Summit entered game 2 with a purpose. Having given Parsippany 18 points off their own errors in game 1 (mainly attacking), Summit looked to stabilize their offense. Game 2 looked like a repeat of 1 as Parsippany took a slim lead early on (12-10). Summit's offense kicked into gear midway through the game and it led to a 16-15 Hilltopper lead. Summit continued its good defensive play and consistent attack late in the game ant it looked as if there would be a 3rd game (23-20 Summit). Once again Parsippany's offense and serving along with key errors by the Hilltoppers bailed them out. Parsippany held a 24-23 lead but Summit fought back to 24 before finally succumbing to their opponent.

Juniors Juli Avery and Vanessa Amador led Summit with14 digs-a-piece and Avery also led in kills with 5. Senior Captain Catherine Desantis chipped in with a team leading 3 blocks.

Much like the previous match, Summit came out in the 2nd game desperate for the victory. Things looked good early as the Hilltoppers took quick 9-7, 11-8 and 14-11 leads deep into the second rotation. The teams traded points in the middle of this game, neither team able to string anything significant together. Summit held on to a slim lead late at 22-18.

Game #2 was almost a carbon copy of the 1st game with both teams trading points and each holding the lead at various points. Summit seemed to have gotten on a roll near the midway point holding a 13-10 lead but, after a Mendham time-out, the momentum they had gained was lost on a serving error. Mendham took control of the match then and led 15-13 before going on a long 9-0 run to finish the match. Summit's passing during this stretch was below par and the team could not generate enough quality attacks to counteract Mendham's offensive output.

Once again Abby Clark led the team with 4 kills and 9 digs while Juli Avery added 6 digs, 2 aces and 2 kills. Catherine Desantis took over the team blocking lead with her 5th, 6th and 7th block of the season.

In game 1, the Hilltoppers and the Knights traded points throughout the first 6 rotations and ended at 12-12. The pattern continued for the next few rotations but Summit took a slim 20-17 heading into the latter stages of the game. But the Knights stormed back and tied the score late at 21-21 behind some strong serving and their attack paced them to a 23-22 lead. Summit fought back to 23-23 but could not get any closer and fell to the Knights 25-23.

Game 2 began badly for the Hilltoppers. The end of game 1 seemed to take a lot out of Summit and they were trailing 5-1 very quickly and 11-3 soon after. To Summit's credit, they did not give up and fought back to 11-7 and then went on to take a 13-11 lead. After extending their lead to 5 (16-11) the Knights broke serve and stormed back to a 16-16 deadlock. Summit seemed to falter under the pressure and were soon 19-17 and 20-18 down. The match seemed to be going the way of previous ones this season. But then, junior opposite Juli Avery came to serve. Juli proceeded to serve 6 service points and bring Summit to within 1 point of a game win at 24-22. Although the Knights broke serve, the Hilltoppers capitalized on their serving power and closed out the game 25-23.

Game 3 began 10 times as badly as game 2. Before the Hilltoppers could even blink, the Knights took a 5-0,
11-2 and 15-3 lead. The match looked bleak but Summit's energy and loud support never waned. And then, something incredible occurred. Summit started to find a way to score points. The lead shrunk from 15-3 to 15-7. Then, the lead shrunk to 16-10. The Knights settled down and took again what seemed to be the back-breaking lead at 20-11. When Summit broke the serve, junior Krista Hendrickson stepped up to serve. Krista had not served well in game 2 but she straightened out her problems in this rotation and proceeded to serve the next 6 service points -including 2 aces- to bring Summit to within an amazing 3 points at 21-18. Although the Knights regained serve, Summit quickly regained control behind junior outside hitter Abby Clark's serving and unbelievably tied the score at 21-21. The Hilltopper comeback finally came to an end after Summit had outscored West Essex by an 18-6 margin as the Knights capitalized on 2 hitting errors by the Hilltoppers to take control of the match at 23-21 before closing the match out.

Junior Abby Clark led the Hilltoppers with 11 kills and 18 digs. Jumior Vanesa Amador had an outstanding passing day while senior Emily Wise, in her first Varsity start, chipped in 10 digs. Junior Juli Avery added 18 digs, 1 ace and 3 assists while senior captain Catherine Desantis added 6 blocks. Junior setter Maria Sancho had a season high 13 assists. 

Game 2 looked to be a copy of the 1st as Summit was down 8-2 after yielding 4 aces to the first server but unlike the previous game, Summit didn't go away quietly. Summit fought back to 7-11 and 10-15 but West Morris seemed to be able to keep the Hilltoppers away when Summit seemed ready to make a move. Summit never got closer than 4 points at 16-20 and 18-23 before yielding the game and the match at 18-25.

