The back half of October typically is filled with cooler weather, pumpkins and lots of treats for kids in costumes. But for high school volleyball and field hockey players around here, it’s also time for the Shore Conference Tournament.
Last week, the Southern Regional, Pinelands Regional and Barnegat girls volleyball squads tuned up for this year’s SCT, mostly by winning as their regular seasons began to wind down.
The Rams (15-5) had the busiest schedule, playing five matches throughout the week, and beginning with three straight shutouts of Jackson, Toms River East and Toms River North.
Against the Jaguars on Oct. 12, the Rams rolled to a 25-16, 25-23, 26-24 win as Kayden Bulger led the offense with 13 kills and managed 16 digs. Gianna Manochio tallied 15 digs and four aces, while Ryleigh Tietjen delivered 17 assists. Ava Malandro pitched in with six kills, five digs and three aces.
Two days later during a 25-14, 25-14, 25-20 bruising of the Raiders, Malandro tallied 12 kills, Bulger added 10 kills and a block, and Audrey Staiger dealt 26 assists to go with an ace. Kaylee Gibson scored on eight kills and a pair of blocks, and Manochio registered 17 digs. Reese Beirne and Brooke Sutter each had a pair of aces.
In a 25-17, 25-21 win over the Mariners on Oct. 15, Tietjen handed out 15 assists, while Bulger and Malandro each hammered seven kills, and Manochio racked up 11 digs to go with two aces. Beirne also had two aces, and Catherine Dalon blocked three shots.
The week ended with a split between Ocean City and Lenape on Oct. 17. After dropping a 3-2 contest to the Red Raiders, the Rams bounced back with a 3-1 victory over the Indians later in the day.
On Oct. 18, Southern was awarded the top seed for the Shore Conference Tournament and will have a bye for the first round. The Rams will play either eighth-seeded Brick Memorial or ninth-seeded Middletown South in the quarterfinals on Friday, Oct. 23. The semifinals are set for Tuesday, Oct. 27, where Southern may see fourth-seeded Toms River South.
As for Barnegat, the Bengals scored three big wins last week, all of which were 2-1 victories against Shore Conference opponents.
On Oct. 16, the Bengals (12-10) scored their biggest win of the season to date, knocking off Toms River South, 21-25, 25-23, 25-19. Camila Chamorro and Melina Linton each tallied 10 kills to lead the offense, while Amaya Afflick added six kills, Taliyah Oyemade gave away 19 assists and recorded four aces, and Emma Arriaga managed six digs.
HIGH IN THE AIR: Barnegat junior Camila Chamorro whacked 10 kills to help lead the Bengals past Toms River South last week, as they geared up for the SCT.
A day earlier during a 25-18, 23-25, 25-23 win against Rumson-Fair Haven, Linton tallied nine kills and three aces; Afflick contributed seven kills and two blocks; Sophia Dellova and Arriaga registered 14 and 12 digs, respectively; and Oyemade gave out 10 assists to go with five kills. Jessica Harrer also dealt 10 assists and two aces.
The Bengals started the week with a 25-22, 25-27, 25-19 win over Middletown South. Arriaga mustered 20 digs, while Chamorro added nine kills and 11 digs, Linton finished with seven kills and nine digs, and Dellova managed nine digs and three aces. Oyemade also had nine digs to go along with three kills and an ace. Afflick totaled four kills and four blocks, as well.
Barnegat earned the 11th seed for the SCT and will take on sixth-seeded Pinelands in the first round on Wednesday, Oct. 21.
The Wildcats prepared for the SCT by ousting Brick Memorial, 2-1, on Oct. 13, followed by a 2-0 win over Jackson on Oct. 14, improving to 11-11.
In the 25-17, 25-21 win against the Jaguars, Cali Peterka crushed 12 kills, while Cassie Gould registered 17 digs, Ava Vanarelli added seven kills, and Chloe Tucker and Riley McQuaud each handed out 11 assists.
