October 27, 2023

State playoffs have begun and soon many teams will be dropping off with their seasons ending. This is one of the most exciting times of the year and also bittersweet. For seniors, most players will have their competitive volleyball careers end. Only the top few percentages of players will continue their academic and athletic endeavors at the collegiate level. For many, the culmination of perhaps a decade of playing and being involved in volleyball will wind down. Yes, many will continue playing on weekends at the park with friends or at the beach in the summer time. Some may join an adult league at their local clubs. The competitive exhilaration of playing for your school or junior team will not be the same.

But it’s also a time to embrace the changes that lie ahead. The love of the game will always be there. For high school level players, it’s hard to imagine that within a short time you may attend college, start a career, find a life partner, or even start a family of your own. The time will go by like the snap of a finger. And you will rediscover your passion when your child asks for their first volleyball. You might be a bit rusty when you conduct your first pepper, but you will be able to instill and inspire the same passion that you felt when you first started playing. And the cycle will continue… for generations to come.

All players seasons will end over the next two weeks. Whether you finish with a state championship or sub par season, you will realize that the time you spent with your friends, your teammates, and your coaches, will be some of the best times of your lives. Treasure those moments. You should try to look back at a video of you and your team playing from last year and be proud of your improvement on the court. But be even prouder of your improvement and maturity off the court too. You are growing up and becoming the leaders of tomorrow. Your time spent and learnings in high school sports will support you throughout life. Life is not always about accomplishing the dream goal, but more about enjoying the journey along the way.

For some, the volleyball journey continues. We saw some spirited first round playoff action yesterday and the slate is full today with many more first round match-ups. We also saw the culmination of county tournaments as we wanted to give shutouts to the all the winners:

Immaculate Heart was the winner of the Bergen County Tournament. They got pushed to 3 sets in both the semi-final and final with spirited play by Demarest and Old Tappan fueling the closeness, IHA was NJP’s #1 team entering the state playoffs.

The Livingston Lancers had a fantastic showing in the Essex County Tournament. They did not lose a set in their run to the Championship, beating Verona in the final game. Anika Dhar and Camilla Dong led the attack for the Lancers as they limited the Hillbillies to just 15 in each set.

The Old Bridge Knights breezed past a very good Monroe Falcon team to repeat as Middlesex County Champs. Trying to win a game at Old Bridge HS is becoming harder than trying to beat the Yankees at Yankee Stadium or The Rangers at the Garden. The home town crowd is a major advantage and the players thrive on it. The excellent play of freshman Ashley Markle can not be over emphasized as far as impacting the Knights success this season.

Secaucus was at one time the elite team in NJ. Their return to the top of Hudson County made everyone stand up and take notice as they took down the defending champs and undefeated Hudson Catholic Hawks. It was a battle of superstars as Sydney Salazar of HC and Olivia Jasiczek of Secaucus battled to the finish in a three set brawl. Jasiczek posted 16 kills, 2 blocks, and 3 aces and Salazar slammed 17 kills in a showcase of individual talent. Hard to believe the 6′ Secaucus leader Jasiczek is just a sophomore.

Wayne Valley defeated PCTI in three sets to propel them another Passaic County Championship. Valentina Palen had 12 kills and Rilee Crank added 9 kills and 4 blocks on the attack. Reese Antonio lifted 22 digs and Olivia Isaacson added 25 assists for the Indians. PCTI poured it on early taking the first set 25-17 but WV outlasted them the last two sets to pick up the victory.

And lastly, it’s been a perfect season for Morristown and the Morris County Tournament was no different than the rest of the Colonials season. Motown secured their 18 straight victory in a row taking down Morris Knolls in the finals. Last week, they launched into the NJP top 5 teams in NJ.

The Shore tournament was one of the latest in the season but the Southern Rams left no doubt about was the best at the beach. The ran the table without losing a set and defeated Donovan Catholic handily in the Championship match. The Rams are still eying a Group 4 Championship as well as a potential NJP #1 ranking in the state come end of season.

Atlantic Tech came out of no where to win the Cape Atlantic Tournament. NJP had predicted ACTI to lose every match they played. But Tech had other intentions as they won all three games played, knocking off Pleasantville in the final. Olivia Magro had 13 kills and raised her season total to over 200. The 5’5″ junior has been a leader since her freshman year and we look forward to see what she can accomplish in her senior year.

Six teams went to battle in the Burlington County tournament. Princeton coasted to the championship and took down Notre Dame in the final match. Bobetich and Lygas combining for 22 kills and Lois Matsukawa adding 22 assists and 11 digs. The Tigers have shown all year that they are the cream of the crop in the BCSL and a top 5 team in NJ.

Williamstown continued their winning ways as they push their current win streak to 12 and win the Gloucester County Tournament over Washington Township. The Braves continue to be one of the hottest teams in NJ. Junior Gab Titus had 12 kills in the Championship game.

Aralyn Saulys and Tara Keller each had 6 kills as Sparta defeated Hunterdon Central in the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament championship, The Spartans remain the only team to defeat IHA this year and appear primed for a group state title.

Hillsborough fought off a talented Watching Hills squad to bring home the tournament championship for Somerset County. Aileen Xue with another outstanding performance for the Raiders with 10 kills, 4 aces, 3 blocks, and 13 digs. Emma Jubin had 10 kills for WH.

Westfield punched out a Union County tournament win taking down Union Catholic in straight sets at Kean University.Cabreles and Calandra led the attack for the Blue Devils. Westfield improved to 18-4.

Shifting to the state tournament,

Here are our predictions for sectional finals…

Central 1: NJP sees Hoboken and Dayton as a cut above the rest in this sectional. We have Hoboken with a razor length lead over Dayton but the finals would be anyone’s guess. They are 1-2 seeds as well as 1-2 in NJP rankings.

Central 2: We love Governor Livingston in this bracket and like Central 1, the seeds are aligned with NJP’s rating system with Raritan as the #2. With a minimum 5 point rating lead, GL should take this sectional.

Central 3: It’s down to the final 8 already and we see Princeton as the hands down best team in the bracket. They are 9 rating points ahead of #2 Woodbridge. Case closed.

Central 4: We have not been great this season at picking Central 4 matchups. Every time we think Old Bridge will beat Monroe or Monroe will beat Old Bridge, we have gotten it wrong. Monroe got spanked in the Middlesex County final when the 2 matched up. We did not see that coming. This time OB may need to travel to Monroe with the Falcons having the #1 seed, which could make a huge difference. But both teams will have very tough semi-final matches with East Brunswick, Hunterdon Central, Hillsborough or Bridgewater potentially standing in the way. The current math says go with the Knights.

In the non-public A grid, NJP like IHA over Paul VI. These two teams have been part of the Sweet 7 all season long. With a one point rating advantage, we also see it going three sets. Donovan and Union Catholic are probably the only teams that can stay close with the top 2. The North vs South battle will be epic if it materializes.

For non-public B, St Mary’s Rutherford continues to impress and is 7 rating points ahead of the nearest team in the grid, Rutgers Prep, the 2nd seed. From what the Gaels have shown this season, they should ride to victory over the next 3 games.

We will review the remaining sections in tomorrow’s blog… Good luck to all teams playing on a loaded Friday night schedule.