Senior outside hitter keys Pirate girls in state tournament
By: Justin Feil
The West Windsor-Plainsboro South girls’ volleyball team suffered a pair of big losses after last season.
One hurt. One helped.
The Pirates have worked hard to replace Kelly Kasper, who graduated last year and has gone on to play significantly as a freshman in college. Kasper was the senior who made the Pirates go, and helped them advance beyond the first round of the state tournament last year.
"We lost a really awesome person," said the Pirates’ Lauren Morfe. "She was an amazing volleyball player. She held the team together. It was a huge loss for our team."
But it wasn’t as big a loss as Morfe’s. After the season, the then-junior had gastric band surgery, a surgery that reduces the size of the stomach and limits the amount of food that can be eaten.
"I lost 110 pounds off it," said the senior co-captain. "I’ve lost a whole person. I have one less person with me on the volleyball court. It’s so much easier. I jump so much higher. I move so much easier."
And Morfe has helped the Pirates return to the state tournament, which they’ll open tonight as the No. 18 seed against No. 15 Cherry Hill West. The winner plays at No. 2 Old Tappan, the same team that ended WW-P South’s season last year.
"I really want to see their faces when we actually beat them," Morfe said. "We’ll see what happens. We lost to them last year. We all have this fire to beat them this year. We’ll see what happens."
It’s unlikely that Old Tappan would recognize Morfe in the rematch. Even acquaintances had difficulty recognizing her new look as the pounds melted off her. She lost 20 pounds to make herself a better candidate for the surgery, and lost another 50 pounds in the first three months following the surgery as she returned for club volleyball. She also participated for the first time in spring track and field as a thrower. It’s volleyball about which she’s most passionate, but the effects of the surgery and a new commitment to her health have shown this fall.
"She can physically do more," said Pirates head coach Michael Adams. "When we do our running, she’s not winded at the end of it. She took it upon herself to do track, all this stuff to get herself in better shape. She wanted to take care of her body and eat well. It’s made a big difference. She can athletically move better. She hits better. She has better posture for serve receive and she can move to balls. It’s made a big difference."
Morfe always enjoyed volleyball. She’s just found it a little better with the ability to do a little more.
"The shape I’m in, no matter what, I’d still love the sport," she said. "Now I think I just love the sport even more. I’m not tired after our 10 laps of warming up. I always have my energy up. I’m always focused. My energy level is so much higher."
Morfe and the Pirates had no trouble keeping high energy Oct. 19, the day of the state cutoff for being .500. They entered the day at 8-10, but swept a doubleheader at Warren Hills to wrap up a state berth.
"We play a tough schedule," Adams said. "On top of our normal games I added games like Cherry Hill East and East Brunswick. I gave us a very tough schedule, which made us sweat it out. We played some great teams but that helps us when we go into a state tournament."
Morfe expects the Pirates to play well tonight if they can remember the things that have carried them to double-digit wins. WW-P South needs to avoid the pitfalls that have cost them in their losses.
"Our problem is our attitude," Morfe said. "We get down easily. Now, we’re really enthusiastic on points. If we mess up, we have to keep our heads high. We have to keep our attitudes up. Attitudes are everything. We have to make sure everyone has their attitude level up."
It also wouldn’t hurt if Morfe played as she has recently. Adams points out that the outside hitter is playing like the veteran senior that she is.
"Right now, she’s playing phenomenally," Adams said. "She’s starting to pass great. She’s ripping balls. Then the next time, she’ll just place it, spot it, and it drives the other team crazy. She’s not predictable. Both our outside hitters are starting to come on. Crystal (Chang) and Lauren are playing great. They’re a key."
While Morfe knows these aren’t the final days of volleyball for her with the opportunity to play at Division III Johnson and Wales next year, but she wants to keep her high school career going as long as possible. It’s hard to stop after a year like she’s had.
"It’s such a great sport," Morfe said. "I can’t see giving up volleyball so quick."
It’s one loss that Lauren Morfe doesn’t want to think about at a time like this.