BY RICHARD JEROME
Staff Writer
A 28-0 record. It just doesn’t get any better than that.And that’s precisely where the East Brunswick High School girls volleyball team stands as it awaits its first opponent in the opener of this week’s state tournament match.
The Bears are fresh off a big victory, having captured the Greater Middlesex Conference title earlier this week with a 25-22, 25-25 defeat of South Brunswick, a formidable foe with a 21-4 record.
“We’ve worked on fundamentals and the girls have been dedicated to learning new things,” said head coach Melissa Krauss. “They’ve really been putting it all together.”
The Bears have both depth and talent with 13 girls staffing the varsity. Senior Andrea Temkin has been the starting center for two years now, and she’s played very consistently throughout.
“She knows how to save the ball,” said Krauss.
Another senior, outside hitter Melissa Favis, is an all-around talent, adroit at passing, serving and hitting. In the middle, East Brunswick features senior Ann Ruffner.
“Ann has learned the game really well, and is extremely focused,” said her coach. “She plays with a lot of heart.”
In the middle of the court, senior Ivana Kapetianovic has shown aggressiveness, athleticism and skill, according to Krauss, while defensive specialist Britt Price is also the team’s most effective server, having made just three errors in about 150 attempts.
On the outside, hitter Kristina Borisova is “aggressive and devoted to learning,” the coach points out. Kapetianovic, Price and Borisova are all 12th-graders.
From the junior class, Michelle Sempkowski is an outside hitter who has fought back from an injury that sidelined her for three weeks of the campaign. Apparently the forced layoff hasn’t dampened her passing and hitting skills. Another junior, Alana Miller is an opposite who’s an excellent passer.
“She always knows where the ball is on the court,” said Krauss.
The Bears have three other juniors in the starting varsity mix. Grace Huang, in the middle, has greatly improved since last year, while defensive specialist Marta Matera reads the ball well. Playing at opposite, Haidi Parais is in her first year as a varsity player and has adapted well, proving a strong presence in the front row.
Although the team is dominated by seniors and juniors, there are also some younger players doing the job for EBHS. Sophomore center Candace Riggs ‘has been getting a lot of learning experience, and doing quite well,” according to the coach. In the libero position – a back row performer who plays only defense – freshman Becky Temkin has more than acclimated herself to varsity volleyball.
“She’s been really, really good for us,” said Krauss of the newcomer. “She’s picked up about 85 to 90 percent of the balls hit her way and shows absolutely no fear.”
Now the unblemished Bears gear up for the states, where they will play Hackensack on Friday in the second round. Hackensack, the 14th seed, knocked off 19th-seeded Old Bridge, 2-0 (25-21, 25-14) in its state tourney opener on Tuesday.
Krauss and company are determined to pursue the crown. Last year’s 25-2 squad, like this one, captured the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament title, but went down to defeat in the state tourney semifinals.
“This has been a very, very satisfying year, of course,” said Krauss. “But after losing in the states last year, we’re hoping for a different outcome this time.”