The Shore Volleyball Report: Mid Season Review “The Shore Dominates”

Wake me up when September ends. 

Well the alarm is ringing and October is here, which means we here at Shore Sports Network have a really good picture of the girls volleyball landscape at the Shore, that is until the games are played and upending events occur over the next few weeks.

We will cover here, in order: 

1. NJSIAA Power Points with charts for respective Groups.
2. Shore Conference Divisional Play

and

1. Early All-Shore candidates, Player of the Year Candidates and Coach of the Year Candidates.

NJSIAA Power Points

Central Jersey Group II hosts five Shore Conference teams, all of whom are currently in the top ten. Raritan and Rumson-Fair Haven lead the charge tied for first place with 166 power points with the current nod going to the Rockets for their 2-0 defeat of the Bulldogs back on September 14th. Raritan’s other big win comes via Middletown South who currently sits at 8-2, giving the Rockets 24 residual power points. Holmdel recently cracked the top ten in Central Jersey Group II with a strong comeback win over Wall this past Friday which could very well prove to be a major turning point for the Hornets. The others sitting pretty at six and seven are Wall and Manasquan who are both in strong positions to rise over South Plainfield and Science Park, or with some strategic victories even surpass Governor Livingston. Their play over the next two weeks will be indicative of their ability to compete come Round One.

Central Jersey Group III fields a very top heavy cluster of teams with The Shore Conference holding five of the top ten slots, and Middletown South in current possession of fifth place with 166 Power Points. 14-0 Princeton is currently in a runaway for first place, but even with 10-1 Woodbridge in second does not mean Middletown South or even Brick Memorial could secure some key victories to slide into a better position. The current surprise is the reigning Central Jersey Group III Champions in Colts Neck, and for more reasons than one. Colts Neck got out to a surprisingly rough start and it appeared as though they were in a rebuilding phase. But, in good fashion, Colts Neck found it’s spark plug in Junior Kendra Thor. More on Thor in the divisional section below.

Marlboro is the lone wolf from The Shore Conference in Central Jersey Group IV sitting in the nine hole. With a respectable 6-3 record, the Mustangs key victories come by way of Colts Neck, Freehold Boro and Central Regional. With the new emergence of Colts Neck, Marlboro may have benefited from the early season schedule where Colts Neck can prove to be a key player in Marlboro capturing more power points to rise into the top five. The win over current 7-4 Central Regional has already given the Mustangs 21 residual power points, and in the very well balanced Central Jersey Group IV, the opportunity is there for any team to pave their path.

South Jersey Group I is currently being led by Delaware Valley at 8-3, but The Shore Conference’s Point Beach Garnet Gulls and Keyport Red Raiders are still in the mix at 5-5 and 6-4 respectively. Group I is always a challenge for these small schools, but the benefit for Point Beach and Keyport are the conference they come from. For many teams, the season is strictly preparation for States, and by competing at the Shore, the Gulls and the Red Raiders will be well prepared. Beach’s key victories have come by way of Manasquan, Trinity Hall and most recently a big win over Group III Freehold Boro which sling shot them to fourth. Keyport is currently fifth behind Point Beach but that’s not without taking care of business over the last week with a win over Lakewood, Point Beach and Asbury Park.

South Jersey Group II is in absolute control by The Shore Conference as Barnegat is currently in runaway mode and Jackson Liberty is in a strong second place at 7-3 with 190 power points. Barnegat is coming off of a 14-7 2022 season, but have hired new Head Coach Emily Dancisin who seems to be the perfect injection into the Bengals program as their only two losses so far are Donovan Catholic (15-1) and Pinelands (9-5) who they opened up the season with against and resulted in a victory. The Bengals are flush with power points beating Shore Conference opponents Rumson-Fair Haven, Jackson Liberty and Toms River East, but most recently this weekend beating a Group IV in Egg Harbor. Being in the driver’s seat early is good for the Bengals because now they can focus on the details to prepare for their state title run, and I would not be surprised to see them pick up extra matches like Southern Regional as a way to challenge themselves knowing the outcome is irrelevant.

