While the result of this girls’ volleyball match was decided in straight sets rivals North Hunterdon Regional High School and Bridgewater-Raritan High School produced a thriller on Wednesday, October 23.
North Hunterdon (13-10, 6-4) led by five points early in game one and six points early in game two, but Bridgewater-Raritan (11-12, 3-7) rallied to take late one-point leads in both of these games. Including an overtime situation in game one, the host Lions eventually closed out both of these sets to cap off a thrilling 2-0 (27-25, 25-23) victory in Annandale.
Kat Wolf (three kills, three aces, one dig) led all North Hunterdon players with nine service points, including three aces in game one, which saw the Lions erupt for six straight points to take an early 6-1 lead over the visiting Panthers. Both teams then split the next eight points in a stretch rounded off by a kill made by Ava Vellanti (three kills, two aces), and North Hunterdon found itself up 10-5.
But Bridgewater-Raritan clawed its way right back from there, including on a running bump byJada Otero (three aces, nine digs), who was credited with an assist from well beyond the back corner of the court after Liya Medallon (one kill, two digs) delivered a ball into an empty spot on the Lions’ side of the court. This critical two-point swing got the Panthers to within 14-12, and both teams found themselves within one point of each other over all but two of the opening set’sfinal 25 points from there.
A kill by Bridgewater-Raritan's Molly Magner (one kill) gave the Panthers their first lead, 17- 16: a lead the visitors held onto until North Hunterdon rallied to go up 20-19. These were two of what ended up being six lead changes to end this game, and after Irene Papanastasiou (one kill, one block, one ace, 12 assists, two digs) found Emily Evaristo (seven kills, one ace, nine digs) to knot game one, 23-23, Bridgewater-Raritan found itself set up with a game-point opportunity.
North Hunterdon spoiled this opportunity to instead force overtime, and trailing 25-24 in another game-point situation in favor of the Panthers, the Lions answered with three straight points to take the opening set, 27-25.
The Lions then jumped to a 10-4 lead against Bridgewater-Raritan in game two, and while the Panthers settled in to force a split of the next 16 points, North Hunterdon found itself up 18- 12 and on the brink of a straight-set sweep. Bridgewater-Raritan did not go out quietly, however, as the Panthers furiously rallied with nine of the next 11 points to take a 21-20 lead and stun the home crowd. Even after North Hunterdon then responded with four straight points to go up 24-21 and set up a game point, an ace by Papanastasiou cut the Lions’ lead to 24-23.
With the Panthers trying to force a decisive third set, a service error on Bridgewater-Raritan ultimately ended the match, as North Hunterdon hung on for a 25-23 game-two triumph and clinched a sweep of its two-game series with the Panthers.
Jocelyn Griffith (three kills, three aces, eight assists, eight digs) and Eva Liu (one kill, four assists, one dig) dished out North Hunterdon’s 12 total assists in the victory. Keegan Hissner (three kills, one block, one ace, nine digs), Jenna McDevitt (two kills, one block, one dig), Kiersten Boyer (two aces, one kill, one dig), Ali Flynn (one ace, seven digs), and Madison Ingram (one kill) rounded out the scoring for the Lions.
Also scoring in defeat for Bridgewater-Raritan were the following players: Jahniah Biship (three kills, two blocks, one dig), Emily Leppert (two kills, two digs), Kylie Rosander (one kill, two aces, seven digs), Liel Raines Moshe (one ace, five digs), Madison Delia (one kill, one dig), Faye Gallou (one ace, one dig), Katelyn Phan (one ace, one dig), and Ava Marvuglio (one dig).
With the Saturday, October 26 cutoff date for games played towards state tournament seeding approaching, Bridgewater-Raritan currently sits at No. 6 out of the 16 teams in the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group 4 Power Points standings. The top eight teams after the cutoff date would open the state tournament at home on Tuesday, November 5, due to their higher seeds.
Bridgewater-Raritan (11-12) will travel to Delaware Valley Regional High School (9-8) next for a 5:15 p.m. first serveon Friday, October 25.