State Championship: Sectional Finals North Previews
The day has finally arrived for teams as we have finally reached the finals for the 20 sectionals of the State Tournament. A day many saw as not possible and look where we were a year ago. Let’s take a…
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Continue ReadingThe day has finally arrived for teams as we have finally reached the finals for the 20 sectionals of the State Tournament. A day many saw as not possible and look where we were a year ago. Let’s take a moment to be thankful for how far we’ve come. Now, the North 1, North 2, Central and South all have their finals today. Let’s take a look at the North Sections first.
North 1
Group 1
Bogota vs Midland Park
Bogota the top seed takes on the third seed Midland Park to see who will be taking home the crown. Bogota survived in three-sets over Emerson Boro while Midland Park has not dropped a set yet in the tournament. Most recent matchup was in 2019 where Bogota won in straight sets.
Key Players:
Bogota: Ashanna Caviness Ashanna Caviness MB Bogota | 2023 State NJ (OH), Mia Pimentel Mia Pimentel S Bogota | 2023 State NJ (S)
Glen Rock: Hope Lagemann Hope Lagemann 5'11" | OH Glen Rock | 2022 State NJ (OH), Faith Mascari (L/DS)
Group 2
River Dell vs Old Tappan
These two squads turned Group 2 upside down after their semifinal upset victories over Demarest and Sparta. These squads have met already once this year with River Dell winning the matchup in straight sets. A completely different Old Tappan squad, however, will be in this matchup.
Key Players:
River Dell: Jola Olutiola Jola Olutiola 5'9" | OH Old Tappan | 2022 State NJ (OH), Emma Gobo (S)
Old Tappan: Alicia Idiculla Alicia Idiculla OH River Dell | 2023 State NJ (OH), Davan McHale (S)
Group 3
Wayne Valley vs Roxbury
Two extremely hot teams who have not met since 2014 meet up in Group 3 in Roxbury and Wayne Valley. Roxbury has cruised in straight sets so far in this section while Wayne Valley was battle-tested in their semifinal matchup.
Key Players:
Wayne Valley: Isabelle Borowinski (OH), Jen Howarth Jen Howarth MB Wayne Valley | 2022 State NJ (MB)
Roxbury: Lorie Horta Lorie Horta S Roxbury | 2023 State NJ (S), Victoria Latino Victoria Latino OH Roxbury | 2023 State NJ (OH)
Group 4
Clifton vs Ridgewood
A semifinal rematch from the spring now takes place in the final in the fall where Ridgewood won in three sets. Expect this rematch to be a classic just like the spring matchup. Both of these teams have been rolling so it will be intriguing to see who will come out victorious.
Key Players:
Clifton: Kate Louer Kate Louer 5'9" | OH Clifton | 2022 State NJ (OH), Morgan Lesler (S)
Ridgewood: Cammi Quirk Cammi Quirk S Ridgewood | 2023 State NJ (S), Annabelle He Annabelle He DS/L Ridgewood | 2022 State NJ (OH)
North 2
Group 1
Verona vs Rutherford
The top two seeds in Group 1 square in Verona and Rutherford. Verona has cruised without dropping some sets while Rutherford was battled-tested in both matchups by going the distance in both of their tournament matchups.
Key Players:
Verona: Patricia Rakova Patricia Rakova OH Verona | 2023 State NJ (OH), Marley Kramer (S)
Rutherford: Jocelyn Rodriguez (OH), Harmony Marquez (MB)
Group 2
West Morris vs Montville
Two lower seeds have reached the final in this group and have been on a tear. West Morris, the 4th seed and Montville, the 6th seed. It will be intriguing to see how this matchup unfolds with West Morris having Montville’s number.
Key Players:
West Morris: Ava Novello (OH), Katarina Liloia (S)
Montville: Sofia Fernandez (OH), Ellie Rothenbuhler (OH)
Group 3
Colonia vs North Hunterdon
The top two seeds square-off in what many see to be a potential David vs Goliath affair even though Colonia is the number two seed. North Hunterdon is one of the best in the state and an upset here would be something extraordinary but anyone can be beaten on any given day.
Key Players:
Colonia: Nicole Sullivan (S), Morgan Williams Morgan Williams DS/L Colonia | 2022 State NJ (L)
North Hunterdon: Emily Wolters Emily Wolters S North Hunterdon | 2022 State NJ (S), Tori Kuo (OH)
Group 4
Ridge vs Westfield
Ridge has been clicking since tournament play began a couple weeks back and have not dropped a set since their last defeat. Westfield has been playing solid too not dropping a set in the tournament. It will be an intriguing matchup for sure.
Key Players:
Ridge: Chelsea Tancredi (MB), Ryan Ganny (S)
Westfield: Chloe Wiedman (OH), Caitlin Cabrales (OH)