Girls volleyball: Top 20 and group rankings

THE STAR-LEDGER, November 01, 2009

TOP 20

1-Immaculate Heart (24-1)2-Bridgewater-R (24-0)3-Caldwell (25-2)4-Old Tappan (18-3)5-Ramapo (18-4)6-West Morris (24-2)7-Mendham (19-4)8-Demarest (15-5)9-Paramus (18-5)10-Fair Lawn (17-5)11-Science Park (18-4)12-Pascack Hills (14-3)13-Chatham (21-3)14-Bogota (25-2)15-Southern Reg. (36-3)16-Union Catholic (18-4)17-Ridgewood (15-4)18-Hunterdon Central (21-6)19-Secaucus (20-2)20-Livingston (16-6)

GROUP 3

1-Old Tappan (18-3)2-Ramapo (18-4)3-West Morris (24-2)4-Mendham (19-4)5-Demarest (15-5)6-Paramus (18-5)7-Fair Lawn (17-5)8-Morristown 917-5)9-No. Highlands (14-8)10-Colts Neck (23-4)

Union Catholic, Hunterdon Central, Secaucus rejoin volleyball Top 20

By Mike Moretti/For The Star-Ledger

October 26, 2009

TOP 20

(For Week of October 26 through Nov. 1)

1-Immaculate Heart (19-1)
2-Bridgewater-Raritan (22-0)
3-Caldwell (23-2)
4-Ramapo (16-3)
5-Old Tappan (16-2)
6-West Morris (20-2)
7-Mendham (17-3)
8-Demarest (14-3)
9-Paramus (17-4)
10-Fair Lawn (18-4)
11-Science Park (17-3)
12-Pascack Hills (14-2)
13-Chatham (18-2)
14-Bogota (24-2)
15-Southern Reg. (33-3)
16-Ridgewood (14-4)
17-Union Catholic (16-4)
18-Hunterdon Central (18-5)
19-Secaucus (18-2)
20-Mahwah (18-6)

Morgan Blair has had butterflies in her stomach all week, just thinking about the Morris County Tournament volleyball final. But when the time came to take the court, Blair and her West Morris teammates showed few jitters. 

The Highlanders swept sister-school Mendham, 25-18, 25-23, to reclaim the MCT title on Saturday night. It was top-seeded West Morris' first county crown since 2006, after winning the first seven in a row.

The players saw it happen in their own gym, before they even left for Roxbury High School. With the lights dimmed, West Morris head coach Beth Grasso walked them through a visualization of the entire event, from the bus trip to the final point, and the celebration afterward.

"It's the most excited I've ever felt," said Blair, a 6-foot-1 middle hitter. "I don't even have words to describe it. This is exactly what I was feeling (during the visualization). It's even better now.

"Though West Morris (20-2) had defeated Mendham in two regular-season matches, the battle of sister schools didn't go quickly. The score seesawed back and forth in the first match, until middle hitter Kelly Maguire put down consecutive aces to give the Highlanders an 18-16 lead they would not relinquish.

"We went up with an attack mentality every time," Grasso said. "I don't think we looked tight. We went up with fire in the eyes.

"But second-seeded Mendham (17-3) was not to be denied.

The Minutemen roared out to a 5-0 lead at the start of the second game, as opposite Lindsay Duggan recorded two kills and setter Stefanie Swerdlin served up an ace. The intensity only increased as West Morris tried to come back, only to have Mendham step up again. A pair of Falzarano kills finally gave the Highlanders a three-point edge at 16-13, forcing Minutemen coach Bob Acker to call timeout. But uncharacteristic West Morris errors kept things close, and Grasso also took a break to try to steady her team, then up by just a single point at 22-21.

Maguire wiped a kill off a block, and put down another ball, bringing the Highlanders to match point in the final. But even then, Mendham did not back away.

Outside hitter Andrea DeMoss killed the ball, and middle hitter Lauren Sharp tipped another point.

DeMoss had eight kills and two digs for Mendham. Duggan added five kills, four blocks and a dig. Minutemen outside hitter Dominique Vandenbulcke had four kills, a block and two digs.

