Thursday, October 29, 2009

By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer

Katie Blank and defending champion Old Tappan made short work of Mahwah in the Bergen County Tournament quarterfinals.

OLD TAPPAN – In a tough three-game win over Indian Hills in the Bergen County Tournament’s Round of 16, the Northern Valley/Old Tappan players learned a valuable lesson. No matter how well you know your opponent and how many times you have beaten them in the past, beating them when it counts the most is not going to be as easy. The Golden Knights got a chance to put that knowledge into action on Wednesday night when they faced a depleted Mahwah team, which was playing without standout Karissa Cilento, who is out with a knee injury.

This time there was no messing as second-seeded Old Tappan never trailed and cruised to a 25-9, 25-16 triumph over seventh-seeded Mahwah in the Bergen County Quarterfinals at Northern Valley/Old Tappan High School.

“We learned from the match against Indian Hills and it taught us a lesson,” said OT head coach Melissa Landeck. “We knew Mahwah was a good team and they came here tonight for a reason. Tonight we came in with a different level of focus. The more options we established for ourselves, the better we get.”

Nicole Serekian had five kills for Mahwah.

Aiyana Whitney was clearly the biggest difference maker on the court and she established herself early. Whitney had three straight kills and her block capped a 10-3 run to open the first game. The Golden Knights poured it on from there as setter Anna Kate Miller spread it around to teammates Alex Radetzky, Taylor Jansen, and Katie Blank.

The Thunderbirds were clearly lacking the presence that the talented Cilento brought to the court, but they hung tough for most of the second game. Stephanie Delvanthal had consecutive aces to cut the lead to one, 8-7. Old Tappan opened the lead back up to seven before Mahwah scored three straight points, the last on a kill by Megan Bollerman, to trim it back down to 17-13.

From there it was all Old Tappan with back-to-back kills by Whitney and Jansen lifting the Golden Knights into their customary place in the Bergen County semifinals.

Miller had a match-high 21 assists for Northern Valley/Old Tappan (15-2). Whitney added nine kills and three blocks. Kelsey Morgan chipped in with eight digs. Marissa Monaco notched 14 assists for Mahwah (18-7). Nicole Serekian and Bollerman each added five kills.

Aiyana Whitney finished with 9 kills and 3 blocks for Old Tappan.

Northern Valley/Old Tappan will play Ramapo on Friday night for a berth in the Sunday’s Bergen County final. The two teams have split their regular season series and, this late in the season, the Golden Knights know now not to take any opponent lightly.

“After going to three games (against Indian Hills), we knew we had to come out strong tonight,” said Northern Valley/Old Tappan senior Katie Blank. “Our league is so good and that experience helps come time for the county tournament. It will be exciting, but we treat every game the same. We never stop fighting and we’ll play hard against Ramapo like we would against any other team.”

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