RISING FORCE: Princeton High girls’ volleyball player Naomi Lygas follows through on a hit in recent action. Last week, sophomore star Lygas helped PHS defeat Notre Dame 2-0 (25-19, 25-15) in the Burlington County Scholastic League (BCSL) tournament final. Lygas contributed 11 kills and eight digs in the October 24 match as PHS improved to 25-1. The Tigers will now start play in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Central Jersey Group 3 tournament where they are seeded first and were slated to host ninth-seeded Colts Neck in a quarterfinal contest on October 31 with victor advancing to the semis on November 2. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Rolling to a 2-0 win (25-10, 25-15) over Northern Burlington in Burlington  County Scholastic League (BCSL) tournament semis, the Princeton High girls’ volleyball was primed to close the deal when it hosted Notre Dame in the final last week.

“The girls have been in a good place, we have two months of matches under our belts,” said PHS head coach Patty Manhart. “We were happy with how they played against Northern Burlington.”

But Manhart was not happy with how the Tigers started in the final against Notre Dame, a team it had already defeated twice in regular season.

“In that first set, it felt like there were a lot of unforced errors on our side,” said Manhart, reflecting on the October 24 match. “That may come from that same mentality, we have been here before, maybe we don’t have to work as hard, and just not being totally tuned in.”

The Tigers got tuned in, pulling away to a 2-0 win (25-19, 25-15), earning its second straight BCSL crown in the process and improving to 25-1.

“It just took us a little bit into that first set before I feel like we turned it on,” said Manhart. “It was smooth sailing in set two. There were some hitting errors and service errors, things that we control on our side and that we had figured out by the second set.”

The squad’s sophomore hitters, Kaelin Bobetich and Naomi Lygas, dominated at the net against the Irish as Bobetich contributed 11 kills, two blocks, and seven digs while Lygas chipped in 11 kills and eight digs.

“It is really nice that we can have a balanced attack on the right side and the outside; Kaelin has also been getting more swings even out of the back row,” said Manhart. “It is great being able to have that mix of hitters. I don’t think we have had an off game from Naomi, and that is so impressive because she is a sophomore. Every other coach after the game says I can’t believe she is a sophomore. She is such a big part of every win that we earn as a team.”

Junior stars Lois Matsukawa and Pearl Agel were also a big part of the win in the BCSL final. Matsukawa triggered the offense with 22 assists and 11 digs while libero Agel had 14 digs in sparking the defensive effort.

“Lois is fast, she is smart and she is consistent; as long as she is healthy, we are in a good place,” said Manhart. “Pearl doesn’t get enough credit. It is tough when you are a libero, you just get to do the dirty work. You don’t get the glamour of racking up kills but her job is so crucial. We need her to be solid on serve receive, solid on defense and that is what allows us to do what we do.

While Manhart was proud of the second straight BCSL title, she is looking forward to the upcoming state
tournament.

“It feels good for me; at this point that was an
expected title just because we return so many people from the 2022 squad,” said Manhart. “I am not trying to get ahead of myself but I want to do something new. I want a state title.”

The Tigers will start their pursuit of that title this week as they compete in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Central Jersey Group 3 tournament where they are seeded first and were slated to host ninth-seeded Colts Neck in a quarterfinal contest on October 31 with victor advancing to the semis on November 2.

“I hope that they feel good about where we are as a team and I hope we feel confident but we are still scouting the opponents,” said Manhart, whose team is currently ranked fourth in the state by NJ.com. “We spent a day watching film from everyone we could face against in our section. We are going to take every match seriously. The No 1 seed is nice, we love hosting and we love being home but the message is that we can’t take anything for granted. Every team is going to come out to play, looking for an upset. We have to bring our A-game to every game, that is just the position we are in.”

Over the last few weeks, the Tigers have steeled themselves for a big run, facing a gauntlet of tough foes from all over the state.

“When we play a top-ranked team in the state, the girls bring it,” said Manhart. “We are going in No. 1 and I need them to bring that same mentality that they bring against teams like Lenape, like Southern, like Hunterdon Central — that is the biggest thing. It is always that mental piece of like, no matter who is on the other side, you are bringing that all-out energy and mentality to the match.”

With PHS having advanced to the sectional final in 2022 where it fell 2-1 to Colts Neck, the Tiger players are hungry for the rematch with the Cougars.

“It was the first time we had made it that far and we were kind of young,” said Manhart. “It went to three last year against Colts Neck, so we knew we could do it. Now they are coming to us so we have to bring it.”