South Jersey Group III is one of the most balanced Groups in New Jersey and hosts Pinelands, Toms River East, Toms River South and Lacey. And, like some of the other groups, The Shore Conference leads the way. Pinelands sits at 9-5 with 259 power points and sole possession of first place. Toms River East is 6-5 in fourth and the reality of Toms River South (4-7) is that this season is far from over. A couple of key victories and this entire Group could see a shuffle, though Pinelands appears to have a stronghold at the top with a solid team built all the way through by Head Coach Kathy Bennett.

South Jersey Group IV is arguably the best Group in the state with the highest level of competition in New Jersey Girls Volleyball. Sitting atop the power points is none other than Southern Regional with an impressive 13-1 start to the season and only suffering their first loss this past weekend to Immaculate Heart Academy who're ranked 15th in the Nation. Coach Eric Maxwell will search high and low for matches to challenge his team week in and week out as a way to uncover weaknesses to be fully prepared to hang the banner by the end of the season. Southern’s key victories are Old Bridge (9-1), Williamstown (9-2), St. John Vianney (11-4) and Washington Township (9-4). Sitting eighth and ninth are Howell and Central Regional who are putting together impressive resumes. Howell (9-1) has only lost to fellow Shore Conference opponent Donovan Catholic, and have key victories against Middletown South (8-2), Marlboro (6-3) and twice Freehold Boro (5-7). Central’s schedule primarily consists of divisional play and have yet to play in any tournaments. Their key victories are against Toms River East (6-5) and Point Beach (5-5). With the Shore Conference Tournament on the horizon, we should get a good look at who Central really is this season.

Non-Public Group A is another powerhouse Group being led by The Shore Conference with Donovan Catholic (15-1) in possession of first place with 432 power points, St. John Vianney (11-4) in fourth with 292 power points, Red Bank Catholic (8-4) in 10th and Trinity Hall (4-6) in 18th. Donovan Catholic has been on the verge of big things and it seems as though Head Coach Glenn Jansen has all the necessary pieces in place to be the top contender in Non-Public A. St. John Vianney went on an early season run before losing to Southern and Williamstown, two top teams in the state before regrouping with another six-game stretch. Head Coach Jess Gadaleta has done an excellent job at scheduling to pinpoint her team’s weak spots and coach those spots up to prepare for the states. Both Red Bank Catholic and Trinity Hall should not be misrepresented by their current ranks, as Red Bank Catholic is extremely well balanced defensively and Trinity Hall is on the verge discovering some young program talent.

Non-Public Group B is a 28 team group with the St Rose Purple Roses representing the Shore. St Rose (4-6) currently has 76 power points, while Princeton Day (5-5) sits at No. 9 with 130. St Rose has an opportunity to lock in some major power points these next two weeks starting today with Red Bank Catholic.

The Shore Conference is a state juggernaut in Girls Volleyball which is fairly recent over the past few years. Many programs have taken giant leaps forward and as seen throughout the power points section, the Shore is the place to be.

Divisional Races

Class A North

Howell is in control of Class A North with Middletown South nipping at their heels. At 9-1 Howell is 18-4 in their total sets played. What will make the Rebels an extremely interesting team is to see how they handle the pressure of tournament play this season since all of their primary contributors are Sophomores and Juniors. Junior Savannah Torres facilitates the court and has 162 assists, spreading that between Outside Hitters Keira Mullen (63 kills) and Sienna Socha-Soares (46 kills). The Middle Blocker position is controlled by Sophomore Gabia Grigaliunas (9 blocks, 60 kills), and with a pure team balance, Howell is not flashy in the way they win. Their 9-1 record is a true team effort and Head Coach Maggie Preston works diligently to put the girls in the right position at the right time.

