 3 digs defensively and Stocks tallied 2.
For the match, Brennan and Walsh led the way with 2 aces apiece while also being the most highly rated servers (3.0 and 2.5 respectively) while defensively, Stocks tallied 6 digs and Guidetti got 4 to lead the team. Maldonado was outstanding, hitting for 4 kills on only 7 swings with 0 errors and lead the team with 4 points.
Here are some highlights of this match:
GL HIGHLIGHTS
Thursday, September 5, 2019
HILLTOPPERS USE BALANCED ATTACK TO DRIVE RAMS OUT OF HILLTOP COUNTRY; 9th GRADERS EARN 1st WIN vs. PAYNE TECH
The home opener for the Hilltopper program was a tricky one versus the Rams of Wardlaw-Hartridge. JV has traditionally dominated the contest and has used their serving prowess to earn multiple wins over the years. Varsity has struggled a bit to find that consistency over Wardlaw-Hartridge and despite holding a series edge over the Rams (3W-2L) over the last 5 years, the Rams have proven to be a difficult opponent for the Maroon and White to overcome.
JV held to form this past Tuesday and took the match 25-14, 25-18, hitting for 9 aces in the match and putting the Rams out of system throughout the contest which in turn led to many successful attack attempts by Summit (12 kills). The offense was led by Eva Oberhuber and Catherine Eldridge who scored 3 kills apiece while Natalie Peralta was a one woman wrecking crew from the service line with 4 of the team´s 9 aces and making her the top point scorer for the Top in this match.
Varsity looked to avenge last year´s 3 game loss to the Rams on the road and used their power serving to establish a consistent attack that wore down the Rams to a 25-13, 25-20 victory. A 10 ace performance by the Maroon and White was more than enough to pressure the Rams into many out of system swings that led to easy points. The Hilltopper serve receive was stellar as well, giving up only 4 aces for the match and not allowing the Rams to get in any type of roll from the service line.
Set 1 started off fairly even with both teams deadlocked at 4 after a Wardlaw serving error. Meghan Tarashuk followed with an ace and another tough serve that yielded a Ram error on the last contact to open up a 6-4 lead. Despite a service break, Sarah Maldonado put down a ball to re-establish the two point cushion and then Sarah Brennan stepped up and orchestrated an 11-0 run, rattling off 4 aces and forcing the Wardlaw squad into numerous out of system situations which broke the game open at 18-5. There was not much else to game 1 as the Hilltoppers closed it out 25-13 4 rotations later.
Brennan had 11 service points from the service line and hit for 4 aces to lead Summit and the squad gave up none to Wardlaw. Libero Captain Kiera Stocks passed at an incredible 2.83 rating, sending 5 of 6 serve receptions perfectly to the setter. Stocks also led the Hilltoppers with 6 digs defensively. Summit hit for 10 kills in game 1 led by Annabella Yorio and Sarah Maldonado who hit for 3 kills apiece.
Game 2 seemed like it was going to be more of the same as Captain Sylvie Goudreau put down a kill from the middle blocker position to tie up the score at 2 and give Gabbie Guidetti the serve who proceeded to shoot an ace between the 1-5 zones. Wardlaw regained control of the ball on the next rotation but Stocks then ran off 5 service points behind some tough serving to get the lead to 5 at 8-3. The game seemed to be going in the direction of a blowout as the lead expanded to 10-4 after a Tarashuk service run that had the Rams scrambling but, to the credit of the Wardlaw squad, they slowly started to chip away at the lead, closing to within 2 at 11-9 after one of 3 consecutive Hilltopper hitting errors.
Having sustained the Ram attack, Summit fell back to its strength, the service line, and Stocks nailed 3 aces in a row to give Summit an insurmountable 18-14 lead. Wardlaw managed to break serve again but to no avail as Goudreau pounded a kill to zone 5 in the next play but the Rams regained the ball in the subsequent play but again Summit responded with a Maldonado kill to regain control at 20-16. A Brennan ace all but extinguished any hope the Rams had of a comeback extending the lead to 5. Wardlaw closed the gap to 3 at 21-18 but 2 Yorio kills and 2 Ram errors sealed the game and match for a final score of 25-20.
