Tuesday, November 8, 2011

By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer

Carly O'Sullivan had 18 service points and 11 kills for Bogota, which swept Rutherford to reach the North Group 1 state semifinals.

BOGOTA – With a team virtually devoid of seniors and having suffered a tough loss against IHA in the Bergen County final last week, how would the Bogota volleyball team respond? The answer was not difficult for anyone who has followed the Bogota program. The lunch pail girls simply shake off the loss, lace up their shoes, and get right back to work. That is because in the minds of the Lady Bucs and their head coach Brad DiRupo, much bigger goals are still attainable.

Behind sophomore standout Carly O’Sullivan, the Bucs still have their eye on the prize of repeating as Group 1 state champions and moved one step closer to it last night. O’Sullivan served 11 straight points in the second game as top-seeded Bogota advanced with a 25-11, 25-9 triumph over fourth-seeded Rutherford on Monday night at Bogota High School.

“After losing to IHA, we had to focus on getting back to basics,” said Bogota libero Jennifer Ramirez. “When you have talent and you get the basics down, everything falls into place. We are really working hard at cleaning up our mistakes and we see our hard work every day paying off now when it counts.”

Karolina Kopacz had 12 assists for Rutherford, which finished with at least 20 wins for the sixth straight season.

In Game 1 Rutherford hung in there early with a kill from Ally Paskas cutting the lead to 8-5. O’Sullivan then heated up with three kills on three swings during a 7-1 run that broke the game wide open.

“I think we had some nerves with it being our last home game, but we settled in nicely,” said DiRupo. “Everyone is growing into their role at the right time for us. We feel we have as much skill as any team in the state, but winning in the states isn’t so much about that. It’s about how tough you are mentally. Tonight was another positive step in how we handled our mental approach.”

The second game was more of the same as back-to-back kills from Grace Hong and Paskas trimmed the Bucs’ lead to 7-5, but the Bucs’ offense simply comes in waves and is relentless. Mixing in good passing and flawless serving generally spells doom for any opponent. O’Sullivan had a pair of aces and two kills in the 12-0 run that closed the door on Rutherford’s season.

“We knew we had to play a perfect match and Bogota never allowed us to get anything going,” said Rutherford head coach Helen Antzoulides. “Bogota served exceptionally well and we had a hard time receiving it. We still had a great season and won 20 games for the sixth year in a row, which is something to be proud of. I thought we looked good early in both games, but they just overpowered us and we had no answers for them.”

Brenda Curiel and Bogota were dominant at the net.

O’Sullivan had 18 service points and 11 kills for Bogota (32-2). Julia Topor led all players with 16 kills and Ramirez had one of her best matches of the season with nine digs.Hong led Rutherford (20-7)with 11 digs and six kills, Karolina Kopacz had 12 assists and Paskas added six kills.

Bogota will face the winner of today’s match between second-seeded Midland Park and sixth-seeded Waldwick on Thursday at Jefferson High School with a 5:30 P.M. scheduled start time. With the IHA loss well in the rear-view mirror, the Bucs can focus on bringing a Group 1 state title back home by the end of the week.

“It was a downer not to win counties, but we had to move forward because there is still so much to play for,” said Bogota’s lone senior starter, Elise Brackett. “Our goal all season is to win states. Winning the county would have been awesome and a great bonus, but we can’t do anything about that now. We’re such a close family and we all want the same goal, to be state champs. Each win is a step closer to where have wanted to be from the first day of practice.”

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