Undefeated Morristown volleyball makes school history with sectional title
MORRISTOWN — Maya Summerville stepped behind the end line, volleyball in hand. She took a deep breath and served the ball.
Summerville doesn't quite remember what happened next.
"I thought it was out," said Summerville, a Morristown senior. "I'm like, "Oh my gosh, please. I didn't know what it was. When it was in, I started jumping for joy."
The Colonials defeated Livingston, 25-16, 26-24, to capture the NJSIAA North 1, Group 4 volleyball title. It is the first sectional plaque in school history.
The Colonials' dream season continues in a Group 4 semifinal on Thursday at Westfield. The Blue Devils, top seed in North 2, Group 4, defeated Elizabeth on Tuesday to win their sectional title.
Summerville, a 6-foot middle, was scheduled to sign a National Letter of Intent with Northeastern University's basketball team on Wednesday. She called volleyball her second sport, but said she equally loves basketball, volleyball, and track and field.
Summerville only began playing volleyball when she got to high school: a new sport that utilized her height. She had four kills, two solo blocks, two aces and three digs on Tuesday.
Junior outside Hailey Atkins led Morristown with eight kills. Her twin sister, setter Gwen Atkins, added seven kills, six assists and eight digs.
"Every day, I wake up and think, 'We're 21-0?' It's so surreal," Gwen Atkins said. "I knew we were special, and this team would be amazing. But I didn't know how far we were going to go."
When will historic season end?
The Colonials are 22-0 now, and have not lost a match since the North 1, Group 4 quarterfinal against Livingston on Nov. 1, 2022.
Athletic director Smitty Horton has already updated the Morristown volleyball banner with the 2023 NJAC-National title – the program's third – and the first Morris County Tournament championship. This is the best season since Colonials coach Kathy Hormaza was on the court.
In Hormaza's senior year, Morristown went 31-4, but lost to West Morris in both the MCT final and a Group 3 semifinal.
'I've got to get in on this:' Four sisters lead Morristown volleyball together
Hormaza will have to wait a little longer to sleep in. A New Jersey Transit officer based in Newark, she usually works from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. She gets to sleep around 10 a.m., and gets up for practice a few hours later.
A former libero at Morristown and Rutgers-Newark, she became the Colonials' junior varsity coach in 2018, and took the top job for the COVID-impacted 2021 season when Rita Costigan went on maternity leave. This is her first year back.
"I'll wake up exhausted, and the second I set foot in this gym, I'm awake," Hormaza said.. "It is incredible. I am filled with so much emotion. I am so thankful for these girls. They've made it a year that's hard to forget."
This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: NJ volleyball: Morristown Livingston NJSIAA North 1 Group 4 final
