BY WARREN RAPPLEYEA
Staff Writer
After five matches, the Old Bridge High School girls volleyball team is off to a 3-2 start as it looks to better last season’s total of 11 wins.
The Lady Knights have picked up victories against South Plainfield, Edison and Piscataway, while losing to J.P. Stevens and East Brunswick.
“The girls are all working very hard and they’re getting better and better,” said coach Carol Silverberg. “We have an unbelievable amount of talent, and as they unify as a team I think we’ll continue to see good results.”
Old Bridge’s starting lineup has plenty of height with 5-10 junior Lindsey Figliolino in the middle and 5-9 junior Michaela Ross as an outside hitter. Amy Li, a key returnee from last year, is the setter, while junior Jennifer Harris is the other outside hitter. Jennifer Vitrano and Theresa Lewis are the defenders.
“I thought we’d be a more defensive-oriented team, but we’re very strong up front and we are hitting the ball well,” Silverberg said. “Also, other coaches have described our team as ‘scrappy’ and that’s a compliment because they dive all over the floor and get to balls a lot of other teams can’t get to.”
Old Bridge has plenty of depth as well, Samantha Imparato and Michelle Peteet, who is nursing a knee injury, are both strong defenders.
Versatile junior Alison Resnick provides support for several positions, fellow juniors Jaclyn Baldino, Nicole Tonnison, Lisha Collins and Pushpinder Kaur give Silverberg plenty of options. At 5-11, sophomore Maureen O’Kane has become a presence in the middle for the Lady Knights.
Silverberg said that her team has a tendency to play to the level of its competition, and can pick up its game against top teams.
“One of my goals is to get them to focus on playing one point and one game at a time,” the coach said. “I want them to focus on winning on our terms, keep the ball and play and not beat themselves.”
Last season, Old Bridge finished at 11-8 and qualified for the state playoffs, where they lost in the first round to Washington Township. Another goal is to move further into the playoffs, Silverberg added.
Old Bridge, which was scheduled to play Mother Seton yesterday, will be quite busy the following week with matches against South Brunswick, Bishop Ahr, Colts Neck and North Brunswick.
The Lady Knights are also competing in the Toms River North tourney, which begins Sept. 30.