Girls produced first winning season
by John E. Powers, Sports Writer
There’s one thing the Hillsborough High School girls’ volleyball team achieved this year that nobody will ever be able to take from them. They were the first team in the history of the program to enjoy a winning season.
The Raiders finished at 16-13, quite an achievement when you consider the team went 8-18 last season and 13-15 the year before. Hillsborough also made the state tournament for the second time in the program’s five-year history.
”As far as the program, the big picture, it was a successful year for us,” said Hillsborough coach Todd Sudol, who’s been with the team since its beginning.
The big picture has the Raiders seriously gunning for Somerset County and state titles in the future. The team did reach its other goal of making the states, but was beaten in the first round of the tournament by Toms River East. Hillsborough did get another first, hosting a state tournament game. Hillsborough earned the 10th seed.
”It didn’t end the way we wanted it to,” said sophomore setter Kelly Gabriel, who had a phenomenal year, making the All Skyland Conference first team along with teammate Meghan O’Reilly, the senior outside hitter. “I think it helped (to make the tournament). It was our goal to make it into the states. We didn’t get far, but it was still our goal.”
Sudol referred to Gabriel has the best setter in the county throughout the season.
”Hands down, she was the best setter in the county by far,” Sudol said.
Gabriel split time between the junior varsity and varsity teams last year but really emerged as a key player this season. She established herself as a team leader as well.
The HHS sophomore had 21 assists, two blocks and three digs Sept. 18 when the Raiders knocked off two-time defending county champion Watchung Hills 25-14, 25-21. Watchung Hills was beaten in the county final this year by Bridgewater-Raritan.
”I think the difference between us and a team like Watchung Hills is that they have more feeder programs,” O’Reilly said. “Right now we have a junior varsity and varsity team. We don’t have the feeder systems yet. I think some of the girls (at Hillsborough) are playing more club volleyball now. I think we’re going to get better and better as more players have volleyball as a primary sport.”
O’Reilly said she played softball at one point, but now is just a volleyball player.
”We have been practicing since June and all the girls were committed to doing well,” she said. “There was a chemistry on the team. There were no real attitudes. There were no issues.”
The team was also very consistent, something that made a difference in their final record.
”You go back and look at the whole picture, there might have been four or five games out of the whole schedule where I thought we should have won, but didn’t,” Sudol said. “Other than that, we did what we had to do. We should have beaten Vernon. We should have had one of the games against Bridgewater. But we beat some quality teams. And in the state tournament game, I think the lack of experience by most of the kids in a situation like that definitely played into the final result.”
The team will miss O’Reilly, defensive specialist Cathy Meyer and middle blocker Jackie Caratozzolo and middle blocker Megan Kumbatovic, who’ll graduate in June. Next year’s team will be built around the likes of Gabriel, junior middle blocker Christina Mehrtens, junior opposite Margaret Gilroy and junior outside hitter Rachel Jackson.
”Like the other sports I coach, it’s important that the next group is ready by the end of the season to step up,” Sudol said. “I saw the juniors improve so much and when they are seniors next year I’m confident that we’ll see good things. They are excited about the future.”
NOTES: The Raiders were 13-15 in 2006 when they beat Colts Neck in the first round of the playoffs before losing to Cherokee. They were 5-16 in 2005 and 6-16 in the first year of the program in 2004.