2009 Summit Women's Volleyball
JV Volleyball
Day Date Opponent
Site
Time Result (8-13)
Fri 09/11 Union Catholic  Away 4:00PM Lost 2-0 (25-14, 25-12) Summit opened the 2009 campaign at 2008 County Champs Union Catholic.  Although SHS showed flashes of competitive play, the team couldn't match UC's depth of offense in the end. Junior Allie Wernsing led the Hilltopper attack with 4 Kills and tied Junior Captain Megan Trindell  with 5 Digs.
Sat 09/12 Manchester Tournament-Varsity Only  Away TBA Summit won the Sinisi/Ludwig Tournament at Manchester Regional High School
Schools: Lodi - Manchester Regional High School - Elmwood Park - Summit

The Hilltoppers took their 2nd Championship in the last three tries at this tournament.  The team fought back from early adversity in the round-robin matches to score a dominant victory in the semifinals over Manchester Regional High, avenging an earlier loss in round-robin play, and defeating a stubborn Lodi team in the finals. 

The final match saw the unlikely matchup of SHS, #3 seed, versus Lodi, the #4.  Both teams upset higher seeds to move on to the final match and this matchup would not follow the script of their first round match that saw SHS easily handle Lodi 20-9.

Summit fell behind early 3-0 but fought back to tie the match at 5-5.  Lodi continued to pressure the Hilltoppers and maintained a 3 point lead through the midway point of the match (12-9).  Summit stormed back to take a 15-13 lead and seemed on their way to the championship.  Lodi responded though and took a 17-15 lead but the Hilltoppers continued their consistent pressure and jumped back in front 18-17 and continued to lead in the late stages of the match 21-20.  Summit won the last 4 points and closed out the match 25-20 for their 2nd Tournament Championship in the last 3 tries at Manchester Regional High School.  Junior Kelli Houck filled in as Summit’s 2nd setter admirably and anchored a highly effective offense led by the hitting of Sophomore Nicole Johnson and Junior Allie Wernsing.  Junior Captain Megan Trindell was outstanding throughout the tournament running the offense while Senior Captain Emily Hu and Senior Megan Jiang stabilized the backcourt.

ROUND 1 SHS  20 - LODI 9
ROUND 2 MRHS 20 - SHS  14
ROUND 3 E.PARK 22 - SHS 20
SEMIFINALS #1 LODI  25 - E. PARK 19
SEMIFINALS #2 SHS 25 - MRHS 13
FINALS SHS 25 - LODI  20

Mon 09/14 Hanover Park  Away 4:00PM Won 2-0 (25-21, 25-15)
Tue 09/15 Kent Place  Away 4:00PM Lost 2-1 (23-25,17-25, 25-21)
Thu 09/17 Cranford Home 4:00PM Lost 2-0 (25-18, 25-17) Summit kept the 1st game very close (17-18) until Cranford ran off 7 of the next 8 points. Cranford started the 2nd game by winning the first 6 points, but Summit rallied to make it 6-4. Cranford took control by taking the next 4 points for a 10-4 advantage. Summit fought hard but couldn't close the gap.
Mon 09/21 Millburn  Away 4:00PM Won 2-1 (25-11,13-25, 26-24) Summit came out on fire against Millburn building an insurmountable lead of  8-1 behind the serving of Kelli Houck and Allie Wernsing that was too much for the Millers to overcome.
In set #2, what was a tight game midway through with Summit leading 13-12 after falling behind early 6-1,  Summit had another lapse in their serve receive game and were unable to break serve despite numerous substitutions and shifts.