"We gave it all. We did all we could," said Swerdlin, who had 16 assists. "I can't really say there was a difference between the two of us. We both wanted to win. We were both very intense. But they have Kelly, and Kelly was able to get the balls down."

Maguire, a 6-foot-2 senior, handed her team back the championship plaque with the last point of the match. She led West Morris with 10 kills and a block. Blair added another seven kills for the Highlanders. Senior outside hitter Jackie Falzarano had six, as setters Jessica Uphoff (14 assists) and Chrissy Baffutto (12 assists) spread the ball around.

"We had the confidence," Falzarano said. "All week, we've been playing so well, looking toward this game. . . . We made some silly mistakes, but we definitely pulled through and showed how badly we really wanted it."

Girls volleyball: Top 20 and state rankings

THE STAR-LEDGER, October 18, 2009 

1-Immaculate Heart (16-1)
2-Bridgewater-Raritan (17-0)
3-Fair Lawn (15-2)
4-Science Park (15-1)
5-Caldwell (19-2)
6-Ramapo (13-3)
7-Chatham (16-1)
8-Old Tappan (12-2)
9-Pascack Hills (13-1)
10-Southern Reg. (28-2)
11-West Morris (13-2)
12-Mendham (14-2)
13-Mahwah (16-4)
14-Demarest (12-3)
15-Bogota (20-1)
16-Paramus (14-3)
17-Ridgewood (12-2)
18-Glen Rock (17-1)
19-Tenafly (14-3)
20-Rutherford (13-3)

GROUP 3

1-Fair Lawn (15-2)
2-Ramapo (13-3)
3-Old Tappan (12-2)
4-West Morris (13-2)
5-Mendham (14-2)
6-Demarest (12-3)
7-Paramus (14-3)
8-Morristown (13-3)
9-Northern Highlands (9-7)
10-Wayne Valley (12-5)

Defending champs to face sister school for third time

By JANE HAVSY STAFF WRITER

Something looked a little different when Mendham took the court for a Morris County Tournament semifinal on Saturday afternoon. The players were all there, but they'd shifted just a bit. Senior JoAnna DeCastro was wearing a red libero jersey. Junior Andrea DeMoss and senior Dominique Vandenbulcke moved outside, instead of in the middle. Carli Aluotto, a sophomore middle hitter, was in the starting lineup.

All those changes added up to a victory for the Minutemen, 25-19, 25-18, over Morristown in the first MCT semifinal. Defending champion Mendham will play sister school West Morris for the MCT title on Saturday at 7 p.m., back at Roxbury High School.

The same teams also met in the final a year ago.

The top-seeded Highlanders defeated Chatham, 25-17, 25-15, in their semifinal.

Head coach Bob Acker mixed things up after the Minutemen lost to West Morris earlier this week, to solidify the passing and also just to try something new. DeCastro had played libero for her club team, and trading diving for digs to jumping at the net has been easier on her knees.

"It brought us together," said DeMoss, who led second-seeded Mendham with 11 kills, a block and three digs on Saturday. "Before, it was, "This is my position. This is where we know to play.' Now we're trying new things, and we've become a closer team.

"Before the match, Acker told his players that the final scores didn't matter — the amount of effort was the most important thing. Those words rallied Mendham as third-seeded Morristown began to come from behind.

The Minutemen (15-2) seemed poised to run away with the first game, up 7-2 when Colonials coach Ron Davenport called timeout. It didn't make much of a difference to Mendham, as DeCastro served an ace and DeMoss wiped a kill off a Morristown block.

Colonials senior Kori Reigel stepped to the service line with her team down by a dozen points, and almost immediately changed the tone of the match. Reigel's second serve was an ace, then Morristown picked up two more points on Mendham errors. Acker called timeout, but the Colonials' run continued. Reigel had three more kills and Meg O'Shea had one as Morristown scored 10 of 11 points, closing to within three at 18-15.

"We dug ourselves a hole, but we fought back," said Reigel, who had eight kills, four aces and 10 digs. "We never stopped fighting. We don't let mistakes hurt us.

