The Old Bridge High School girls volleyball team is off to a 2-0 start, and although coach Carol Silverberg does not want her team looking too far ahead, Sept. 22 is a date circled on the Lady Knights’ calendar.
That’s the day Old Bridge will host East Brunswick High School. Last year the two teams split a pair of regular-season matches. As a result, the two teams shared the Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) Red Division championship.
“This year we’re home for our first game with East Brunswick, and it’s always better to be at home,” Silverberg said. “Of course, we still have to go to East Brunswick later in the season [Oct. 13]. But first things first; we still have two games before we play them.”
The Lady Knights were scheduled to visit Colonia on Tuesday and host Woodbridge, a newcomer to the Red Division, this afternoon. Old Bridge opened the campaign with a 2-1 triumph against North Brunswick on Sept. 9 and then downed J.P. Stevens on Saturday by a count of 2-0.
A year ago, Silverberg’s team posted a 15-7 mark and reached the second round of the NJSIAA Group IV tourney. However, five of the six starters graduated, with only co-captain Lauren Walsh returning. Yet it seems as if the team has not missed a beat — a testament to the talent and depth in the program.
The versatile Walsh has been outstanding in the early going. After recording more than 300 digs and 44 aces as the libero last fall, Silverberg moved the four-year starter to outside hitter. Walsh has responded with 11 kills and 12 aces so far. She added seven digs against Stevens.
“Lauren has a good understanding of the game, and she was willing to make the move,” the coach said. “She’s almost always in the right place at the right time, and she’s become an excellent leader.”
Walsh has teamed with co-captain Dominique Andre, also an outside hitter, to create a dynamic duo for opponents to contend with. Andre split last season between the junior varsity and the big team, and still managed to post 73 digs and 17 aces for the varsity. Andre has been strong in the early going as well, with eight kills and six aces to her credit thus far.
While Walsh and Andre have led the way, the entire Old Bridge lineup has looked good in the early going, which speaks well of the depth in the program.
Tiffany Liu at 5-10 is a presence at right hitter, where she accumulated four blocks in the North Brunswick game and eight digs against Stevens. Shannel Zeeman, who took over the libero post, has four aces, and she compiled eight digs in the victory over Stevens.
Juniors Ashley Heinz and Nicole Stacy are in the middle. Heinz’s agility has produced three blocks, and Stacy is a good finisher, as evidenced by her eight kills. Another junior, setter Katie Shek, has quietly put her teammates in a position to make kills. Shek has 31 assists over the Lady Knights’ first two games.
Setter Erin Cole and outside hitter Katrina Alkhasyan will also get their share of playing time. For the time being, the two are splitting time between the varsity and JV teams, Silverberg noted.
“I’m pleased with where we are and how the girls have played so far,” said Silverberg. “We have a good rivalry with East Brunswick, but we have to focus on Colonia and then Woodbridge first.”