Stocks was dominant in set 2 from the service line, ripping 6 service points and hitting for 3 aces to lead the team and the Captain was also a mainstay on the backline, digging up 6 balls to lead the defense. Goudreau and Maldonado paced the offense with 3 kills apiece and Maldonado was error free with a kill and efficiency percentage of 60%.
MATCH LEADERS:
Serve- Brennan 12 service points, 5 aces; Stocks 8 service points, 3 aces
Receive- Stocks 2.90 rating; Tarashuk 2.40 rating
Defensive-
Digs- Stocks 12 digs; Brennan 5 digs
Blocks- none
Offensive-
Kills: Maldonado 6 kills; Yorio 5 kills
Kill %: Maldonado 60%; Vostal 42.9%
Efficiency: Maldonado .600; Yorio .214
Point Leaders: Maldonado 6 pts.; Yorio and Brennan 5 pts.
9TH GRADERS GET FIRST VICTORY
The 9th grade squad making its anticipated debut earned a hard fought 25-5, 23-25, 15-13 victory over Payne Tech! In game 1, Bridget Dempsey rattled off 20 straight service points to lock down the win for the Hilltoppers. Set 2 saw a more balanced match but Summit could not generate enough kills to seal the deal late. The Maroon and White was down 12-13 late in the deciding game but a service error by the Payne Tech squad gave Summit the opening it needed to close out game 3.
Congrats to the 9th grade team and Coach G for their first victory!
JV held to form this past Tuesday and took the match 25-14, 25-18, hitting for 9 aces in the match and putting the Rams out of system throughout the contest which in turn led to many successful attack attempts by Summit (12 kills). The offense was led by Eva Oberhuber and Catherine Eldridge who scored 3 kills apiece while Natalie Peralta was a one woman wrecking crew from the service line with 4 of the team´s 9 aces and making her the top point scorer for the Top in this match.
Varsity looked to avenge last year´s 3 game loss to the Rams on the road and used their power serving to establish a consistent attack that wore down the Rams to a 25-13, 25-20 victory. A 10 ace performance by the Maroon and White was more than enough to pressure the Rams into many out of system swings that led to easy points. The Hilltopper serve receive was stellar as well, giving up only 4 aces for the match and not allowing the Rams to get in any type of roll from the service line.
Set 1 started off fairly even with both teams deadlocked at 4 after a Wardlaw serving error. Meghan Tarashuk followed with an ace and another tough serve that yielded a Ram error on the last contact to open up a 6-4 lead. Despite a service break, Sarah Maldonado put down a ball to re-establish the two point cushion and then Sarah Brennan stepped up and orchestrated an 11-0 run, rattling off 4 aces and forcing the Wardlaw squad into numerous out of system situations which broke the game open at 18-5. There was not much else to game 1 as the Hilltoppers closed it out 25-13 4 rotations later.
Brennan had 11 service points from the service line and hit for 4 aces to lead Summit and the squad gave up none to Wardlaw. Libero Captain Kiera Stocks passed at an incredible 2.83 rating, sending 5 of 6 serve receptions perfectly to the setter. Stocks also led the Hilltoppers with 6 digs defensively. Summit hit for 10 kills in game 1 led by Annabella Yorio and Sarah Maldonado who hit for 3 kills apiece.
Game 2 seemed like it was going to be more of the same as Captain Sylvie Goudreau put down a kill from the middle blocker position to tie up the score at 2 and give Gabbie Guidetti the serve who proceeded to shoot an ace between the 1-5 zones. Wardlaw regained control of the ball on the next rotation but Stocks then ran off 5 service points behind some tough serving to get the lead to 5 at 8-3. The game seemed to be going in the direction of a blowout as the lead expanded to 10-4 after a Tarashuk service run that had the Rams scrambling but, to the credit of the Wardlaw squad, they slowly started to chip away at the lead, closing to within 2 at 11-9 after one of 3 consecutive Hilltopper hitting errors.
Having sustained the Ram attack, Summit fell back to its strength, the service line, and Stocks nailed 3 aces in a row to give Summit an insurmountable 18-14 lead. Wardlaw managed to break serve again but to no avail as Goudreau pounded a kill to zone 5 in the next play but the Rams regained the ball in the subsequent play but again Summit responded with a Maldonado kill to regain control at 20-16. A Brennan ace all but extinguished any hope the Rams had of a comeback extending the lead to 5. Wardlaw closed the gap to 3 at 21-18 but 2 Yorio kills and 2 Ram errors sealed the game and match for a final score of 25-20.