"O'Shea added eight kills and six digs for Morristown (14-4), which was making its first appearance in the MCT semifinal. The Colonials were eliminated by Mendham in the quarterfinals a year ago, and had lost to the same team earlier this season. Senior Alex Taylor had 14 assists on Saturday, helping Morristown come back from yet another early deficit in the second game.

After falling behind by six, kills by Kendall Ferraro and O'Shea and consecutive aces from Alex Taylor brought Morristown within a single point. Vandenbulcke had a kill and a block, Lindsay Duggan had a kill, and DeMoss put the ball down the line to end the match.

Duggan finished with four kills, two assists and two aces. Junior setter Stefanie Swerdlin had 25 assists for Mendham.

"Nothing has changed," said DeCastro, who had six digs and two kills. "The positions have changed, but our spirits haven't lessened. Our work ethic and how we play together hasn't changed." 

Link to photos on the Daily Record  

http://www.dailyrecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=C0&Dato=20091017&Kategori=SPORTS08&Lopenr=910170808&Ref=PH

Girls volleyball: Top 20 and group rankings (High school Girls Volleyball news)

THE STAR-LEDGER, October 11, 2009

TOP 20

1-Immaculate Heart (15-1)
2-Bridgewater-Raritan (14-0)
3-Fair Lawn (13-2)
4-Science Park (12-1)
5-Caldwell (17-2)
6-Southern Reg. (21-1)
7-Rutherford (11-2)
8-Old Tappan (10-1)
9-Hunterdon Central (11-3)
10-Chatham (11-1)
11-Ramapo (11-2)
12-Mendham (12-1)
13-Pascack Hills (10-1)
14-Mahwah (13-3)
15-West Morris (12-2)
16-Bogota (15-1)
17-Demarest (10-3)
18-Cresskill (13-1)
19-Paramus (11-3)
20-Glen Rock (13-1)

Sister act helps teams improve

 Alex Taylor knew the Morristown volleyball program would be getting at least one stellar freshman this fall: her younger sister, Bradley. She even thought her little sister might make the Colonials varsity lineup, after three years of watching Alex — now a senior setter — from the bleachers.

The Taylor sisters grew up playing beach volleyball on vacations, along with their older brother Jack, now a Syracuse freshman. Bradley Taylor always had to work a little harder to compete with her older siblings, extra effort which served her well at Morristown's tryouts.

Yet Bradley Taylor didn't know she'd made varsity until she was actually practicing with the older girls. She is the Colonials' starting libero, fearlessly diving all over the court. Alex Taylor "is the finesse girl," according to head coach Ron Davenport, taking the balls her younger sister digs up and guiding them to Morristown's hitters.

"It's fun, because I get to come home and talk to somebody about everything that happened, and they know exactly what it was because they were there," Alex Taylor said. "It challenges me too, to act like her role model in a way, to make her see what she should be striving to become — and become better on top of that, because she's already close in skill level.

"Mendham senior Dominique Vandenbulcke learned about how to be a captain from her older sister, Danielle. The Vandenbulckes played together two years ago, when the Minutemen advanced to the Group III final. Dominique still makes sure Danielle knows just how the team is doing, even though she's a sophomore at Elon College in North Carolina.

Chatham had the dominant Racibarskas sisters, Katrina and Marika. Katrina Racibarskas is now a junior outside hitter at Lafayette, with Marika at No. 1 Penn State.

West Morris, too, found success through a sibling connection.

"It brought a lot of chemistry," Vandenbulcke said. "We know each other internally, inside and out. I almost know how she thinks. It was great to start the game already with that connection."

Alexis DeSa and her younger sister Casey are helping to build the program at Morris Hills. The tall, athletic duo — Alexis is a 5-10 junior middle hitter and Casey a 5-9 freshman opposite — have been dubbed the Scarlet Knights' twin towers up front.

Like Bradley Taylor, Casey DeSa went from being her older sister's biggest fan to a high school teammate. Though the sisters all admitted to occasionally criticizing the other on the court — "I find it really helpful," Bradley Taylor said — they always manage to move past any negativity. Sports still dominates talk at home, since the DeSas are both involved in the same things year round: volleyball, basketball and outdoor track.

"We're both cheering each other on," Alexis DeSa said. "It's just different, because you get to go home with her afterward."

