Vikes volleyball team tops Bishop Ahr in GMCT opener

Rebound from state tournament disappointment for second straight season

By: Rich Fisher
   Coming off a disappointing state tournament loss to Clifton on Tuesday, the South Brunswick High volleyball team kept its post-season alive by winning convincingly over Bishop Ahr in the opening round of the Greater Middlesex Conference tournament Wednesday.
   The second-seeded Vikes topped the seventh-seeded Trojans, 25-12, 25-19, and had control most of the way. The defending GMC champions will host either Edison or Mother Seton Friday at 4 p.m., with the winner playing in the finals at J.P. Stevens, 6 p.m., Monday.
   Coach Nancy McDonald said Tuesday’s loss did not affect her players either adversely or negatively when it came to coming right back and playing the next day.
    "A lot of them have been through this before," McDonald said. "We had the same kind of situation happen to us last year, where we lost in the states and had to come back the very next day and play a county games. We’ve played a lot of games, they have to learn how to get over it, be disappointed for an evening, then come back and play hard.
    "We generally had a pretty nice day all around. It was a good way to get over (Tuesday’s) disappointment."
   Jordan Confessore continued her scintillating play of late, collecting six kills, four assists, 12 service points and five aces.
    "She’s really been playing well," McDonald said.
   Confessore had help, as Nikki Weiss had 10 service points and five aces, Lauren Ellis had nine kills and six blocks and April Thomas had three kills and five assists.
    "They knew they had a big game today, the season’s winding down, we’re eliminated out of one thing and only have one tournament left," said McDonald, whose team is 16-4 but had lost two of its last three entering the GMCT. "We talked about how we have to get back in synch again, play like we played earlier in the year. We needed to serve well, our serves are our weapon, and we did that."