Middletown South (8-2) under Head Coach Lisa Thorne are 18-7 in their total sets. The only divisional blemish is against Howell and they will see each other again on October 9th. Cameron Kapler has been leaning into her role as Outside Hitter. With 46 kills in 2022, Kapler sits at 77 as well as being the lead server with 24 aces. Senior Setter Karolyna Bojko has 165 assists and more blocks than many teams lead Middle Blocker, which seems to be the name of the game for the Eagles. Junior Middle Blocker Ayva Cappadonna (22 blocks) and Senior Middle Blocker Amalia Goushy (23 blocks) are part of Midd South’s 81 total team blocks. The Eagles have a strong mix of Juniors and Seniors with experience and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Middletown South atop the divisional race by the end of the season.

Lastly, we can not rule out Marlboro or even reigning Central Jersey Group III champs Colts Neck from the Class A North race. Marlboro (6-3) led by Senior CeCe Marino have the necessary pieces, the question mark is whether they can put them all together and get hot at the right time. Colts Neck (4-7) has been a bit of a surprise this year…twice. Their 0-4 start raised some eyebrows around the Shore especially returning All-Shore talents Savannah Butz and Stacy Mancino, but what they were missing early on was the kill factor after losing Alex Foley and Madison McSorley to graduation. It took a few games, but the X-factor has arrived in Junior Kendra Thor who has broken out and is in early contention for All-Shore honors. With 101 Kills, 27 Aces and 125 Digs, Thor has been dropping the hammer on opponents which seems to be the jolt the reigning champs needed to stay in the hunt. As the saying goes, “it’s not about where you start, it’s about where you finish.” The Cougars are a dark horse A-North contender.

Class A South

Class A South is ruled by South Jersey Group IV juggernaut and Week 2 Jersey Mike’s Team of the Week Southern Regional (13-1). Leading the charge for the Rams are All-Shore Seniors Jordyn Hamlin (116 kills, 626 career kills) and Molly Regulski (277 assists, 1,357 career assists). These are the names that everyone associates Southern with, but what one mustn’t do is sleep on Junior Middle Blocker Jessica Smart who is as dynamic as they come with 78 kills and 16 blocks. The other key name is Junior Bryn Hagen (50 kills, 6 blocks), and with Hagen and Smart, plus Emily Brunatti and Sarah Capone, Southern can challenge any team in the state.

Brick Memorial under Coach Tom Trembulak are the comeback kids of the year as they went 4-19 (0-14) in 2022. Prior to the NJSIAA State Tournament, the Mustangs only had two wins before digging deep and winning the first two rounds of Central Jersey Group III before losing to the eventual Champions in Colts Neck in the Semi-Finals. Brick Memorial took that late season success as a war cry into 2023 as they are currently 8-2 at the helm of some solid underclass play from Delaney Cromen (56 kills), Emily Fitzgerald (56 kills, 23 blocks), Isabella Cottrell (33 kills, 28 aces), and Charlotte Kampf (26 kills, 18 blocks). Brick Memorial is poised for a strong run into the playoffs with the next two weeks being their stress test.

Class B North

The non-public A’s have put themselves in charge of the Class B North race with St. John Vianney (11-4) and Red Bank Catholic (8-4). Senior Stephanie Buttons is the leader of this young but dominant force from SJV. Buttons has 93 kills and 74 digs while Sophomores Genevieve Millett (78 kills, 75 digs),Taylor Sofilkanich (75 kills, 28 blocks) and Giavanna Sergi (146 digs, 25 assists) have taken a massive step forward in bringing St John Vianney a banner to their gym. Freshman Ayana Warren (82 digs, 276 assists) is another factor in rounding out this young team that is a force to be reckoned with.

Video by: Peyton Collimore, @itspeytonc on Instagram

Red Bank Catholic saw the return of Junior Outside Hitter Katherine Bauman (73 kills, 18 aces), Senior Setter Kailie Zebick (70 digs, 191 assists) and Junior Middle Blocker Kennedy Miller (45 kills, 13 blocks). Also featured on the Caseys court is Junior Libero and Defensive Specialist Talia Snedeker (128 digs, 24 assists, 24 aces). Red Bank Catholic has taken care of business in the expected games, with their losses coming via St. John Vianney, Rumson-Fair Haven, Middletown South and Donovan Catholic. This week they will see St. John Vianney, Colts Neck and Rumson-Fair Haven which will be a great stress test for the Caseys heading into the Shore Conference Tournament and to see where they stack up while preparing for the Non-Public A’s.

