The North and South girls’ volleyball teams have both been in tight contention with each other throughout the season.
The two teams first met on September 14, when North won, 2-0. Stephanie Naglak was the standout for the Knights with three aces, five service points, one kill, 13 assists, and one dig. Anna Lickliter, Komal Sankla, Liz Sugar, and Ashley Yao also contributed points.
The girls faced off again on October 24, but this time it was the Pirates who emerged victorious, 2-1. Hayley Merrill had two aces, 20 kills, one assist, and seven digs. Also scoring were Xintong An, Paige Brown, Halley Costantino, Skylar DeLemos, Jinae Park, and Shilvi Shah.
South, though, pulled away in the middle of the season. The Pirates finished the season at 15-8-1 and the Knights at 9-14.
#b#North: Big Wins Define Season#/b#
The Knights did not start off the season as decisively as South did, but they had their share of triumphs. The early-season victory over their rivals was the most significant of the season. It was flanked by two-game sweeps of both Piscataway and North Brunswick. Elite clubs like J.P. Stevens and Colonia gave the Knights trouble, but they fought through all of their losses.
Ashley Yao led North in aces with a massive 76 and service points (80). Komal Sankla finished the season with 132 digs. Liz Sugar finished the year with 215 kills, more than any other Knight. Stephanie Naglak collected 327 assists. Jackie Tom and Melissa Fang shared the lead in blocks with four apiece. Anna Lickliter and Emily Fang also added to North’s point tally.
#b#Pirates Finish Strong#/b#
The Pirates opened the season with three consecutive straight-set victories. They surrendered their first set on September 12 against Mother Seton, but the team came back to win, 2-1, extending its win streak to four.
Fittingly, the streak was snapped by North two days later.
South handed Colonia, which went 24-4, its first loss of the season after seven straight victories on September 24.
The Pirates’ season ended on November 13 with a loss to Mount Olive in the second round of the Group III state tournament.
Skylar DeLemos led the team in aces (52) and service points (117) and shared the top spot for digs with Hayley Merrill (129). Merrill finished the season as the team leader in kills with 240. Jinae Park scored often but focused on aiding the rest of the team, as she finished with 447 assists.
Paige Brown, Alexandra Nita, and Shilvi Shah all also played key roles.