Mendham High School Roundup  - Observer-Tribune

Published: Oct 9th, 10:07 AM 

MENDHAM – Mendham High School’s field hockey, girls’ soccer and volleyball teams won first–round games in their respective Morris County Tournaments last Saturday and Sunday. 

Volleyball

Mendham defeated Parsippany Hills, 25-5, 25-10 in a preliminary round match in the Morris County Tournament on Saturday. Jackie Bible had two service points and one kill. Taylor Chamberlain had three service points and one ace. Joanna Decastro had four service points, one ace and one kill. Andrea Demoss had two blocks. Stefanie Swerdin had 12 assists, eight service points and one ace.

Mendham improved its record to 9-1.

Mendham defeated Montville, 25-11, 25-17, on Wednesday, Sept. 30. Decastro had six kills, three digs and one block. Lindsay Duggan had four kills, two aces, one dig and one block while Swerdin had 15 assists. Dominique Vandenbulcke had four digs, three kills and two blocks.

In a match on Tuesday, Sept. 29, Mendham defeated Randolph, 25-14, 25-15. Duggan had six aces, four kills, two assists and one block. Swerdin had 16 assists.

Mendham def. Pope John: (High school Girls Volleyball scores and results)

The Star Ledger, September 23, 2009

JoAnna DeCastro 6 kills, 3 digs, 3 aces. Lindsay Duggan 2 kills, 4 aces. Dominique Vandenbulcke 3 kills, 3 digs, 3 assists.  

The Star Ledger, October 07, 2009

 Volleyballers takes Livingston tourney

Mendham High School Sports Roundup -  Observer-Tribune

Published: Oct 2nd, 6:38 AM 

MENDHAM – Mendham won the championship of the Livingston Volleyball Tournament on Saturday in Livingston.

The Minutemen had to go through the strong host team but managed to prevail, 25-23, by scoring the final seven points.

Senior Joanna DeCastro had two kills, senior Lauren Sharp had two stuff blocks for points and Jackie Bible had all seven service points in the run.

Mendham defeated Sparta, 25-14, 25-12, in a match played Thursday, Sept. 24.DeCastro had eight kills, two aces, two digs and one block to lead the way. Lindsay Duggan had three blocks, three kills and one ace.

Mendham defeated Pope John, 25-13, 25-6, on Wednesday, Sept. 23. DeCastro had six kills, three aces and three digs.

Mendham also beat Parsippany Hills, 25-15, 25-13, on Tuesday, Sept. 22.

DeCastro had eight kills, three digs and one ace. Duggan had 15 assists and Dominque Vandenbulcke eight digs and two blocks.

Girls Volleyball: Mendham wins Livingston Tournament (High school Girls Volleyball news)

MIKE MORETTI, FOR THE STAR-LEDGER, September 26, 2009 11:45 p.m.

Mendham took the long road to repeating as champion of the Livingston Tournament.Mendham trailed by as many as seven points late in the final game before scoring the final seven points to defeat host Livingston, 25-23, yesterday in Livingston.

In that run, senior Joanna DeCastro put down two kills, senior Lauren Sharp had two stuff blocks for points, and senior Jackie Bible recorded all seven service points.

Livingston has never won the tournament and only reached the final one other time, in 2004, the year it won the Group 3 state championship.

Livingston and Mendham had each won their pools while Fair Lawn, which Mendham defeated in the semifinals, 25-21, won the other pool in the 15-team tournament. East Brunswick also reached the semifinals, falling to Livingston, 25-23. Union Catholic of Scotch Plains and Eastern of Voorhees reached the quarterfinals.`

`One of our main goals was to win a tournament this season, and to repeat here is great," said DeCastro, who had five kills in the final.

Senior Natalie Marek, who closed the match against East Brunswick with two aces, also did an excellent job of serving against Mendham.

Mendham, which last year won the Morris County Tournament and reached the semifinals of the Group 3 tournament, played without libero Kasia Jaworski, but Katherine Fila stepped in and played well. Others who chipped in for Mendham included senior Stefanie Swerdlin, one of the state's top setters, and hitters Lindsay Duggan, Andrea DeMoss and Taylor Chamberlain.