During their 25-15, 15-25, 25-14 triumph against the Mustangs, the Wildcats were led by Peterka, who swatted 10 kills and added two blocks. Gould tallied 15 digs, Vanarelli delivered six kills, Patricia Moreno scored on four kills and three aces, and Tucker gave away 11 assists. McQuaid had six aces amid 17 service points.
Southern Field Hockey Earns 4th Seed
While the end of the week didn’t hurt Southern Regional’s field hockey team, the beginning of it benefited the Rams greatly, considering they started with a 3-2 win over Rumson-Fair Haven on Oct. 13.
The Rams (8-5-1) scored all three of their goals in the second period, as junior Mackenzie Sininsky buried a pair of goals and Chloe Johnson added the other. Paige Shaw had an assist and goaltender Makayla Lutz managed three saves. Southern outshot the Bulldogs, 14-5.
NIFTY STICKWORK: Southern junior Mackenzie Sininsky scored twice in two separate games last week, as she and the Rams improved to 8-5-1 in preparation for the conference tourney.
Two days later, the Rams cruised past Freehold Township, 5-0, scoring twice in the first and third periods to take a solid lead into the fourth quarter. Sininsky scored twice, while Faith Bruther and Sabrina English each scored a goal and gave out an assist, and Gianna Manzo added a goal. Johnson and Kayla Dynak also handed out assists.
On Oct. 17, Southern visited Eastern and dropped a 3-2 decision. Both Southern goals were scored in the fourth quarter – one each by Sininsky and Johnson. Kai Angelozzi registered an assist, and Lutz mustered nine saves.
For the Shore Conference Tournament, the Rams earned the fourth seed and will take on 13th-seeded St. Rose in the first round on Thursday, Oct. 22, with the winner to meet either fifth-seeded Rumson or 12th-seeded Howell in the quarterfinals on Saturday, Oct. 24. The semifinals are set for Tuesday, Oct. 27, and that could mean a trip to Shore Regional to face the top-seeded Blue Devils.
Southern Gymnasts Finish Regular Season
The Southern Regional gymnastics team didn’t finish with its highest score of the season on Oct. 13, but the Rams still scored a pair of victories to finish 4-3, scoring 104.8 points to knock off Toms River North (66.8) and Toms River East (104.55).
Kaci Zoladz recorded scores of 9.2 on the vault, 9.1 on the uneven bars, 9.3 on the balance beam and 8.8 during the floor exercise to finish with a 36.4 all-around score. Leah Rigby ended with an all-around score of 32.9.
On the vault, Izabella Barczyk scored an 8.8 and Molly Kirk added an 8.7, while Gianna Ilaria managed an 8.4 and McKenna Fenkel finished with an 8.1 on the bars. Following Rigby with an 8.6, Barczyk scored an 8.0 on the bars. Ilaria and Barczyk finished the regular season with scores of 8.8 and 8.3, respectively, on the floor.
Pinelands Tennis Team Wins 15th
The Pinelands Regional girls tennis squad completed its season on Oct. 15 by scoring a 4-1 victory over Howell to finish 15-5 for the fall. Earlier in the week, the Wildcats ousted Hammonton, 5-0.
During the win against Hammonton on Oct. 13, Alayna Ervin scored a 6-2, 6-0 win at first singles, Brielle Hartley rolled to a 6-3, 6-0 win at second singles, and Sibylla Acosta cruised to a 6-0, 6-1 victory at third singles. Emma Schoen and Lexus Crane teamed up at first doubles to win, 6-2, 6-2. Kelsey Wersinger and Addison Wild won a 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 contest at second doubles.
To conclude the season against the Rebels, Ervin dropped a 3-6, 1-6 decision at first singles, but Hartley won, 6-2, 6-1, at second singles, and Acosta finished her solid career with a 6-1, 6-0 triumph at third singles. Schoen and Crane won via a straight-set shutout at first doubles, and Wild and Wersinger, another senior wrapping up her career, scored a 6-2, 6-3 win at second doubles.
