Old Tappan Bergen County Champs

Dream undefeated season carries on, nabs 1st Bergen title since 2019

Winning the BCWCA Bergen County Tournament is a top priority for Old Tappan. Although it is one of the toughest brackets to carve out a championship win in all of New Jersey, the Golden Knights find themselves among the perennial contenders – particularly over the last 15 years.

On Saturday, Nov. 2 in Old Tappan, the No. 6 ranked Golden Knights faced a familiar foe in No. 10 Immaculate Heart. IHA has knocked Old Tappan out of the tournament two years in a row, including the 2023 championship bout. In an effort to cement their legacy with the North Jersey juggernaut, the OT senior class was not going to walk out of their own gym without a county title to their name.

In front of their home crowd, Old Tappan was undeniable. Senior setter Addison Gioffre orchestrated 28 assists, finding five different players for multiple kills – adding two herself – to compete with a steel curtain IHA defense. Her crucial decision-making carried the energy as Old Tappan marched to their first Bergen County championship since 2019 and sixth overall in a 25-16, 25-22 tally to improve to 20-0 as the only team in the Garden State without a loss this season. “With every practice this season, this win and this match was on our mind,” Old Tappan senior libero Jamie Kim said. “Since our freshman year, we envisioned going out on top. There is so much pride when we put on this uniform, so we are happy to get the job done.”

This Old Tappan senior class has never beaten IHA, but knew Saturday’s contest would favor them if they jumped out to a tone-setting run. “These girls believe in our process every day. They’ve become prepared for whatever is thrown at them, so to win this match shows how special this group really is,” Old Tappan head coach Melissa Landeck said. “They were very calm early in the first set, which was a good sign that they would play within themselves.”

Senior outside hitter Samantha Kranzler pummeled a kill to make it 3-2 Old Tappan in the opening frame, which was the 600th kill of her career. With the milestone out of the way, Old Tappan kept chipping into their lead, eventually reading 16-9, then 22-12 scores on the board behind valued contribution from each player. “Winning the county tournament was No. 1 on everyone‘s list, regardless of individual milestones. I’m glad we can cross that one off,” Kranzler said. “This county trophy is what we all have worked for.”

Six different players logged a kill in the opening set, led by Eva Curko’s four. The junior southpaw racked up seven kills in the contest, including the match-winning point to send the Golden Knights into a frenzy at mid-court. Julia Whaley rammed six kills and a block while Bianca Benasillo and Gabriela Paltag generated a trio of kills each.

“We are just beyond excited by how we all competed. Every single player wanted to win this specific game so bad,” Gioffre said. Gioffre snuck a dump kill twice on Saturday, giving her three multi-kill performances in 2024 alongside 442 assists. She, like many of the other Golden Knights, were once elementary school students in the Old Tappan district just waiting on their moment to play for Landeck and be part of the Golden Knights’ winning history.

Saturday’s victory is all Gioffre and her teammates ever wanted. “There’s video of me and my dad sitting in the bleachers when Old Tappan won the title in 2019. So to go from that little girl looking on in the stands, to being a part of this storied team, means everything to me,” Gioffre said.

The second set was a bit more tense. IHA (22-4) and Old Tappan traded off 11 separate ties before Kranzler and Gioffre knotted a kill each to make it a 17-15 lead. Kranzler led the team with six kills in the final set and now has 227 this year. “Sam steps up for us time and time again. She is an amazing teammate, most importantly, but her career here has been one of the best we have seen at Old Tappan,” Landeck said. Curko, etching out her own stardom, released three kills in the final moments to give OT their 22nd, 24th, and 25th points of the last frame. She has 90 kills in 2024.

To have a spotless record through 20 matches calls for each player and coach to to execute on their game plan. Landeck and Co. have concocted the perfect formula to reach this point, but they know there is more at stake. The Golden Knights enter the NJSIAA state tournament as the No. 1 seed in the North 1, Group 2 bracket. N1G2 is one of the deepest sections among the 20 in New Jersey, but Old Tappan is visibly prepped for a deep run. They will enjoy the Bergen County crown, but won’t take their eyes off the prize of a sectional and state title. Both are well within reach.