Stocks was dominant in set 2 from the service line, ripping 6 service points and hitting for 3 aces to lead the team and the Captain was also a mainstay on the backline, digging up 6 balls to lead the defense. Goudreau and Maldonado paced the offense with 3 kills apiece and Maldonado was error free with a kill and efficiency percentage of 60%.
MATCH LEADERS:
Serve- Brennan 12 service points, 5 aces; Stocks 8 service points, 3 aces
Receive- Stocks 2.90 rating; Tarashuk 2.40 rating
Defensive-
Digs- Stocks 12 digs; Brennan 5 digs
Blocks- none
Offensive-
Kills: Maldonado 6 kills; Yorio 5 kills
Kill %: Maldonado 60%; Vostal 42.9%
Efficiency: Maldonado .600; Yorio .214
Point Leaders: Maldonado 6 pts.; Yorio and Brennan 5 pts.
9TH GRADERS GET FIRST VICTORY
The 9th grade squad making its anticipated debut earned a hard fought 25-5, 23-25, 15-13 victory over Payne Tech! In game 1, Bridget Dempsey rattled off 20 straight service points to lock down the win for the Hilltoppers. Set 2 saw a more balanced match but Summit could not generate enough kills to seal the deal late. The Maroon and White was down 12-13 late in the deciding game but a service error by the Payne Tech squad gave Summit the opening it needed to close out game 3.
Congrats to the 9th grade team and Coach G for their first victory!
Sunday, September 1, 2019
2019 SEASON PREVIEW
The 9th graders will embark in their inaugural season with a home heavy schedule. The young Lady Hilltoppers will host 4 matches in September and travel to 4 and will see an October of just home matches, 8 of them to be exact.
The JV Squad will again see a packed schedule and will look to continue the amazing success the team has experienced recently. As a matter of fact, the last 3 seasons have been the most successful in the entire program.
The JV Squad will again see a packed schedule and will look to continue the amazing success the team has experienced recently. As a matter of fact, the last 3 seasons have been the most successful in the entire program.
JV RECORD
#1 - 2016: 17W -6L (.739 )
#2 - 2017: 16W - 6L (.727)
#3 - 2018: 17W - 7L (.708) - 6 matches with 9th graders playing JV (3w-3l)
The Varsity Squad is coming off a 9W-15L season but went 7W-7L (.500) in division play,
first time that has occurred since 2010. The Squad also earned a victory over New Providence
last year (first time since 2011) and beat Chatham for the first time in program history
at the Varsity level.
first time that has occurred since 2010. The Squad also earned a victory over New Providence
last year (first time since 2011) and beat Chatham for the first time in program history
at the Varsity level.
The 9 wins were the 3rd highest number earned by the team since 2010 and last year the
Varsity Squad was the best defensive team Summit has seen, earning the record for the
total number of digs and digs/game in a season. The team will be looking to improve its
offensive numbers and match the production of the last 2 most productive seasons
in program history (2010-11) when the team earned 13.30 and 14.05 points per game
(#3 and #1 all-time) and saw their record climb to 15W-9L in 2010 and 21W-4L in 2011,
the best record by any Lady Hilltopper Volleyball Team.
Varsity Squad was the best defensive team Summit has seen, earning the record for the
total number of digs and digs/game in a season. The team will be looking to improve its
offensive numbers and match the production of the last 2 most productive seasons
in program history (2010-11) when the team earned 13.30 and 14.05 points per game
(#3 and #1 all-time) and saw their record climb to 15W-9L in 2010 and 21W-4L in 2011,
the best record by any Lady Hilltopper Volleyball Team.
The 2018 Team scored at 12.21 points per game and the 2019 Squad will look to improve
on that number with the goal to qualify for the Group 2 Championship Tournament for the
first time since 2012.
on that number with the goal to qualify for the Group 2 Championship Tournament for the
first time since 2012.
The Lady Hilltoppers will look for massive contributions from its brand new front-line
of hitters featuring the only middle returner to the offense, Captain, Sylvie Goudreau.
