Old Tappan Advances to Sectional Finals with Win Over Pascack Valley; Still Undefeated

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Entering Saturday’s North Jersey Section 1, Group 2 semifinal match of the NJSIAA Playoffs at Northern Valley Regional High School in Old Tappan, the top-seeded Golden Knights boasted as impressive a resume as any program in the Garden State. Ranked No. 4 in the NJ.com Top 20, Old Tappan rolled into the semifinals with an undefeated record and only one set loss in 2024. Opposing Old Tappan on Saturday was the one team to take a set from it this season in fourth-seeded Pascack Valley. It was a hard-fought, back and forth match between two of North Jersey‘s top teams, but Old Tappan (22-0) did just a bit more to prevail in straight sets by set scores of 25-21 and 26-24. Old Tappan’s victory sets it on a collision course with second-seeded, eight-ranked Sparta, who defeated sixth-seeded Demarest in straight sets to set up a sectional final clash in Old Tappan on Tuesday. As divisional rivals in the Big North conference National Division, Old Tappan and Pascack Valley had met twice during the regular season. Old Tappan head coach Melissa Landeck highlighted the stiff divisional competition her team battled en route to the playoffs and how the her players have elevated their game against that competition.

“We‘re familiar foes. Same conference, same league, and I think our division is arguably the toughest,” Landeck said of the division that produced three of the four N1G2 semifinal participants. “Both teams competed today and that‘s what you want at this level of the state tournament. This was our third meeting of the season so it’s a testament to our league.” Old Tappan‘s formula rung off 21 consecutive wins since opening night in September, and it was more of the same for win #22. Senior Addison Gioffre played her part as setter by racking up 28 assists on the day, and Old Tappan’s top hitters did the rest.

Senior Samantha Kranzler recorded a game-high 16 kills while juniors Eva Curko and Julia Whaley chipped in with seven and six kills respectively, and the trio combined for five blocks in dominant efforts at the net both offensively and defensively. Kranzler and Curko knew that if any team was going to push Old Tappan to its limit, it would be the only one that had won a set against it during the season, and both players highlighted the challenges the third match with Pascack Valley presented. “It’s always hard playing a team three times,” Kranzler said. “They’re the only team that had taken a set from us so we knew they were going to come in confident. For us, it was just about practicing hard yesterday, sticking to our game plan, and focusing on ourselves as a team and not worrying about anyone around us.” Curko added on to Kranzler’s comments by detailing how Old Tappan has managed the high-pressure situations it has faced throughout the season. The ever present “0″ in the loss column can weigh on players if it’s thought about too much, and Curko detailed the approach that has helped her and her teammates remain level-headed in the midst of an undefeated season thus far. “It’s about playing one game at a time and staying focused throughout the whole game,” Curko said. “Being confident in ourselves is part of our game plan and that’s how we play the whole time.”

With a team full of players brimming with confidence and the talent to back it up, Landeck had plenty to say about the top performers that have Old Tappan one win away from a sectional title. “They‘re a quality program, very well coached. It‘s always a tough game so we’ll be doing our homework on them to get ready to show up on Tuesday and compete,” Landeck said. “We respect every opponent and what’s going to be vital for that game is practicing and playing our hardest,” Curko added. “Both side of the net are going to be playing outstanding volleyball and we’ll have to focus on ourselves at the end of the day.”

Pascack Valley concludes its 2024 campaign with a 17-7 record, improving on the team’s 15-8 showing in 2023. For second year head coach Kaitlin Mac Iver, the 2024 campaign served as a strong step forward for her program. Both improving on the regular season record as well as qualifying for the sectional semifinals after falling in the quarterfinals last season, Mac Iver sees the 2024 group as one that did everything asked of it and played as well as she could have asked. “I came in last year and the kids have bought into the system, and I‘ve told them since day one that we’re all in it together,” Mac Iver said.

“Samantha was outstanding today. She took some big swings for us and was everything you want from a senior leader,” Landeck said of her team’s top hitter. “She saw the court well, she mixed her shot to keep the defense on their toes, and I can‘t say enough about her passing and defense. She really is the whole package. Eva took some big swings for us today as well, she‘s another tough one to defend. Addison always knows when to find the fight hands, she’s a very smart setter.” Smart setters putting big swingers in position for hits is the simple yet effective formula that‘s left Old Tappan’s record unblemished through 22 matches. The toughest test of the season still looms for the Golden Knights however.

Old Tappan and Sparta last squared off in the 2022 sectional semifinals, a straight set victory for Sparta en route to its Group 2 championship that season. Old Tappan will look to flip the script in the rematch, but it knows the challenge that lies ahead. “On the back of our shirts it says ‘I Am Because We Are’ and they‘ve really bought into the mentality of everyone making an impact. Whether it‘s on the court or off the court they came to work every single day since last year for me. They put in the work and they get along great with each other and I’m so grateful to never have any drama. They respect each other, they respect the game, they respect me, and they worked really really hard.” Although three Pascack Valley seniors will graduate, Mac Iver highlighted the dozen returning players that will remain and look to continue the program’s ascension when play begins in 2025.

Source Link: https://www.nj.com/highschoolsports/2024/11/girls-volleyball-no-4-old-tappan-edges-pascack-valley-to-secure-n1g2-final-berth.html

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