Right on the cusp is also Raritan (7-3) and Rumson-Fair Haven (7-4). From a divisional perspective they would need a lot to happen to St John Vianney, so their best bet is staying prepared for the Shore Conference Tournament and gel together when everyone is 0-0 in the playoffs.

Class B Central

Class B Central is still up for grabs with a five-way race between Point Beach, Keyport, Trinity Hall, Manasquan and St. Rose. Point Beach leads the way with Junior Middle Blocker Erin Frauenheim (33 kills, 17 blocks) and Keyport’s Senior Taylor Shearer (46 kills) will need to work around Frauenheim in their next match. Trinity Hall has a key victory over Keyport off the hand of Senior Rachel Gardner. What makes Trinity Hall interesting is the current play of Junior Kelly Reynolds and Sophomore Helen Taylor. With a balanced approach from Coach Dirk Walker, Trinity Hall just needs to find a way to beat Point Beach and Manasquan this week which would turn the tables on Class B Central.

Lastly, the Purple Roses have a new school record leader in kills which was set recently by Junior Melanie Englehardt when she surpassed 204 kills. She has the rest of this season and next to add on to the kills record and go down in St. Rose Girls Volleyball history.

Class B South

Class B South is currently being taken over by Donovan Catholic (15-1, 12-0), but it’s not in the bag for the Griffins in the divisional race. There’s a sneaky team just south of them from Barnegat who’s 11-2 (8-2). The Griffins handled business in their first match, but host Barnegat on October 4th where the Bengals look to take down the B-South leader.

Donovan Catholic has really broken out in not only the Shore, but the state as well. With gigantic wins over Union Catholic, Williamstown, Pinelands, Howell and St John Vianney they currently have their sights set on No. 1 Southern Regional which they will host on October 9th. This is the only matchup between the No. 1 and No. 2 teams scheduled for this season outside of Shore Conference Tournament play. A win against Barnegat makes Class B South a lock and a win against Southern would elevate them to number one at the Shore and potentially a number one in the state. 

The Griffins appear to be stacked at the top with all but one of their major contributors being Seniors. Led by FAU commit Senior Outside Hitter Shantel Starling (150 kills, 8 blocks, 112 digs, 48 aces) who recorded her 300th career kill and fellow Senior Macayla Lindner (86 kills, 85 digs, 56 aces) who broke the school record for career aces at 195 , Donovan Catholic has been able to put it all together at the control of Senior Setters Daniella Tischio (180 assists) who recorded her 500th career assist and Elizabeth Kavanaugh (115 assists). Lastly, it is always exciting when siblings play together and Brooke and Carly Bowbliss balance out this lineup with a combined 81 kills and 31 blocks with Brooke being an elite server with 43 aces.

The Barnegat Bengals are still hunting for the division and Class B South could have a wrench thrown into it on October 4th in the gym of Donovan Catholic when the Bengals hit the road in search of their biggest win in what could be considered program history. Barnegat has a smattering of girls from each class on the roster which could prove to become a very good thing for Coach Dancisin. Senior Ashley Berger has been running the table with 83 kills and her kills coming in a very consistent fashion. Add 34 aces to her resume thus far, and she is performing as you should expect from the Senior leader of a team. The newly arrived faces are Isabella Pavan who has racked up 44 kills, 15 blocks and 33 aces as well as Sophomore Annabella Fraim with 201 assists and 35 aces. The Bengals are the epitome of “just working hard” for their wins. This team is not flashy, nor do they have to be. As long as they stick together, they have a legitimate shot at a state title.

