Sunday, November 15, 2009

By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer

Senior Jessie Shevins led Tenafly (26-5) with nine kills.

WAYNE – Heading into its first state title game appearance in 18 years, Tenafly was well aware that winning the Group 2 championship was going to be a tall order. To do it, the Lady Tigers had to limit the effectiveness at the net of Caldwell’s all-stater Megan Knott and did that to a degree, but what they did not take into account was how much of a force 6’5” junior Kelly McCaddin has turned into. In the biggest match of the season, McCaddin put on the best performance of her career and one of the best in state finals history.

During the match-changing 11-0 run in the first game, McCaddin had seven kills on seven swings. She finished with 17 kills, 13 of them in the first game, as second-seeded Caldwell cruised to its sixth state title in the past 10 years with a 25-15, 25-12 win over fourth-seeded Tenafly at William Paterson University.

Riding three straight thrilling victories, including a semifinal win over top-seeded Mahwah in which it won the deciding third game by a 27-25 score, Tenafly came into the Group 2 final on a roll and got off to a fast start. Senior Jessie Shevins had the hot hand early and her kill gave Tenafly a 9-5 lead, prompting Caldwell head coach Jeff Stiefbold to call timeout.

Caldwell setter Gabby Migliore was on the money all match long.

“I don’t want to say we were in trouble, but we could have been on our way there,” said Stiefbold. “We saw Tenafly in the semifinals and we saw how tenacious they were. I just told our kids to calm down, we’ve been here before and we’ll get back in it one pass at a time. I knew if we could side out and get back on track, we could go on a big run.”

McCaddin was on Caldwell’s Tournament of Champions runner-up squad a year ago, but more as a blocker than a hitter. This year, she has emerged as one of the most improved players in the state. Setter Gabby Migliore had an outstanding match and when McCaddin had the hot hand, she continued to feed her the ball. McCaddin single-handedly dominated the net with seven kills and a block in the 11-0 run to turn a four-point deficit into a 16-9 lead.

“Our team passed really well today and Gabby did a great job setting. My part was easy,” said McCaddin. “I was really nervous before the match and even in the beginning of it. But once we got into it, all that nervousness melted away. I was just trying to be as aggressive at the net as I could be. I kept going for the corners and I kept hitting them. Once I got a kill, I just wanted another one and Gabby was giving me perfect sets.”

After dropping the first game, Tenafly regrouped and hung in early in the second game. A kill and a block from Alex Zigouras tied the game at 8. But Tenafly then started to give away points on attack and service errors. That was all Caldwell needed as it closed out the match on a 17-4 run, en route to its fourth straight two-game sweep and the Group 2 state title.

McCaddin finished with a match-high 17 kills, along with four digs, three blocks, and two aces. Knott, who is second all-time in New Jersey history in kills during the rally-scoring, best-of-three era, finished with 11 kills, 10 service points, and seven digs. Migliore added 23 assists. Caldwell (29-2) continues its season in the first round of the Tournament of Champions against Pascack Hills on Thursday. The match will be at 6:00 p.m. at Hackensack High School.

Shevins led Tenafly (26-5) with nine kills. Kally Kyriakides led the Tigers in assists and digs with eight and six, respectively. While the end was a bitter one for the Tigers, they ride to get there was an exciting one and one head coach Jeff Koehler hopes his kids will focus on when looking back at this season.

“We will always remember that we beat three very good teams to get here, including the defending Group 2 champion (Cranford),” said Koehler. “These kids mean so much to me. Even though it didn’t end the way we wanted it to, we have a lot to be proud of. To beat the teams we beat and to get to a state final with only one club player shows the dedication we have to this team and the desire we have to pick each other up. My seniors were just outstanding this whole year and they were the backbone for our success. Although we didn’t go out with a trophy today, in my mind I think of these kids as champions.”

FOR MORE PHOTOS OF THIS EVENT OR TO BUY A COLLECTOR'S PRINT OF THIS GAME STORY, PLEASE VISIT 4FeetGrafix.com.