October 21, 2022
The semi-finals of the Bergen County Tournament occurred today with two sets of NJP top 10 teams battles to see who will reach the finals. Bogota defeated River Dell and Immaculate Heart wrecked Bergen Tech, both matches going in straight sets. This will be a great final on Sunday at Old Tappan. #1 vs #2 seeds.
The semifinals were both one-sided. Bogota had not matched up with River Dell yet this season and kept their streak alive of not losing a set all season, with the exception of their loss to IHA. Bergen Tech entered their match having only lost one game all year but it was a humbling encounter with IHA who doubled their point total overall on the night. Both winning teams have been absolute standouts this season and are NJ elite. The final battle should be epic and could be an important game for final overall rankings in the state of NJ with no TOC going forward.
Congratulations to Westfield as they defeated Union Catholic in the Union County Tournament final. Westfield ran through the entire Union County schedule without a loss this season and are currently 17-1 as they head toward the state tournament starting next week.
The magical season by the Montgomery Cougars encountered a hiccup today as Hillsborough, powered by sophomore Aileen Xue, took down Montgomery in straight sets to win the 2022 Somerset County Tournament. The second year outside hitter has had another standout season for the Raiders accumulating just under 200 kills and almost 150 digs on the season. Her career totals for her first two seasons are astonishing as she now has 330 kills and 282 digs as well as 43 career aces. She improved in every statistical category over last seasons stellar effort. We will see just how many records Aileen will be able to shatter for her school as well as in the state of NJ over the remainder of her high school career. Reagan Pirog dug 14 and had 6 aces while Gisele Galera posted 3 aces and 16 assists.
The 22-0 Paul VI Eagles remained undefeated tonight as the drubbed Pennsylvania’s Merion Mercy in three straight sets. Last years TOC finalist who lost by just 2 points in each set against undefeated Williamstown, has been rock solid this season, undefeated, and positioned to again be in the mix for the non-public state championship.