The 2 middles -senior captain Catherine Desantis and junior Krista Hendrickson- had a good match, combining for 6 kills and 7 blocks to lead the Hilltopper charge.

Game 2 started in familiar fashion for the Hilltoppers. Before the game was barely 10 minutes old, Summit was down 7-3 and 11-7. But the Hilltoppers clawed back into the match and shaved a 15-10 deficit into 18-14 deficit. At 20-16 it seemed as if Summit might continue the comeback but a key hitting error gave the ball back to Livingston and the lead was pushed to an insurmountable 23-18. Livingston closed out the match at 25-18.

The Hilltopper serving cost them dearly as they served only at 73% for the match. Captain Catherine Desantis led the team with 4 blocks while Abby Clark had 3 of Summit's 8 kills. Vanesa Amador once again was brilliant defensively, leading the Hilltoppers with 7 digs. 

In game 1, Abby Clark's superb serving created the separation the team needed to take control of the game. With Summit down 8-7, Clark ran off 9 service points to spot Summit an insurmountable 16-8 lead.

In game 2, Summit found itself in a tight match holding a slim 11-10 lead. The Hilltoppers extended the lead to 15-13 and then suffered through a 7 point onslaught by Mt. Olive that the squad could not overcome. Summit got as close as 18-21 but was not able to get any closer.

In a deciding game 3, Juli Avery was first to serve for the Hilltoppers and she set the tone early, serving 5 consecutive points to lead Summit to an early 6-1 lead. Summit kept putting on the pressure and kept extending the lead (11-4 and 13-5) but Mt. Olive would not give up. Mt. Olive came storming back
(13-9) but Summit steadied their game and did not allow Mt. Olive to get closer than 5 for the rest of the match.

In game 2, the Hilltoppers turned up the offensive heat while still playing smart defense. Summit pounded hit after hit at the Par Hill defense but Par Hills hung tough and kept pushing the ball over to the Hilltoppers. The difference was that Summit could not, unlike their opponent, put down their offensive chances. Summit began to overhit and lost ground in the game and in the match. A 7-6 Summit lead quickly became 13-6 Par Hills after 5 missed Hilltopper attacks and a kill by Par Hills. The deficit was too great to overcome and Summit fell to 1-7 with a 25-13 game 2 loss.

Juli Avery led Summit with 10 digs and Krista Hendrickson's 2 blocks and 2 kills paced the offense. 

1st Round - Elmwood - Summit set the tone early, jumping out to an early lead and holding their opponent at bay through a tough and consistent attack. Summit 21 - Elmwood Park 17

2nd Round - Lodi. Summit pounded out ace after ace and kill after kill, tallying up 11 kills and 5 aces in total, to easily beat Lodi. Summit 21 - Lodi 13

3rd Round - Hawthorne Christian (one of the tallest teams of the tournament). The Lady Hilltoppers had watched this team closely through the first 2 rounds and the players were impressed with this team's athleticism and potential. Once the game started though, the Hilltoppers showed yet again why this year THEY were the team to be reckoned with. Summit pounded out 7 kills and 2 aces in the first 11 points to take a commanding lead that they would never relinquish. The score, Summit 21 - Hawthorne 11, sent a signal to the rest of the teams that Summit was just getting better each game they played.

4th Round - Manchester Regional. Summit was in a position to guarantee themselves a spot in the final with a victory since no other team would be undefeated going into the final round. Although the match was tight early, Summit again established their dominance as they pounded out 7 aces to take control of the match and pull away late. Manchester Regional could not find a way to break the Hilltopper defense and was forced into many errors. Final score: Summit 21 - Manchester Regional 12.

5th Round - Mary Help of Christians. Mary Help had quietly achieved a 3-1 record playing a highly defensive system and was in a position to giarantee themselves a spot in the final against the Hilltoppers with a victory. Summit could've knocked them out with a large enough of a win. This game, though, did not develop at all like the previous ones. Although Summit started off like the previous 4 (effective, hard and terminating attacks and serving) by taking an early lead, Mary Help's defense slowly started to dominate and generate opportunities for their best hitter who was not missing her chances.