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Old Tappan’s Joley Giordano Named One of New Jersey’s Top Juniors

Oct 16, 2025

Old Tappan setter Joley Giordano was recognized among New Jersey’s top junior volleyball players for the 2025 season, earning second place in NJ Advance Media’s statewide poll. Giordano received 26.49% of the vote, finishing behind Demarest libero Kara Kim and ahead of Immaculate Heart’s Emma Fowler. The honor reflects her standout play as the core of Old Tappan’s offense and one of the most reliable all-around contributors in Bergen County. Across 32 sets, Giordano recorded 269 assists, 73 digs, 26 kills, and 18 aces, showcasing her versatility as both a playmaker and defender. She directed Old Tappan’s attack with poise, consistently creating scoring chances for her hitters while maintaining a strong presence in the back row. Her top performances came in key matchups against county rivals. She notched 38 assists and 10 digs against Glen Rock, 24 assists and 9 digs in a win over Demarest, and 5 aces versus Indian Hills. Giordano’s consistency, leadership, and impact on both ends of the court made her a clear choice among voters and solidified her standing as one of the state’s most complete juniors heading into the postseason.

Old Tappan Celebrated Senior Night with a Win

Oct 14, 2025

Old Tappan made Senior Night one to remember, rolling past Indian Hills 25-2, 25-8 to move to 11-3 on the season. The Golden Knights honored their four seniors with a complete team performance that showed depth, discipline, and energy from start to finish. Setter Joley Giordano led the attack with 14 assists, 2 kills, 2 digs, and 5 aces, running an efficient offense that kept Indian Hills off balance. Eva Curko was the top scorer with 9 kills and 2 aces, while Desi Malafis added 6 aces, 3 digs, and a kill. Julia Whaley and Nadine Whaley combined for 7 kills and 3 blocks at the net, setting the tone early with dominant front-row play. Adriana Bryan contributed strong defense and serve receive with 4 digs, 2 aces, and an assist. Gabriela Paltag chipped in 2 kills and a block, and Bianca Benasillo added 3 kills to round out a balanced front line. Maya Fernandez and Alexa Caunedo helped control the second set with key assists and energy off the bench, while Gloria Jung and Kate Finn each added an ace in limited action. Phoebe Malady and McKenna Perez provided steady defensive support throughout the match. Indian Hills (2-11) was led by Anna Baryla, Anna Tompetrini, and Mackenzie Cipriani, who each recorded 2 kills. Elizabeth Silletti paced the defense with 4 digs and 2 assists, while Gabby LiButti tallied 3 assists. Old Tappan’s 17 total aces and balanced execution defined the match, giving the seniors a perfect sendoff on their home court. The Golden Knights will look to carry that same momentum into the final stretch of the regular season.

