The Bergen County tournament’s Round of 16 is in progress at Old Tappan.
I’ll be updating this post throughout the day, so keep checking back throughout the day.
No. 2 IHA def. No. 15 Mahwah, 25-13, 25-11: Raquel Scott had 14 kills, including nine in the first game, as the Blue Eagles cruised into the quarterfinals.
“Our girls are ready for this tournament,” IHA co-coach Mike DeCastro said. “They’re excited … and more than anything we’re really driven right now. This is the best part of the season.”
Michelle Cruz had six digs, and Mandy Garbarino added 17 assists and 13 service points, which included five aces.
IHA moves on to face No. 10 Demarest at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the quarterfinals.
No. 1 Old Tappan def. No. 17 Fair Lawn, 25-9, 25-14: Aiyana Whitney had 15 kills and Alison Chu had 13 assists as Old Tappan got past the Cutters.
“I liked the energy,” Old Tappan coach Melissa Landeck said. “It was nice to get that first win of the tournament under our belt.”
Old Tappan had a first round bye. The Knights will face the winner of Pascack Hills at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the semifinals.
“Right now it’s just one day at a time,” Landeck said. “We didn’t play our best games against Fair Lawn (earlier in the season) and today was an opportunity to play better.”
No. 10 Demarest def. No. 7 Rutherford, 20-25, 25-16, 25-17: Rachel Binder had 17 kills as Demarest overcame a slow start to pull off the upset.
“This was tremendous for us,” Demarest coach Beth Powell said. “You can see that we’re gutting it out, and that’s huge for us.”
Demarest built a 13-7 lead in the deciding game, but Rutherford stormed back to as close as 15-14. But Demarest won 10 of the final 13 points to secure the victory.
No. 9 Pascack Hills def. No. 8 Northern Highlands, 25-19, 22-25, 25-16: Jessica Holm had 14 kills and Sarah Hanrahan added 13 kills to lead the Cowgirls into the quarterfinals.
“I’m very proud of this team and how far they’ve come,” Pascack Hills coach Shawn McDonald said.
Jenn Forhecz had 15 assists and Alex Garrett had 12 digs for Highlands in the loss.
No. 6 River Dell def. No. 11 Pascack Valley, 25-23, 25-15: Kate Brock had 12 kills and Melanie Rodriguez had 13 digs as River Dell beat Pascack Valley for the third time this season.
“That was a concern coming in, because they say it’s hard to beat a team three times in a season,” River Dell coach Dianne Furusawa said. “The last week my team has been playing tentatively and today they played with confidence.”
It’s River Dell’s first trip to the quarterfinals since 2006. The Hawks face No. 3 Ramapo in at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in the quarterfinals.
No. 5 Ridgewood def. No. 12 Holy Angels, 25-15, 14-25, 25-18: The Maroons are through to the quarterfinals for the first time in more than five years after holding on to beat a tough Holy Angels squad.
Holy Angels took advantage of the Maroons passing miscues in the second game to make this a tough match for Ridgewood. But Blair Fuentez came up big in the final game to put the Maroons over the top.
“A big part of it is what your seniors bring to the court,” Ridgewood coach Ron Knott said. “And fortunately, I have two seniors who have been doing this for four years.”
Fuentez and libero Julia Gould are both four-year starters. They each played key roles in this match, as Fuentez finished with 19 kills and 10 digs and Gould added 11 digs. Olivia Kolodka led Holy Angels with 13 kills and Ryann Powell had 23 assists.
The Maroons face Bogota at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday in the quarterfinals.
No. 3 Ramapo def. No. 14 Tenafly, 25-16, 25-27, 25-14: Tenafly made Ramapo work, but in the end Nicole Kincade was simply too much. Kincade led Ramapo with 27 kills and 19 digs as the Green Raiders moved onto the quarterfinals.
“She played awesome,” Ramapo coach Dave VanHook said. “We needed to take a step up the ladder this week … and we’re right where we need to be.”
Tenafly squandered a game point in the second game, handing Ramapo a match point. But the Tigers won the final three points of that game to force a deciding final game.
“They are the scrappiest team I’ve ever seen,” VanHook said. “You know they’re going to fight and get to every ball … they played outstanding.”
Ramapo faces No. 6 River Dell at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in the quarterfinals.
No. 4 Bogota def. No. 13 Paramus, 25-16, 25-13: Bogota continued to prove why its a contender for a Bergen County title with this convincing performance against the Spartans, and got a little revenge in the process.
Paramus knocked out Bogota in the Round of 16 last year. And the Bucs made sure it didn’t happen again.
“We haven’t had the most luck in this round in the past,” Bogota coach Brad DiRupo said. “But I told the seniors, this is your time.”
Senior captains Jaclyn DelCid (14 digs), Taylor Woegens (10 kills) and Stephanie Sura (14 assists) all did their part. And freshman Carly Sullivan chipped in with 10 kills.
Meanwhile, Paramus is looking to use this as motivation for the upcoming State tournament.
“Hopefully, this was a wakeup call,” Paramus coach Maria Elena Bellinger said. “We know that we can step up and compete with the better teams. We just have to show up and do it. There are no more second chances.”