The John P. Stevens High School girls’ volleyball team witnessed a historic feat by its opponent while it also gained respect with its effort.
East Brunswick High School came to Edison and left with a 2-0 victory over the Hawks on Sept. 26.
“We made a couple of changes,” coach Anthony White of J.P. Stevens said. “We made a personnel change. We put in [junior] Morgan Schleuss in the game for the second half, and she was great. But honestly, I told them they just had to cut down on their errors. We made seven errors early out of their first 10 points in game one, and it seemed like we were never able to recoup from that as the game progressed. And we lost. Game two, we started off a little bit better, but still not where we want to be, and we thought that at least we were able to close the margin.”
White thought that a couple of his young players really stepped up in the second game.
“We had good serving out of [freshman] Simrin Carlsen and [sophomore] Irene Quan in game two also helped us — a couple of aces,” White said. “They’re quick points. It’s some way to tighten it up quick. We got a couple of blocks, too, that really helped us down the stretch.”
The match featured East Brunswick’s Jordyn Horowitz recording her 500th kill, becoming the first girls’ volleyball player to achieve that milestone in the school’s history. She left the J.P. Stevens gym with a career total of 506 after she scored 10 on the day.
White felt that a couple of his young stars have the potential to establish a J.P. Stevens school record one day, too.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if both Quan and Carlsen hit 500,” White said. “But we just graduated a center that had 1,500 assists last year. So, you know, records come in and out of this gym a lot, too. We were just honored we were able to provide the experience for [Horowitz]. Anytime that happens, we want to highlight it because it is a special moment. We’re glad we were there to witness it.”
White knows that he has an inexperienced team, but it’s one that has potential.
“We’re a young team,” White said. “The majority of our team are freshmen, sophomores and juniors. We think the best is coming, to be honest. All of this is good. If we keep on learning, and that’s what we’re stressing over here, we feel like we’ll be ready when the counties come.”
Carlsen is enthusiastic about her Hawks teammates.
“I think the chemistry with the girls is really good,” Carlsen said. “It’s really nice to come on to a welcoming team. The girls, I think, are going to get stronger and stronger as the season progresses.”
Carlsen pointed out what the Hawks accomplished in staging a rally in the second game. J.P. Stevens stormed back before falling short in the second game, 25-22. East Brunswick won the first game, 25-15.
“Our serving [was key],” Carlsen said. “Passing is the heart of the game, so once we got that and once we leveled our heads out, we were able to come back.”
Keeping a level head is important, according to Carlsen.
“Mentality — it can be our strength, but it could also be our weakness,” she said. “I want to be able to keep both a level head and a head that can keep me in the game.”
Despite the high expectations for her, Carlsen just wants to help her team win.
“My goal is to bring my team up, just not really worry about myself,” she said. “[I just want to] worry about my team and keep helping them as they keep helping me.”
J.P. Stevens was on the losing end of its next two matches, falling at Piscataway Township High School, 2-1 (25-23, 22-25, 21-25), on Sept. 27 and at home against South Brunswick High School, 2-0 (10-25, 21-25), on Sept. 28. The Hawks are 3-6 on the season.
J.P. Stevens was scheduled to host Colonia High School on Oct. 3. It hosts Perth Amboy High School on Oct. 5 at 6 p.m. and Old Bridge High School on Oct. 9 at 5:15 p.m.