The Old Bridge High School girls volleyball team is off to an uncharacteristic 2-3 start, but with a talented roster and plenty of games remaining, there’s plenty of time for the Lady Knights to return to their winning ways, which has seen them qualify for the NJSIAA tournament 10 times in the past 11 seasons.
After opening the campaign with a pair of losses, Old Bridge then defeated Woodbridge and North Brunswick to even its record. Coach Carol Silverberg’s team squared off against powerful Bridgewater-Raritan on Monday, and despite playing well, the Lady Knights lost a 2-0 decision.
“Itwas a good learning opportunity for the girls, because Bridgewater-Raritan is always strong,” Silverberg said. “The match gave them a taste of what it will be like as the season goes along and in the Greater Middlesex and NJSIAA Group IV tourneys.
The key returnees for Old Bridge are middles Ashley Heinz and Nicole Stacy, along with setter Katie Shek, all of whom started last fall when the Lady Knights went 12-9. All three have played well, Silverberg noted, and Heinz and Shek are one-two on the team in kills. Karina Alkahasyan, an outside hitter who saw some varsity time a year ago, is another key player. Junior Anna Kolodziez and lefty Marta Belli are also outside hitters.
At the beginning of the campaign, Silverberg planned to go with two setters in the lineup, but an injury to Erin Cole has limited the coach’s ability to implement that plan. Cole, who starred for the junior varsity and gained some varsity time last season, is expected back soon. Up-and-coming junior setter Anna Rzepka spells Shek and has taken over for Cole when Silverberg has tried the two-setter approach.
The Old Bridge bench is deep and talented. It includes Kelsey Totten, juniors Shannon Cogland, Stephanie Eng, Alex Magliocco and Brittany Shultz, along with 5- 9 Miranda Cali and Erica Kokoszka, both sophomores.
Losing the first two matches put the Lady Knights on their heels, and as yet the team has not been able to put together the all-around consistent effort the coach wants.
“Our serving has been particularly strong, but we seem to shuffle between how we play otherwise,” Silverberg said. “In some matches, our offense was great but the defense was weak. In others it’s been just the opposite. The win against North Brunswick was a big confidence booster, and I think the girls are close to putting it all together.”
Old Bridge will have plenty of opportunities this week to build consistency. On Tuesday, Sept. 20, the Lady Knights were scheduled to host Edison and were to visit East Brunswick on Wednesday. On Friday, Silverberg’s team travels to Piscataway. All three are Greater Middlesex Conference Red Division matches. The team will also play in a tournament in Bloomfield on Saturday.
“We have a very packed schedule, but it does give the girls a chance to get rolling,” the coach said.