Volleyball: Hunterdon Central wins Group IV semifinal
ANNANDALE - Instead of setters and middle hitters, the players might as well have been bishops, knights and rooks. The Hunterdon Central High School girls volleyball team likes to employ deceptive, zagging-the-other-way tactics in volleyball.
“We play the game of chess,” Red Devils coach Stephen Fenton said. “I’m trying to stay three steps ahead of my opponent. We work on this all through practice and all through communication. We call it chess play. And we’re basically playing the game of chess on this court, but it’s just a live ball.”
The Red Devils scored a checkmate in Thursday’s NJSIAA Group IV semifinal. Third-seeded Hunterdon Central advanced with a 25-14, 25-16 win over No. 2 North Hunterdon. Hunterdon Central also captured the Sectional A-B championship with the victory.
Hunterdon Central is hoping for more hardware as it faces top-seeded Bridgewater-Raritan in Saturday’s final at 1:30 p.m. at William Paterson University. In Thursday’s other semifinal, Bridgewater-Raritan defeated No. 5 Livingston, 25-14, 25-9.
On paper, Thursday’s matchup between the two county rivals was a tossup. In their three meetings this season, North Hunterdon held a 2-1 edge, including a 20-25, 25-17, 25-20 win in the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament championship on Oct. 22.
In the semifinal, however, the Red Devils claimed early control in both games for the two-set win. In the first game, North Hunterdon led 4-3, but Hunterdon Central went on a 7-0 run that was followed by a 6-2 stretch to open a 16-6 lead en route to the 25-14 win.
“Whoever gets off to a good start and could mentally keep it together is the team that’s going to prevail,” North Hunterdon coach Kirk Hissner said. “They played a clean game. Good team. … They played great but our two biggest issues this year were serve received and unforced errors, and both of them surfaced today against them. I wished we gave them a better match.”
With the second game knotted at 4-4, Hunterdon Central took off on a 9-1 run to lead 13-5 and increased the lead to 20-10 before closing out the 25-16 win.
“The girls lost some confidence,” Hissner said. “It was just such a hyped-up mental game because we’re such a big rivalry that just that little mental edge could teeter either way.”
That edge swung to Hunterdon Central, which was led by Daniella Besecker (19 assists and three digs), Samantha Heller (eight digs and six kills), Alyssa Hill (five aces, five assists) and Nicole Sadlon (six digs and two kills). North Hunterdon was paced by Sara Gallo’s 10 digs and eight assists and Abby Hilty’s 13 digs.
While Hunterdon Central has won consecutive Group IV titles, the program graduated a host of players. Fenton admitted Thursday that he had no idea where his team would end up this season, but sophomore opposite Corey Hartung (two kills Thursday) and Hill, a junior setter, were among the players who emerged. By mid-October, Fenton said the team started hitting its stride and is still getting better.
“This is the best I’ve seen them perform,” Fenton said. “It’s been culminating to this.”
A lot of it has to do with the team’s cerebral system. One can imagine Fenton twirling his beard, thinking of set plays and combinations. Besecker, a senior setter and right side hitter, said the coaches teach them how to read and get a feel for the game.
“It’s about taking risks,” she said. “Just not doing the safe thing. Going for the harder set, or the bigger play. … It’s knowing when to do them, and not being afraid to setting the middle even if she isn’t hitting as well as the outside. Just because you want to keep everyone involved so that they don’t know where you’re going. … It’s really thinking about it. Making the best move in each situation that you’re in.”
Afterward, the players were asked if they felt like they got revenge for dropping the H/W/S final to North Hunterdon.
“I wouldn’t say it’s revenge,” said Megan Byra, who had six digs and three kills. “I think we’re just playing another game and playing our hearts out.”
Besecker added with a smile, “It feels good, though.”