Saturday,
October 19, 2013
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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Kelly Douglass had 9 kills and 3 aces for Clifton, which completed its unbeaten run through league play with a sweep of Passaic of Friday. |
CLIFTON – After a hard-fought, three-set win over Bergen Tech on Wednesday to clinch the outright title in the Big North-Liberty Division, Clifton head coach Nick Romanak was concerned about a possible letdown in the Lady Mustangs’ final league tilt against Passaic. Romanak had reason to be concerned because, after blowing out Passaic the first time around the league schedule, the Indians were threatening to force a third game in Thursday's rematch. Luckily for the Mustangs, the one aspect of their game that was clearly better than any other was their serving. That helped them get through the rough patches when they needed it the most.
April DiAngelo went on a run from behind the service line in both games as Clifton finished undefeated in league play with a 25-17, 25-20 triumph at Passaic High School.
“Serving was on for the most part, that was the only thing that saved us,” said Romanak. “I don’t think you really saw the best out of either side. Neither team could get on track and we certainly did not pass well. We were fortunate to get some big serves to keep us in front in that second game.”
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Noelia Cabrera had 10 assists for Passaic, which is now 9-8 on the season. |
Passaic started off hot and took a 10-8 lead on a kill from Khadijah Malloy. Clifton responded with a 14-2 run with DiAngelo’s serving being the catalyst. She had two kills, two assists, an ace, and one hard serve after another with the Mustangs regaining control and taking the opening game.
“I thought we started off well in both games, but we couldn’t hold onto our leads,” said Passaic head coach Angelo Gomez. “We had chances and it slipped right through our hands. We didn’t play as well as we could have and yet we were still in it, so that’s a good sign moving forward.”
Clifton led for most of the second game and appeared to be in control until the Indians went on a run of their own. Passaic’s Sylvia Chmielowska ace capped a 7-2 run and tied the game at 16. DiAngelo answered right back with three quality serves in a row, all of which led to points. The senior added two kills late in the second game and Brianna Batres followed the later of those kills with an ace as the Lady Stangs clinched an unblemished league mark.
“This was a frustrating match, but we came together at the right time,” said DiAngelo. “We made a few mental errors that we don’t usually make. That got us in some trouble but we were able to get out of it. With the counties and states coming up soon, this will definitely make us work harder in practice.”
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Clifton setter April DiAngelo had 13 assists to go with 8 kills, 4 digs and 2 aces. |
Clifton (13-2) got solid overall performances from DiAngelo and Kelly Douglass. DiAngelo finished with a match-high 13 assists to go with 8 kills, four digs, and two aces. Douglass led all players with nine kills and three aces.
Yvette Rivera was all over the floor for Passaic (9-8). The senior co-captain led all players with 11 digs, adding four kills and a pair of aces. Setter Noelia Cabrera chipped in with 10 assists and Jennifer Alvarez had six kills. With just one game left before the state tournament cutoff, the Indians battled back to qualify after struggling to a 3-6 start to the season.
Clifton knows it will have to pick up its level of play with a showdown looming against budding rival Wayne Valley in Passaic County semifinals. Clifton won a three-game thriller in the only regular-season meeting, while Wayne Valley beat Clifton in the final of the two tournaments that the teams both entered.
“If we play without any energy like we did today, we won’t have much of a shot against Wayne Valley,” added Romanak. “You can learn something from every practice and every match though. Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise that the way we played today happened now and not in counties or the states. We will definitely take something from this and use it to become a stronger team for the rest of the season.”
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