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These North Jersey teams will play for girls volleyball state championships

Greg Tartaglia, NorthJersey.com
·4 min read

The non-public and public semifinals in the NJSIAA girls volleyball tournament took place Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, with the winners advancing to Sunday’s state finals at Franklin High School in Somerset County.

Here are the North Jersey teams preparing to play for titles in their respective groups.

Non-Public A: Immaculate Heart

OPPONENT: No. 3 seed Paul VI of Haddonfield (22-3), 10 a.m.

The Immaculate Heart Academy girls volleyball team accepts the Non-Public A championship trophy from NJSIAA assistant director Derryk Sellers. IHA defeated Paul VI, 25-16, 23-25, 25-23, on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022 in Franklin Township.
The Immaculate Heart Academy girls volleyball team accepts the Non-Public A championship trophy from NJSIAA assistant director Derryk Sellers. IHA defeated Paul VI, 25-16, 23-25, 25-23, on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022 in Franklin Township.

WHAT TO KNOW: The No. 1 seed Blue Eagles (26-1) swept through their first three opponents in the bracket, and only three teams have taken a set from them this year: Demarest, Old Tappan and Sparta (which dealt IHA its lone loss).

The Spartans, in fact, are the only New Jersey team to defeat Immaculate Heart over the past two seasons. The Washington Township school is on a 55-2 streak that dates back to the 2021 state final.

FINALS HISTORY: IHA and Paul VI have become well-acquainted in this stage of the tournament. The Eagles from South Jersey ended IHA’s streak of 13 consecutive state titles, 15-25, 25-18, 25-23, two years ago – when the seeds were the same as they are now.

The teams faced a rematch in the 2022 Non-Public A final, and the top-seeded Blue Eagles returned the favor with a 25-16, 23-25, 25-23 victory over then-No. 2 Paul VI.

KEY PLAYERS: Senior setter Kalena Stavish (537 assists, 110 digs) makes IHA go, distributing to three different hitters with between 135 and 150 kills. Junior Eve Roman was the top attacker in the semifinals with 7 kills against Union Catholic.

Senior Emily Ezeiruaku leads Paul VI in kills (145) and digs (119) and is second on the team with 35 aces.

Non-Public B: St. Mary

OPPONENT: No. 2 seed Rutgers Prep (22-9), 11:30 a.m.

WHAT TO KNOW: The top-seeded Gaels (25-3) are in their first state final, seeking to fill a vacancy left in the wake of 2022 champ Immaculate Conception of Lodi closing. Three former IC players are now helping St. Mary enjoy the best season in program history: Mia Gonzales (119 kills), Noelle Savonije (106) and Gabby Weiss (47).

The Gaels are on an 11-match win streak following a county-tournament loss to North 1, Group 3 champ Northern Highlands.

FINALS HISTORY: Neither St. Mary nor Rutgers Prep appeared in a state final before this season. The Argonauts of Franklin Township will be playing basically in their back yard, and they did make a trip to the South Non-Public B sectional final during the Spring 2021 COVID-altered season.

KEY PLAYERS: Besides the IC transfers, the Gaels rely on sophomore setter Athena Goletsos (391 assists) and junior Sara Griesbauer, who leads the Rutherford team in kills (124), digs (148) and aces (43).

Senior Alexandria De Iasi (208 kills) is the leading hitter for Rutgers Prep and has served 82 aces.

Group 2: Demarest

OPPONENT: Central champ Governor Livingston (21-6), 2:30 p.m.

Demarest hosts Roxbury in a volleyball game on Tuesday October 13, 2021. D #11 Gretchen Haray and D #10 Netta Saban celebrate on the court after scoring.
Demarest hosts Roxbury in a volleyball game on Tuesday October 13, 2021. D #11 Gretchen Haray and D #10 Netta Saban celebrate on the court after scoring.

WHAT TO KNOW: The North 1 champion Norsewomen advanced to their first state final since 2019 with a 25-21, 25-17 victory over Montville in Thursday’s semifinals. They have won 17 of their last 18 matches, and their only loss in that stretch is to Bergen County titlist Immaculate Heart.

Governor Livingston has won seven in a row since a Union County semifinal loss to Union Catholic. The relatively young Highlander program has captured sectional titles in each of coach Steve Hess’ first two seasons.

POSTSEASON HISTORY: These teams are meeting for the first time on record, but Demarest is no stranger to this stage of the tournament. Coach Beth Powell has guided the team to 11 state titles in Groups 2 and 3 combined, including wins in its last two trips to the Group 2 finals (2018-19).

Governor Livingston fell to Sparta in last year’s title match, 25-14, 25-16.

KEY PLAYERS: Newly-minted North Jersey Athlete of the Week Taylor Miller (402 kills, 192 digs) can do it all for the Norsewomen and is one of several talented senior starters, along with OH Netta Saban (177 kills), setter Claire Song (505 assists) and libero Isabella Villa (261 digs).

Senior middle Haley Motz (109 kills, 31 blocks) and sophomore OH Abby Kim (198 kills, 44 aces) are among the veterans back from the Highlanders’ 2022 finals run.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ girls volleyball: These North Jersey teams are in state finals