Pinelands and Jackson Liberty are also two very talented teams in B-South, hence Pinelands current power point position. More than likely, the division is out of reach, but that will not damper their spirits or seasons because when it comes to volleyball in The Shore Conference, sights are set on the SCT and the NJSIAA State Playoffs. Pinelands Junior Jill Becker and Senior Nicole Tarnacki are one the most dangerous duos from the Outside Hitter position with a combined 220 kills, mostly set up by Junior Setter Olivia Shertenlieb (280 assists).

Jackson Liberty’s Senior Libero Steph Ramos has lived up to the hype with 174 digs (607 career digs). Defense has been the Lions strong suit with 496 team digs. Senior Outside Hitter Stella Harzold who was on our preseason All-Shore watchlist is right in the mix with 92 kills, 108 digs and 25 aces.

As for the The Shore Conference divisional races, we have a decent picture of what to expect, but the key takeaway is that the games still have to be played. There’s no writing on the walls and any given day we could see an upset which could send the rankings into complete shuffle mode.

All-Shore Watch List (in divisional order from A North to B South)

Outside Hitter

Jr. Kendra Thor, Colts Neck: 101 Kills, 125 Digs, 27 Aces

Sr. Jordyn Hamlin, Southern: 116 Kills, 70 Digs, 20 Aces

Sr. Stephanie Buttons, St. John Vianney: 93 Kills, 74 Digs, 8 Aces

Jr. Katherine Bauman, Red Bank Catholic: 73 Kills, 10 Blocks, 47 DIgs, 18 Aces

Sr. Shantel Starling, Donovan Catholic: 150 Kills, 112 Digs, 48 Aces

Sr. Macayla Lindner, Donovan Catholic: 86 Kills, 85 Digs, 56 Aces

Sr. Stella Harzold, Jackson Liberty: 93 Kills, 119 Digs, 25 Aces

Jr. Jill Becker, Pinelands: 112 Kills, 126 Digs, 22 Aces

Sr. Nicole Tarnacki, Pinelands: 108 Kills, 94 Digs, 22 Aces

Opposite

So. Emily Fitzgerald, Brick Memorial: 23 Blocks, 56 Kills

So. Genevieve Millett, St. John Vianney: 78 Kills, 75 Digs, 15 Aces

Sr. Ashley Berger, Barnegat: 83 Kills, 78 Digs, 21 Aces

Middle Blocker

Sr. Savannah Butz, Colts Neck: 38 Blocks, 60 Kills

Sr. Amalia Goushy, Middletown South: 23 Blocks

Jr. Jessica Smart, Southern: 16 Blocks, 78 Kills

So. Emily Fitzgerald, Brick Memorial: 23 Blocks, 56 Kills

So. Taylor Sofilkanich, St. John Vianney: 28 Blocks, 75 Kills

Libero

Sr. Stacy Mancino, Colts Neck: 173 Digs, 17 Aces

Jr. Emily Brunatti, Southern: 98 Digs

So. Giavanna Sergi: 146 Digs, 25 Assists, 24 Aces

Sr. Steph Ramos, Jackson Liberty: 207 Digs, 15 Aces

Setter

Sr. CeCe Marino, Marlboro: 55 Digs, 59 Assists, 63 Kills, 11 Blocks, 16 Aces

Sr. Molly Regulski, Southern: 277 Assists, 39 Digs, 40 Aces

Sr. Ava Casales, Toms River East: 169 Assists

Jr. Isabella McKelvey, Brick Memorial: 183 Assists, 46 Digs, 23 Aces

Fr. Ayana Warren, St. John Vianney: 82 Digs, 276 Assists, 12, Blocks, 15 Aces

So. Catherine Caulfield, Rumson-Fair Haven: 37 Digs, 145 Assists, 13 Aces

So. Annabella Fraim, Barnegat: 201 Assists, 35 Aces

Sr. Olivia Luhn, Jackson Liberty: 42 Digs, 197 Assists

Jr. Olivia Shertenlieb, Pinelands: 41 Digs, 280 Assists

Defensive Specialist

Sr. Abigail O’Hara, Middletown South: 83 Digs

Jr. Talia Snedeker, Red Bank Catholic: 128 Digs, 24 Assists, 24 Aces

Sr. Caleigh Austin, Donovan Catholic: 111 Digs, 20 Assists, 33 Aces

Serving Specialist

Jr. Isabella Cottrell, Brick Memorial: 28 Aces, 80 Service Points

Darlyn Neyra, Toms River East: 73 Kills, 135 Digs, 29 Aces