Then, the unthinkable happened. Abby Clark, Summit's kill and ace leader for the tournament, had to leave the game after a sudden medical emergency arose. Summit trailed 19-15 and was facing the tough task of breaking through the Mary Help defense without their best offensive option. Summit's response: elevate their level of play. Summit broke serve and proceeded to win the game thanks to 2 blocks, 2 kills and an ace. Summit 21 - Mary Help 19

Finals - Mary Help faced Summit in a rematch. This time though, Summit would have to play the entire game without Abby Clark who would join the team on the bench but could not play.

The final game was close throughout, both teams trading points but never able to pull away. Summit was playing phenomenally in all facets of the game. The Hilltoppers were getting key kills, timely blocks and point-saving digs throughout the game but were lacking only 1 thing. Then Maria Sancho stepped up to serve with the Hilltoppers trailing 16-15. Sancho had 4 straight aces to create separation and Summit pounded 2 kills and 1 block to take control of the match and win the tournament . Summit 25 - Mary Help 21.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE SUMMIT LADY HILLTOPPERS for their outstanding WIN!!  

Summit did not let up in game 2 and their serving continued to pressure Chatham. When the serving did not yield a quick point, Summit's offense did that as the free balls given up by Chatham were converted into well placed attacks by the Hilltoppers. Summit held various leads throughout this game and seemed to have the great upset sewn up when they stepped up to serve holding a 24-17 lead. After a terminating kill by Chatham to save game point, Chatham had the serve but was down 24-18. Summit proceeded to commit 3 defensive mistakes they had not commited all game long and put a ball into the net to give Chatham life at 24-22. After a brief time-out by the Hilltoppers, Chatham intensified their serving pressure and defensive energy to keep the Hilltoppers' attack at bay and, after a kill and an ace, Chatham had unbelievably tied the score at 24. Summit could not close them out and the #9 team in the state showed why they were among the elite and closed out Summit 26-24.

Game 3 saw a demoralized Summit squad falter in energy and execution. Chatham took a quick 7-1 lead and never looked back as Summit could not muster much of anything against this highly motivated opponent. Game
3 ended quickly 25-11.

Congratulations to the Hilltoppers for their outstanding effort in gaining the respect of a talented Chatham side.

In game 1, the Hilltopper offense was too tough for the Parsippany squad. Summit pounded out 9 kills and 3 aces in the game but Parsippany would not fold and actually tied Summit at 15. Summit's relentless serving pressure turned the game around. Junior backrow specialist Vanesa Amador served for 3 straight service points to help Summit take a 19-16 lead.
Summit never looked back and closed out the game 25-17.

In game 2, Summit and Parsippany traded points through the early stages of the game and it almost looked like a repeat of game 1 as the teams found themselves tied at 16 again. Summit yet again made a move on Amador's serve, and extended the lead to 19-16. With a 22-18 lead, Summit looked in full control but Parsippany fought back and tied the score at 22 before junior opposite Juli Avery stepped up with an ace and closed out the match 25-22.

Junior Abby Clark led Summit with 6 kills while junior middle blocker Krista Hendrickson's 5 blocks and 4 kills led the middle attack. Junior setter Maria Sancho had 14 assists and junior opposite Juli Avery had the best overall game with 5 aces, a team-high 10 digs and 4 kills.
 

Games 2 and 3 proved to be Summit's undoing. The serving game faltered which seemed to have a detrimental psychological effect on the team. Soon after the passing game went and with it the offense. With the lack of consistent passing and serving, Hanover was the recipient of many free balls that were put away or placed Summit in positions that they could not effectively attack from. The serving % for the team was at 70% for games 2 and 3 and the passing overall for the team was amazingly one of the weakest for the season in these 2 games. Clear evidence of the turnaround is the fact that Summit outkilled HP 23-14 for the match but had almost 1/2 (11) of their total kills in game 1. In addition, Summit lost the Ace battle for the match 10-12 but led it after game 2 10-5, another clear example of Summit's collapse in the passing game.

Summit's errors contributed heavily to the loss. HP averaged only 8 errors per game while Summit's tally was a whopping 16/game.

Although the Hilltoppers fought gamely in game 1, they could not counteract the Mendham efficiency on attack.

In game 2, Summit was overpowered early and just could not recover. 

In game 1, the Hilltoppers traded points early with Roselle thanks to a few serving and passing mistakes but Abby Clark served 4 straight service points to give SHS a 7-3 lead. After the 1st full service rotation, SHS held a comfortable 14-6 lead and the Hilltopper superior passing and attack looked to be too much for the Roselle squad. Juli Avery continued the serving onslaught and gave Summit a seemingly insurmountable 18-7 lead. But, a couple of service rotations later, Summit’s concentration level dropped and so did their play. Roselle ran off 6 of the next 8 service points to pull Roselle back into the match at 20-16. The nervousness coming from the Summit cheering section was palpable. Roselle seemed to have come alive and was making plays they had not been able to make earlier and SHS was committing too many basic errors to give Roselle life. Luckily, Summit’s serving was too much for Roselle and after Catherine DeSantis had 2 aces in the next 4 service points to give SHS a 24-18 lead, the game was virtually over.