Set #3 saw a different Hilltopper squad that seemed more consistent and focused.  Summit held a 15-8 lead and seemed poised to run away with the set and match but key hitting and passing errors saw the lead all but evaporate and the match was deadlocked at 18 late in the set.  The Lady Hilltoppers had their back against the wall trailing 21-19 but a crucial kill by 9th grader Lindsay Leiter out of the middle broke momentum and gave Summit a shot trailing 21-20.  Leiter followed that key play with 2 consecutive aces to give Summit the lead at 22-21.  After exchanging a few points, Summit held a slim 24-23 lead and served for the match.  Nicole Johnson put the ball in play but another hitting error by the Hilltoppers put the game in peril.  Summit was able to attack off the next serve but a Miller hitting error gave the ball to Jeanelle Augustin with the match on the line.  Augustin served up an ace to close out the match and give Summit its 2nd win of the season.
Tue 09/22 Columbia 4:00PM Lost 2-0 (25-13, 25-23) Summit took out all their frustration on their play at Millburn on Columbia.  Unfortunately, the lack of control cost the Hilltoppers numerous points in set 1 as their serving miscues and hitting errors made Columbia's job that much easier.

Set #2 saw a much more composed Summit squad but a late surge by Columbia combined with the lack of control by the Lady Hilltoppers proved to be too much of an obstacle for the squad.  Summit trailed 22-16 when captain Megan Trindell put away a vital point with a kill and proceeded to serve 6 straight points to jump ahead 23-22.  Columbia was able to tie the game and close the match out a few points later.  Jeanelle Augustin was a solid presence at the net with another 3 blocks for the match while Megan Trindell and co-captain Emily Hu led the team's offense and defense.
Fri 09/25 Abraham Clark  Home 4:00PM Won 2-0 (25-12, 25-14) The Lady Hilltoppers kicked off Hilltopper weekend with a bang, storming out in front of Roselle and never looking back en route to their third victory of the season.  9th grader Lindsay Leiter was outstanding out of the middle, hitting for 8 kills and 4 aces while fellow middle blocker Jeanelle Augustin left her mark on the match as well with 4 kills and 3 aces.  Seniors Simone Hairston and Megan Jiang stepped in admirably for the Stokes bound Megan Trindell and Maya Williams and ran the offense without a problem, tallying a combined 10 assists. Captain Emily Hu continued her outstanding play as a Libero and passed nearly a perfect game to kick start Summit's offense. 
Wed 09/30 Scotch Plains  Away 4:00PM Lost 2-0 (25-9, 25-15)
Fri 10/02 Roselle Catholic  Away 4:00PM Lost 2-0 (25-19, 25-15) The Lady Hilltoppers came out of Saturday's Heal the Children Tournament with a sense of confidence that they would be able to compete with the better teams in the area.  Sophomore Nicole Johnson was selected to the All-Tournament Team and the team had a new sense of belief as they entered today's matchup versus Roselle Catholic.  On paper, RC looked to be the superior team with a definitive edge in the setter position and a high caliber serving and passing game.  The Lady Hilltoppers didn't pay attention to those stats but focused on themselves and what they had accomplished this Saturday.  

The surprising see-saw battle in set 1 had many in RC surprised as Summit responded to each RC charge with one of their own. RC was just a bit better in the late stages of the set in their passing game which led to better offensive opportunities that RC was able to convert into key points.  Set 2 was a repeat of set 1 except that a slow start from the Lady Hilltoppers cost them some early points they weren't able to recover.  

Lindsay Leiter led the offense with 5 kills while Megan Trindell chipped in 3 kills of their own.  Emily Hu was active in the backrow, leading the team with 9 digs while Maya Williams ran the front side rotations efficiently tallying up 5 assists.
Tue 10/06 Benedictine Academy Home 4:00PM Won 2-0 (25-11. 25-14) Summit earned its 4th victory of the season against an overmatched Benedictine squad that competed at times but had no answer for the Lady Hilltopper serving game.  All of the Lady Hilltoppers got into the match by set #2 but the serving of starters Megan Trindell and Lindsey Leiter set the tone throughout combining for 11 of the team's 19 aces.  Emily Machlin also got into the mix tallying 4 more aces in an dominant performance by the Hilltoppers.
Wed 10/07 Kent Place Home 4:00PM Won 2-0 (25-16, 25-14) The Lady Hilltoppers won their second consecutive game and fourth of their last 7 to pull within a game of .500 with their victory over Kent Place.  Summit held slim 2 point leads through the early part of the first set (4-2, 7-5 and 12-10) but pulled away behind Lindsey Leiter's serve to a comfortable 18-12 lead that the team never relinquished.  