Jr. Talia Snedeker, Red Bank Catholic: 128 Digs, 24 Assists, 24 Aces

Sr. Scarlett O'Hea, Raritan: 41 Kills, 23 Aces

Sr. Shantel Starling, Donovan Catholic: 150 Kills, 112 Digs, 48 Aces

Sr. Macayla Lindner, Donovan Catholic: 86 Kills, 85 Digs, 56 Aces

Jr. Brooke Bowbliss, Donovan Catholic: 42 Kills, 21 Blocks, 43 Aces

So. Annabella Fraim, Barnegat: 201 Assists, 35 Aces

Jr. Isabella Pavan, Barnegat: 44 Kills, 15 Blocks, 20 Digs, 33 Aces

So. Brooke Degrazio, Barnegat: 81 Digs, 32 Aces

So. Heidi Cyphert, Pinelands: 50 Kills, 24 Digs, 90 Service Points, 25 Aces

Player of the Year Watch List

Sr. Savannah Butz, Colts Neck

Jr. Kendra Thor, Colts Neck

So. Taylor Sofilkanich, St. John Vianney

Sr. Jordyn Hamlin, Southern Regional

Sr. Molly Regulski, Southern Regional

Sr. Shantel Starling, Donovan Catholic

Sr. Macayla Linder, Donovan Catholic

Jr. Olivia Shertenlieb, Pinelands

Jr. Jill Becker, Pinelands

Sr. Steph Ramos, Jackson Liberty

So. Annabella Fraim, Barnegat: 201 Assists, 35 Aces

Breakdown

Between the All Shore watch list and the Player of the Year watch list, it's evident that a ton of talent lives at the Shore. This list is merely a watch list and is not definitive as anyone in the Conference can still rise into contention for All-Shore and PoTY contention. When deciding, we take many factors into account with stats only being a part of the decision tree. Input from the Shore Volleyball Coaches Association will hold the most weight, as well as Athletic Directors, level of competitive play, stats and the importance of the stat in key moments. Racking up kills against lesser teams only makes a number look good on paper, but how a player accumulates those stats in relation to being a key contributor on their team is how one will be named.

Coach of the Year Watch List

Maggie Preston, Howell

Lisa Thorne, Middletown South

Eric Maxwell, Southern Regional

Tom Trembulak, Brick Memorial

Jessica Gadaleta, St. John Vianney

Glenn Jansen, Donovan Catholic

Emily Dancisin, Barnegat

Breakdown:

Overall, admittedly mid season is a terrible time to start considering a Coach of the Year candidate. But, just like the players on the court, there are ups and downs to a season and how you coach through those are the qualities we search for in COTY considerations. It would be a simple task to look to the teams with the best records and point there. Considering that coaches like Eric Maxwell, Jessica Gadaleta and Glenn Jansen have teams that are dominating the court, naming any one of them would be well deserved.

Sticking out strongly at the half way point are Barnegat's newly appointed Head Coach Emily Dancisin and the comeback team of the season Brick Memorial at the helm of Tom Trembulak. Dancisin has taken the Bengals and made them true contenders in both Class B South as well as being poised for a strong playoff run. Trembulak is coming off of a 4-19 (0-14) season last year, where two of the wins were playoff wins. That late season shore shock has translated into an 8-2 start with losses only to Southern and Toms River East.

The Coach of the Year debate will continue to thrive and we will see how these teams seasons unfold in the Shore Conference Tournament and throughout the playoffs. It could be any one of these currently listed coaches, or there may be some dark horse candidates waiting to emerge in October.

Written by:

Scott Martin, Shore Sports Network