The defensive unit will also be brand new with Captain Kiera Stocks being the anchor of
the defense and serve receive as the Libero. The team will rely heavily on the trio of
setters, Kyra Guenther, Kasey Walsh and Abby Doyle to run a faster tempo offense.
of hitters featuring the only middle returner to the offense, Captain, Sylvie Goudreau.
The defensive unit will also be brand new with Captain Kiera Stocks being the anchor of
the defense and serve receive as the Libero. The team will rely heavily on the trio of
setters, Kyra Guenther, Kasey Walsh and Abby Doyle to run a faster tempo offense.
The JV and Varsity Squad will open up at home on Wednesday, 9/4 against the Rams of Wardlaw-Hartridge and the 9th Graders will open up on Thursday, also at home, against Payne Tech.
All levels will play again on Friday, 9/6 at home versus the Crusaders of Governor Livingston.
2019 SCRIMMAGE SEASON CLOSES
The Lady Hilltoppers saw their pre-season come to a close with decisive 3-0 and 2-0 set wins on the Varsity and JV Levels respectively on Thursday against Morristown-Beard School. The squads looked solid from the service line and used their serving attack to set the tone for their set sweeps of the Crimson.
Due to the bleacher installation in the main gym, the JV and 9th grade squads lost a previously scheduled match this past week. The results of the scrimmage season were very positive for the program.
The 9th graders (19 strong) took 3 sets from East Brunswick in their season debut. The JV took 1 set from Millburn, 1 from Colonia, 1 from East Brunswick and swept Mo-Beard 2-0 for a preseason scrimmage record of 5W-5L. Considering the squad is primarily 10th graders going up against teams filled with club players, it bodes well for the squad for this season.
Varsity went up against 4 of the toughest teams in Group 3 during scrimmage season:
1st Match lost 3 sets to Millburn, 2018 #1 ranked in Essex County, Semi-Finalist in County Tournament, Quarter-Finalist in Group 3 State Championship.
2nd Match lost 3 sets to Colonia, 2018 #1 ranked Middlesex County, Semi-Finalist in County Tournament, Quarter-Finalist in Group 3 State Championship.
3rd Match won 1 lost 2 to East Brunswick, #7 in Middlesex County, Quarter-Finalist in County Tournament, First Round Group 3 State Championship.
4th Match lost 3 sets to JP Stevens, #2 Middlesex County, County Champion, Quarter-Finalist in Group 3 State Championship.
5th Match won 3 sets to Morristown-Beard.
The Varsity Squad will look to take their performance against the Crimson of Mo-Beard into next
week's opening match versus Wardlaw-Hartridge, a team that upset the Hilltoppers on the road by a 2-1 set score.
You can see the top ranked players during scrimmage season using this link:
SCRIMMAGE STATS
Due to the bleacher installation in the main gym, the JV and 9th grade squads lost a previously scheduled match this past week. The results of the scrimmage season were very positive for the program.
The 9th graders (19 strong) took 3 sets from East Brunswick in their season debut. The JV took 1 set from Millburn, 1 from Colonia, 1 from East Brunswick and swept Mo-Beard 2-0 for a preseason scrimmage record of 5W-5L. Considering the squad is primarily 10th graders going up against teams filled with club players, it bodes well for the squad for this season.
Varsity went up against 4 of the toughest teams in Group 3 during scrimmage season:
1st Match lost 3 sets to Millburn, 2018 #1 ranked in Essex County, Semi-Finalist in County Tournament, Quarter-Finalist in Group 3 State Championship.
2nd Match lost 3 sets to Colonia, 2018 #1 ranked Middlesex County, Semi-Finalist in County Tournament, Quarter-Finalist in Group 3 State Championship.
3rd Match won 1 lost 2 to East Brunswick, #7 in Middlesex County, Quarter-Finalist in County Tournament, First Round Group 3 State Championship.
4th Match lost 3 sets to JP Stevens, #2 Middlesex County, County Champion, Quarter-Finalist in Group 3 State Championship.
5th Match won 3 sets to Morristown-Beard.
The Varsity Squad will look to take their performance against the Crimson of Mo-Beard into next
week's opening match versus Wardlaw-Hartridge, a team that upset the Hilltoppers on the road by a 2-1 set score.
You can see the top ranked players during scrimmage season using this link:
SCRIMMAGE STATS
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