Summit continued their serving dominance in set 2 even though KP led early 8-2.  Maya Williams brought the team back to within 1 at 8-7 after forcing KP out of their system numerous times with tough serving.  The Lady Hilltoppers regained control of the set behind Allie Wernsing's serves who pulled Summit out of a 10-8 deficit to a 17-10 lead.  Allie ran off 4 aces in the sequence to put away any chance KP had for a comeback. Lindsey Leiter finished the job 2 rotations later, tallying off 7 straight serves, including 3 aces, to close out the Dragons.

Summit faces off against Linden on Friday at 4pm.
Fri 10/09 Linden  Away 4:00PM Lost 2-0 25-19, 25-23 The Lady Hilltoppers came into Linden flying high off their dominant victories over Kent Place and Benedictine.  Both teams were one game under .500 and looking to even up their record going into the last 2 weeks before states.  Unfortunately, Linden seemed to have an upper edge in their home court with the crowd solidly behind them.  Linden raced off to a 20-11 lead before Summit went on a 8-2 run to make it close in set one but the lead was too large to overcome.  In set two,  Summit began better but still allowed an 8-0 run by the Linden squad that gave them an 18 – 11 lead.  However, the serving of Emily Machlin gave the Hilltoppers a chance as Machlin ran off 9 service points to put SHS in front 21-19.  Summit couldn’t hold the lead though and although both teams had service errors late, it was Linden that came up with the big kill at 23-23 to give them the lead they would not relinquish.  Summit falls to 5 wins and 7 losses.

Wed 10/14 Oak Knoll Home 4:00PM Won 2-0 (25-14, 25-16) The Lady Hilltoppers pulled within a game of .500 in their quest to reach state playoffs with a resounding win over Oak Knoll in Summit High today.  The squad overwhelmed Oak Knoll from the service line, hitting for 14 aces and tallying up 18 kills.  Sophomore Nicole Johnson led the Hilltopper serving attack with a dominant 8 ace performance and chipped in with 5 kills as well.  9th grader Lindsay Leiter was force out of the middle yet again, hitting for a team high 7 kills and adding a block.  Emily Hu was nearly perfect from a passing perspective, committing only 1 error from the back row all afternoon.  Maya Williams and Megan Trindell ran the offense flawlessly, tallying up 11 assists and guiding Summit to its best offensive outing of the season.

Although Oak Knoll was ranked 10th for the Union County Tournament and Summit 13th,  the Hilltoppers showed they were superior on this day.  
Thu 10/15 Rahway Home 4:00PM Lost 2-1 (23-25, 25-18, 25-13) The Lady Hilltoppers fought valiantly against one of the top 5 teams in the county but seemed to run out of steam late as Rahway imposed their defensive will in set 3 to close Summit out.  Summit played a near prefect set 1 and came back from a deficit of 23-20 to take that set 25-23.  Set 2 proved to be another tight affair and Rahway was able to solve Summit's serve receive and offense late in the set to clinch set 2 on their way to a dominant set 3 win.

Jeanelle Auustin led the offense with 6 kills and she also added 5 blocks to the cause while Emily Machlin continued her torrid serving with 3 aces and a perfect 14 of 14 from the service line. Captains Emily Hu and Megan Trindell led the way defensively, tallying up 19 of Summit's 55 digs.  Nicole Johnson and Megan also had amazing days from the service line, going a combined 23/24 with 2 aces
Fri 10/16 Scotch Plains Away 4:00PM Lost 2-0 (25-14, 25-16) The Lady Hilltoppers felt they would be a much improved team against Scotch Plains in their return matchup but SPF's serving attack was yet again too much for the Hilltoppers.  Summit couldn't generate consistent passing to allow their offense some opportunities to attack the SPF defense.

Emily Machlin, Karissa Gannon and Lindsay Leiter were once again bright spots from the service line.
Mon 10/19 Hanover Park  Away 4:00PM
Lost 2-1 (25-14, 22-25, 25-21) The Lady Hilltoppers charge at the state tournament came to a devastating crash today in Summit.  The squad had another slow start and could not serve receive effectively enough to overcome some early offensive miscues.  The Lady Hilltoppers had numerous passing errors and were highly ineffective in set 1, mustering only 6 kills in the set while giving up numerous aces.  Set 2 proved to be far more competitive and as Summit's passing improved, so did their offensive production.  This consistency continued in set 3 but the few errors Summit committed came in the crucial latter stages of the set which allowed HP to pull away late and end Summit's goal of reaching states.