Old Tappan advances with win over Glen Rock

Oct 12, 2025

OLD TAPPAN -- The Golden Knights shook off a sub-par first set to best Glen Rock, 3-0 (25-23, 25-13, 25-14) in the Bergen County Women's Coaches Association Round of 16 volleyball tournament on Saturday.The Panthers faced the team that had won the county and state tournaments while going undefeated in 2024. But Glen Rock was great in the first set, matching the Golden Knights point for point.The score was tied on 10 occasions with neither team leading by more than 4 points at any time. Glen Rock took its first lead of the game, 9-8, with a 4-0 run to erase an 8-5 lead.Panthers senior outside hitter Teresa Sapienza began the comeback by smacking a kill to give the serve back to the Panthers and junior libero Erin Nerona followed with a service ace. When senior middle blocker Avery Schwartz followed with a successful block Glen Rock tied the score 8-all. An unsuccessful block by Old Tappan gave the Panthers their first lead of the match and when the Golden Knights made an attack error and Nerona tallied a second ace, Glen Rock had an 11-8 lead, which prompted Old Tappan to call a timeout.When play resumed another attack error by the Knights increased the Panthers lead but OT junior setter Joley Giordano halted the rally with a quick kill. The teams traded points with a kill by Schwartz, who led Glen Rock with 9 kills in the match, and a kill by Knights sophomore middle blocker Nadine Whaley, who finished with 6 kills and 3 blocks for Old Tappan.Golden Knights senior libero, Adriana Bryan, stepped to the service line and reeled off 6 straight service winners to give OT a 16-14 lead. During Bryan's run Whaley contributed 2 kills and a block, sophomore outside hitter Phoebe Malady belted a kill and senior opposite hitter Eva Curko scored with a blocked shot along the way. But Schwartz came through for the Panthers, ending the Knights run with a kill. From there the teams traded points, and the score was tied six times."They are a really good defensive team," Curko said of the Panthers. "They were diving after every ball and what we had to adjust to was looking for open spots on the court and going out of our comfort zone to find those spots.""Their libero, (Nerona,) picked up a lot," added Bryan. "Her defense on hard swings and tips - she was doing great things out there - and it was a credit to her. During timeouts we said, 'stay away from her.' Their defense did a great job."Glen Rock took a 23-22 lead but Knights junior outside hitter Bianca Benasillo struck a well-placed kill to earn a side-out and tie the game one last time. It was Bryan's turn to serve and she did not disappoint. Neither did Curko, who blasted a kill to give Old Tappan a set point and banged home another kill for the 25-23 win."I work a lot on my service," said Bryan. "I take a lot of pride in it. Last year it was mainly my job just getting back there and serving. I'm working on consecutively serving tough and in. Sometimes I throw an easy one in there to gain confidence.Today we were up by a lot so I really went for it.""No matter who it is [scoring]," said Curko, "those exciting kills and points really get the whole team excited. My motivation is to get the next point for my team and help the team move forward any way I can. Getting those high energy points is something that is very important to us and it helps us get our energy higher and more motivated."That motivation carried into the second set. Schwartz had just given Glen Rock a 5-3 lead when Knights senior outside hitter Julia Whaley scored 4 straight points to give Old Tappan the lead for good. First, she hammered a kill, then she tallied with a perfect placement, scored on a block and pounded the ball for a 7-5 lead. After the Panthers committed an attack error Julia Whaley walloped another winner to compel Glen Rock to call timeout.Later, Julia Whaley smacked a kill to put the Knights up 11-7 and then she stepped to the service line. Seven service winners later Old Tappan led, 18-7 and they coasted to the 25-13 win to go up 2-0 in the match."It's very nice for our setter Joley (Giordano) to have so many options," said Curko, who finished with 9 kills, 9 digs, 1 assist and a service ace. "Each and every hitter did a great job of mixing up their shots today and going out and swinging hard because we know we can put the ball away. We did a good job of getting that confidence. Having all our hitters available and having so many options to set is such a good thing for Joley to have. As a setter you're confident that no matter who you set it to they have the confidence in themselves to put the ball away.""Joley was connecting with them and we're starting to build more confidence," Old Tappan coach Melissa Landeck said. "We played pretty well today and we have even more in us. We've battled injuries. We're still not 100 percent but we're a lot closer than we've been in a long time. We haven't scratched the surface yet. We're still a work in progress to be the best we can possibly be in 2025. It takes time."Old Tappan grabbed a 4-3 lead early in the third set and never trailed again. Julia Whaley belted 7 of her game high 17 kills, including the match point, in that third set."Glen Rock is a good team," said Landeck. "There's a reason why their record is what it is. They're well-coached, they're aggressive offensively. I thought they served well and they executed in all facets of the game. We knew today was going to be a challenge so I'm just proud of the girls and the way they responded and took the initial threat and were able to punch back.""We've been making a lot of adjustments [on defense,]" said Bryan. "[Coach] Landeck has been switching it up for us. So we switched the libero jersey (from junior Desi Malafis to Bryan). We have a lot of confidence in each other so it wasn't a huge adjustment for us because we always connect with each other."Six different Old Tappan players contributed points in the match. Benasillo finished with 10 kills and a block, Bryan had 9 digs, Malafis added 7 digs and Giordano had 3 kills, 5 digs and distributed an impressive 38 assists."It's really nice," said Bryan. "As a defender knowing we have 5 or 6 people who can put the ball away and we have a very deep bench - I can trust any one of them to come in and do something with the ball to get a kill. Everybody is starting to play smart. I know they're not always going to hammer the ball. They all have nice court vision. It's a blessing to have all of that."Glen Rock did a great job on defense, as Nerona scooped 14 digs and distributed 2 assists. Junior defensive specialist Rachel Park had 10 digs and 3 assists. Senior setter Ella Torsiello dished 19 assists and scooped 5 digs. Sapienza and senior Yuka Bertram each had 4 kills and combined for 13 digs. Senior Audrey Kennedy had 5 kills, 1 block and 7 digs."I think this gave the whole team, including me, a lot of confidence," said Bryan. "Glen Rock was playing great. They have good hitters. Teams are going to come after us because we are trying to defend something. This game gave us a lot of confidence and we all had a lot of fun competing today.""This is our first county game," Curko said, "and it's normal to have a few first game jitters in our first set and we kind of showed that on our serve-receive, our defense and our hitting. I think we did a really good job of cleaning it up in the second and third sets. Our trust really improved and that comes down to every day in practice, having each other's backs in high pressure moments. I think that really paid off in this game."