``We have the talent. It's just a matter of bringing it to the floor," Mendham coach Bob Acker said. ``We've been playing well at the net. The key for us is staying healthy. We came in here to get some playing time and see what we could do."

Livingston, which starts only two seniors in Tepper and Marek, was happy to be in the final.

``We have a young team and we've gotten progressively better in the past two weeks. We're passing better and making better decisions," said Livingston coach Al Partelow. ``Getting to the final was a great thing for us. We've worked hard and they've deserved it."

Livingston's pool included teams that have won three Livingston Tournament titles in Pascack Valley of Hillsdale, which won twice, and Eastern, which won once.

Chemistry, not superstars, key to success

Teams rebuild for new season

Casey Read doesn't like to think of herself as the leader of the Chatham volleyball team. But the 5-foot-10 senior will certainly be the focal point this year. It's a bit of a switch for Read, a three-time first-team All Daily Record outside hitter, necessitated by the graduation of setter Marika Racibarskas.Chatham has changed its entire offense in the absence of Racibarskas, a former All Daily Record honoree now playing for top-ranked Penn State . Instead of a 5-1, the Cougars will now run a 6-2, with six hitters and two setters — juniors Sabi Sabharwal and Becky Foot — guiding the offense. That give
less experienced group.

Former Iron Hills Conference Hills Division rival Mendham is also experiencing the pains of loss after the graduation of All Daily Record Player of the Year Megan Lynch. But the Minutemen haven't changed very much. They return an experienced lineup — including '08 starters Joanna DeCastro at outside hitter and middle hitters Dominique Vandenbulcke and Andrea DeMoss — and retain much of the team chemistry. Junior setter Stefanie Swerdlin plans to spread the ball more, and expects "a team step-up" at Mendham, the IHC Hills and Morris County Tournament champion.

Added Swerdlin, "We know we lost a big player, so we're trying to make a name for ourselves, and prove to everyone we can come back and still be the team we were last year... In the past high school seasons, we've learned each other's strengths and weaknesses, and learned to cover for those. We all know how to read each other. We feel really connected to each other."

The same is true at Morristown, which had its best season in school history last fall. The Colonials earned an 18-8 record, tripling the previous top win total and qualifying for the NJSIAA Tournament for the first time. Christina Epps, the middle blocker at the heart of Morristown's front row, has moved on to Coppin State University. But Morristown returns five senior starters, including Kori Reigel and Megan O'Shea outside, middle hitter Julia Cox, Kendall Ferraro at opposite, and setter Alex Taylor.

"We're a big hustle team this year," Reigel said. "It's not a low blow to us that she's gone. We still have a lot of good players. We're more well-rounded."

No one has revised their expectations based on graduation losses.

Read's personal goal is for Chatham to reach the NJSIAA Group II semifinal again this year. The Cougars were the Group II champions her sophomore year, but fell to Demarest in the semis a year ago. Mendham was eliminated by sister-school West Morris in the Group III semifinals, the only New Jersey team to beat it last fall.

"I want (a state title) for myself and my teammates. I want the pride and joy I got last time," said Read, who has verbally committed to play volleyball at Marquette University next year. "We're just taking the basics and starting from there, because we're a team in recovery. We have to go at a pace that's good for all the new girls. We can only go up from here."

NATIONAL DIVISION
MENDHAM
Coach: Bob Acker, seventh season.
Last year: 22-3, IHC-Hills champion, Morris County Tournament champion.
Returning letter-winners: Sr. O Jackie Bible, Sr. OH Joanna DeCastro, Sr. S/O Lindsay Duggan, Sr. S/O Cindy Hopkins, Sr. OH Alex LaSala, Sr. MH Lauren Sharp, Sr. MH Dominique Vandenbulcke, Jr. OH Rebecca Canipe, Jr. S Stefanie Swerdlin, Jr. MH Andrea DeMoss.
Newcomers: Jr. OH Cate Battey, Jr. L Kasia Jaworski, Jr. L Katherine Fila
Outlook: With superstar outside hitter Megan Lynch off to college, Mendham will regroup around its veterans.