The BCWCA Bergen County Tournament championship is coming up next.
Check out all the information, stats and predictions below for the highly-anticipated final.
Matchup: 1-Old Tappan vs. 2-Immaculate Heart
Venue: Old Tappan
Date/Time: Saturday, Nov. 2 – 3:30 p.m.
Coming into the season, it was known that Old Tappan and Immaculate Heart would be the teams to beat up north in Bergen County. Two consistent programs that have each seen their fair share of championships, this matchup is a rematch of the 2023 finals, which saw IHA win in three sets as the top seed.
This year, Old Tappan corralled the No. 1 seed and is the last remaining undefeated squad in all of New Jersey. Each team has two matches prior to the championship bout, but check out the teams’ records and player statistics below entering championship weekend.
Road to championship game: 17-Park Ridge; 8-Demarest; 4-Ramapo
Old Tappan notes: The 2024 season has been a conquest of redemption for the Golden Knights. The current senior class was bumped out of the Bergen County Tournament in the quarterfinals in each of their freshman and sophomore seasons. As juniors, they reached the finale, but fell to an IHA team that finished as the top-ranked Non-Public team in the Garden State.
On Saturday, Old Tappan and their seniors have the opportunity to go out on a high note. They’ve climbed the state rankings, hanging in at No. 6 with just a single set loss all year.
The offense begins with Samantha Kranzler, a 2022 First Team All-Group 2 star who missed half of the 2023 season due to injury. She’s navigated OT to a tremendous spot as the most dangerous Group 2 program, but the Golden Knights have also etched vital offensive roles out of Eva Curko, Julia Whaley, Bianca Benasillo, and Gabriela Paltag to keep the opposition guessing. Setter Addison Gioffre has plenty of options to get the rhythm going, but a historically-sound IHA defense will try to combat all hitting lanes. Gioffre has the experience to keep everyone on their toes, and she may just be the difference in the championship game.
