Sunday,
November 15, 2015
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
|
Old Tappan celebrated the 11th state title in program history after a 25-15, 25-19 sweep of Paramus in the Group 3 final on Saturday at William Paterson University. |
WAYNE – For the average high school volleyball player, walking into the William Paterson University gymnasium can be quite intimidating. If a team is heading into that Rec Center on the hill, it means it is about to play in a state final, which can be nerve-wracking. But for a select handful of players on a handful of teams, playing at William Paterson has become more of a home game than anything else.
For the number one ranked team in New Jersey, undefeated Northern Valley/Old Tappan has has reached the Group 3 state final for a fourth consecutive year, with three of those games played in the collegiate gym in Wayne. But with only one state title in their previous three trips, the Golden Knights wanted to make sure that the bus ride back to the Northern Valley would be a joyous one.
Setter Kelly Brogan distributed the ball well throughout as top-seeded Northern Valley/Old Tappan started strong and finished the same way, winning the Group 3 state title with a 25-15, 25-19 win over second-seeded Paramus on Saturday morning.
“We knew the only obstacle we needed to overcome was handling the nerves of this environment,” said Paramus head coach Maria Elena Bellinger. “That’s the difference between Old Tappan getting here four years in a row and us not being back here for 10 years.”
|
Paramus' Maria Bellinger had match-high 9 kills in her final match before heading to the University of Delaware. |
Paramus struggled to get into an offense early on. That allowed the Golden Knights to receive numerous free balls. The experienced squad took full advantage of them with kills from Natalie Alechko and Kristen Kaiser followed by an ace from Alechko giving Old Tappan a 10-3 lead in the opening game.
The Golden Knights led by as many as 10 before Paramus made a run to cut that lead in half. Maria Bellinger and Rianna McNamee had back-to-back kills to trim the deficit to 16-11. Bad passes and sets were the Spartans undoing again though as a service error was followed by two attack errors before Old Tappan’s 6-foot-4 sophomore Julia Passante slammed down a quick middle set from Brogan to push the lead back up to 20-11 on the way to taking the first game.
“We just take things point by point, but if the quick middle is open we usually go for it,” said Passante. “We really made sure to stay loose and calm every single match. I think that helped us get off to a good start. Our team has taken this season match by match and winning a state title was our goal right from the beginning.”
The University of Delaware-bound Bellinger got the Spartans back on track in the second game with two big kills for a 3-1 lead. The Spartans maintained the advantage for most of the game but service errors helped keep Old Tappan within reach until a kill down the line by Alechko gave the Golden Knights their first lead of the game, 14-13.
The score was tied at 15 when Old Tappan went on a crucial spurt scoring five straight points to regain control. Paramus showed some life late with a kill by Bellinger cutting the lead to three. But the Spartans fourth service error of the game derailed any hopes of a comeback as Old Tappan held on to keep its undefeated season intact while adding a Group 3 state championship to the Bergen County title it won a couple of weeks ago.
|
Kelly Brogan had 20 assists for Old Tappan, which was awarded the top seed in next weekend's T of C. |
“We had four service errors in the second game alone and that’s what ultimately hurt us,” added Bellinger. “I’m proud of how well we played to get to this point, winning a section title. To win a state title, you have to play as close to perfect as you possibly can. You can’t give away points in this atmosphere against a team like Old Tappan or you’re going to pay for it, which we did.”
Brogan had 20 assists and three kills for Northern Valley/Old Tappan (24-0). Passante had eight kills and Alechko added seven kills. The standout senior also led all players with nine digs.
Bellinger had a match-high nine kills for Paramus (21-6), which was making its first appearance in a state final since 2005.
With the 11th Group 3 state title in the program’s illustrious history, Northern Valley/Old Tappan advances to the Tournament of Champions and was awarded the top seed. The Golden Knights will face the winner of fellow Bergen County powers River Dell and Bogota in the T of C semifinals on Saturday. The winner of that will face the winner of Hunterdon Central and IHA in the Tournament of Champions final on Sunday.
Just two matches away from reaching the mountaintop, the Golden Knights have their eye on the prize and look forward to returning to their second home for a chance to hoist the Tournament of Champions trophy.
“We’re going to enjoy this one and celebrate together as a team, but once next week comes it’s right back to work,” said Brogan. “We’ve wanted a chance at winning the T of C all season. Winning today brought us one step closer to where we want to be at the end.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM THIS GAME. TO BUY A COLLECTOR'S PRINT
OF THIS STORY, PLEASE VISIT 4FeetGrafix.com. |