Monday, November 21, 2011

By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer

IHA celebrated it fourth T of C title in the last five years after the top seed knocked off No. 3 Demarest, 25-25, 25-15, in the final on Sunday at Willima Paterson University.

WAYNE – Regardless of the outcome of what the Tournament of Champions final match was, history was going to be made. Both Immaculate Heart Academy and Northern Valley/Demarest had three T of C titles to their credit and neither had ever lost in a T of C final. Something had to give Sunday as the two powerhouses of North Jersey volleyball slugged it out to determine which would have the right to call itself the number one team in the state.

IHA rallied from a four-point deficit in the first game and the serving of Michelle Cruz was the spark of two scoring bursts in the second as top-seeded IHA’s dynasty continued as the Blue Eagles won a record fourth Tournament of Champions title in five years with a 25-20, 25-15 sweep over third-seeded Northern Valley/Demarest at William Paterson University.

“I feel like I’m top of the world right now. Winning a Tournament of Champions title in my senior year is more than I could have ever asked for,” said IHA setter Mandy Garbarino. “I think we were really pumped up in the beginning and that actually hurt us. When we play calmer we make better decisions. Once we got the momentum back, we didn’t want to give it up.”

Kat Hirsch helped Demarest get off to a fast start in the opening game.

Both teams came off two-game sweeps in the semifinals and were amped up for the start of game No. 1. It showed as both were swinging away early before the Norsewomen gained the upper-hand. Kat Hirsch sandwiched a pair of aces around a net violation to give Demarest a 15-11 lead and force IHA to call a timeout.

“They kept hitting middle back and we weren’t reacting to it well, so I had to call timeout and make an adjustment,” said IHA co-head coach Mike DeCastro. “We moved our back row up a bit and tried to force Demarest to play the angles a little more. We had a walk-through before the match and we went over a lot of different scenarios, which I thought helped in making that adjustment so quickly.”

From that point on, the Blue Eagles did a better job of prolonging points with clutch digs. That allowed them to get on a run with the size advantage they had at the net with back-to-back kills from Corina Dypko giving them an 18-17 lead. The Norsewomen looked to rally, but their attempts were blocked both figuratively and literally by IHA. Jessica Cervini’s block made it 23-19 and a block from 6-foot-2 sophomore sensation Nia Reed closed out the game. IHA carried that momentum over where Cruz started off the second game with an ace among her four consecutive service points.

Nia Reed had 11 kills to lead IHA, which finished the season with a 32-1 record.

“Momentum is a huge part of every match and you have to hold onto that momentum and build from it for as long as possible,” said Cruz, a junior libero who started on the 2009 T of C title team and whose sister, Stephanie, won a pair of T of C titles with IHA in 2007 and 2008. “We were a little concerned there in that first game, but we kept our composure. It was important to just take little steps and focus on one point at a time until we could find our rhythm again.”

Demarest trimmed the lead to 6-4 on a kill by Haley Hirsch, but the Blue Eagles never fully relinquished control. They held a four-point lead before Cruz went back to serve again. She did not record an ace, but her knuckling serves forced the Norsewomen to give the Blue Eagles a trio of free balls, which they pounced on. Reed put down a pair of thunderous kills and Jenn Pagano added another to cap a 7-0 spurt for a 21-10 lead en route to putting the finishing touches on the program’s now record fourth T of C title.

“I thought they played a lot looser than we did and it really showed in the second game,” said Northern Valley/Demarest head coach Beth Powell. “I think the reality of being on the precipice of a T of C title might have gotten to us. I thought we played hard throughout the match, but we needed to execute way better than we did today in order to win. We had to play our best to beat an IHA team that played exceptionally well and we didn’t.”

Melissa Pesce and Demarest finished the season with a 24-4 record and a Group 3 state title.

Cruz finished with match-highs of 11 service points and 16 digs for IHA, which finished the season with a 32-1 record and its only loss coming against an out-of-state opponent. Garbarino was her usual steady self with 19 assists and Reed led all players with 11 kills.

Haley Hirsch had 13 digs and Heather Park had 12 to lead the way for Northern Valley/Demarest (24-4). Kat Hirsch had nine kills, six digs, and two aces.

With a fourth Tournament of Champions title in five years along with a Bergen County Championship this season, IHA has become a dynasty in New Jersey volleyball. To run the table among in-state opponents in the most tradition-rich county in girls’ volleyball speaks volumes on just how much of a special season this was.

“Every year, we condition ourselves mentally and physically for the long haul to be in this position,” added DeCastro. “When you win a Tournament of Champions title, there is nothing like it. All you want to do is have that same feeling again the next year. With we have gone through with having so many new faces and having to deal with so many injuries, we didn’t know just what we were capable of accomplishing. So to watch our team mesh and grow up together, and to get another T of C title with this particular team is extremely gratifying.”

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