In game 2, Juli Avery ended any hope for the Roselle side by serving 9 straight service points, including 6 aces, to give Summit a 9-0 lead that they would not relinquish. Summit kept the offensive and serving pressure on the entire game and Roselle’s mistakes seemed to always convert to Hilltopper points. Summit closed out the game and the match at 25-14.

CONGRATS TO THE HILLTOPPERS FOR THEIR IST UCT WIN SINCE 1998!

Game 1 was a battle right from the start. Although Summit trailed early, the Hilltoppers fought Union point for point until the latter points in the match when Union’s best server once again did her damage and gave Union the win.

Game 2 saw a much more intense Summit squad that actually built a 14-10 lead on the #2 seed off some amazing defense and key offensive kills. But yet again the Hilltopper passing and Union’s tough service game combined for a string of 8 straight service points that gave Union the lead it would not relinquish. Summit fought back to within 2 at 24-22 but it was not enough as Union closed out the game on an exciting rally.

The loss was a tough one for Summit as they were able to offensively match the Union squad and outblocked them for the game. However, Union’s best server accounted for 16 service points in the match which was the key difference in the match. Summit earned the respect and admiration from county coaches and teams on this day and the tight match placed Summit firmly back in the county picture for the future.

The game started off well for Summit as they trailed 8-5 early but were staying with the #5 team in the state in all facets of the game. West Morris started to slowly assert itself with tremendous defense that led to attack options that this team did not miss. Summit looked like it had scored points on 5 different occasions but somehow the West Morris defense thwarted these attempts and turned those opportunities into West Morris points. Summit lost game 1, 25-10.

Game 2 saw a much more desperate Summit squad but lack of communication led to easy points for West Morris. Although the #5 ranked team in the state controlled game 2, Summit stayed in the match throughout the game and played well but were just outgunned from the offensive side of the ball. Summit lost the game and match 25-15.

West Essex's serving and attacking seemed to have Summit rattled and in game 1, the game was over before it started. West Essex pounded Summit for 6 aces and 8 kills to take control of the game while Summit commited 11 unforced errors to aid in the cause.

Game 2 started off better for Summit but once again the Hilltopper passing short-circuited and West Essex amassed another 6 aces with 13 kills to end Summit's chances. Summit was outgunned from the service line 12 aces - 2 aces and 21 kills-13 kills from the attacking front.

Summit's passing was their demise today as the team could not get consistent attacks against the West Essex defense. Almost 25% of West Essex's points came from behind the service line while the constant poor passing led to many free ball opportunities to attack for the West Essex side that generated 42% of their points from kills.

Summit's Junior setter Maria Sancho shone in the loss, making numerous acrobatic digs and attacks off poor passes and West Essex attacks. Sancho had the 2nd highest number of kills on the team which is a clear example of the team's inability to pass on this day. Summit's next opponent is cross town rival Oak Knoll on Monday.  

Game 2 was a game of role reversal. Summit played inspired volleyball and served tremendously tough creating problems for the Livingston passing. Livingston could not generate consistent attacks while Summit looked like they could not do anything wrong. Summit outkilled Livingston 11-5 and outaced them 5-1.

Game 3 started off typically enough with both teams trading points early and playing fairly even for the first 10 points. But then, the Livingston serving got back on track and caused numerous problems for the Hilltopper defense. Summit lost control of the game from a passing perspective and therefore could not create enough attacking chances to stem the tide of points. With the game 21-9 Livingston, Juli Avery stepped up to serve to try to bring the Hilltoppers to within striking distance. Avery and the Summit squad suddenly regained the form that dominated game 2 and, behind Avery's serving and Abby Clark's hitting, Summit went on a 10-0 run to bring Summit to within 2 at 21-19. Summit crawled to within 23-21 but could not get any closer as Livingston closed out the match on 2 kills.

Avery led the team with 20 service points, 3 aces, 9 digs and 5 kills. Clark led Summit with 8 kills and chipped in 1 ace and 12 digs. Vanesa Amador led the team again in digs with 19. Steph Rowan added 8 service points and 3 aces with 1 kill.