Emily Hu was outstanding in defense, accruing 26 of the team's 67 digs.  Emily Machlin yet again led the way with 3 aces while also contributing 4 kills out of the middle position.  Allie Wernsing led the offense with 8 kills and hit for 3 of those kills in the latter stages of set 3.  Jeanelle Augustin had another 4 blocks while also talling 7 kills.  Nicole Johnson was solid yet again, hitting for 6 kills, scoring 1 ace and passing 5 digs.
Tue 10/20 A L Johnson Home 4:00PM Lost 2-1 (12-25,26-24, 25-11) Summit entered this matchup still reeling from their emotionally draining 3 set defeat at the hands of Hanover Park.  Although the team dominated in set 1 and parts of set 2,  Summit's energy level and emotional tone were flat throughout.  Summit was up 24-22 in set 2 and could not close out ALJ and couldn't respond to ALJ in set 3.

Captain Megan Trindell tried to keep SHS up throughout the entire match and led the team in kills.  Allie Wernsing, Emily Machlin and Karissa Gannon were bright spots from the service line.
Wed 10/21 Millburn Home 4:30PM Won 2-0 (25-13, 25-13) The Hilltoppers shook up the lineup off their tough 2 losses of the week and also shook up their attitude in a fun and relaxed match that saw Summit dominate the short-handed Millers.  Summit did not tighten when Millburn attempted to make a run at the Hilltoppers and regardless of mistakes committed, the team rebounded back emotionally and seemed to find someone who would make the play needed.  In a total team effort,  Summit saw Nicole Johnson step up and deliver 5 aces and 7 kills to lead the team in both categories.  Maya Williams ran the offense beautifully, tallying up 8 assists.  Jeanelle Augustin had another block and added 3 kills while her serving sub Aurora Negron tallied 2 aces and 1 dig.
Thu 10/22 St. Patrick  Away 4:00PM Won 2-0 (25-16, 25-22) Summit continued their bounceback from the early losses during the week to even their record at 2W and 2L as they took care of St. Pat's on Thursday.  Summit used their superior offense and potent serving attack to pull away during the late stages of each set.  Maya Williams was brilliant in set 1 running the offense while Nicole Johnson and Allie Wernsing kept the offensive pressure on St. Pat's from the outside.
Tue 10/27 Union  Away 4:00PM Lost 2-0 (25-15, 25-23) The squad ends the season with matches versus top 10 in UCC Union Farmers and Elizabeth.  Summit played well but were overmatched physically out of the MB position in set 1 versus Union and lost 25-15 but played exceptionally well in set 2 and pushed Union to the end, losing by only 2 (25-23).  Summit was down 24-16 before staging an awesome comeback behind the serving of Emily Machlin and the front line work of Lindsey Leiter, Allie Wernsing and Megan Trindell.  Emily Hu was pivotal in getting key digs up during the run that Summit converted into attacks.

The squad showed grit and determination that they displayed in the summer and in the early part of the season.

Thu 10/29 Elizabeth Away 4:00PM Lost 2-0 (20-25, 25-9, 25-19) Elizabeth came into Summit having beaten the Hilltoppers in a summer league match, in a preseason scrimmage and at the Heal the Children Tournament.  Clearly, Summit was a heavy underdog.  The Hilltoppers came out of the gate exceptionally well though and didn't back down as the seniors took center stage for the last time.  Summit closed a highly tense and competitive set 25-20.  Set #2 featured a highly controversial call by the refs that changed momentum at a critical juncture in the early part of the set that changed the momentum of the set.  Summit couldn't recover emotionally and fell quietly 25-9.  The 3rd set was a back and forth battle that featured many lead changes but Elizabeth's serving power wore down the Hilltoppers and Summit fell in 3 , 25-19.

Congrats to all the seniors for their outstanding effort and dedication.