On the court, there was a cry of victory and a wave of sorrow. The wave of sorrow ended the run of this year’s Wayne Valley Girls Volleyball team. The Indians put up a hard and tough fight with a 23-25, 16-25 loss against Roxbury. The Indians overall season record ended with 24-4.

As the saying goes, “Cry because t’s over, but smile because it happened” is the only way to describe this season-ending like this. The girls ended on a high note. After the game, tears and hugs were expressed by all the players.

“Some may have considered us rebuilding because of what we lost last season but most of the girls on the team this year had varsity experience. Having said they they still needed to prove themselves and I think they did just that. County and conference champs and a top seed in the state tournament speaks volumes about how hard all of these girls worked before and during the season to make us as successful as we were”, says Varsity coach Jason Carcich.

Going into finals the girls felt excited and nervous but confident in their skills. Senior Captain and middle block, Jennifer Howarth explains, “Our team had also come a long way from where we were in the summer. It was a little nerve wracking since it was the state finals so I think the nerves got to everyone on the team”. Howarth put up 2 kills, 3 digs and 1 ace for the Indians.

At the end of this season, the highlight for the Wayne Valley Indians was winning the County Tournament against Clifton at Lakeland. Senior setter and designated server Gabriella Perez says, “There was such a rush and so our adrenaline pumping through all of our veins and we proved to everyone we were worthy of the title.” For the team, Perez added 1 ace.

“The girls didn’t play to their best potential, there had been times this year where our girls were able to swing and managed to earn points. In the sectional finals it just didn’t go our way. Our girls played with a little bit of fear, playing in front of that any people can definitely scare you off your game…Although that was their last game together, that game doesn’t describe their season” says Varsity coach Bez Arslani. Throughout this season, the girls have been swing for the fences finishing their season with a 24-4 record overall. Senior setter Isabella Isaacson adds, “They gave me insight on the amount of pressure there would be and to focus one point at a time”.

At the end of this season, the Wayne Valley Girls Volleyball team say goodbye to their nine seniors: Alex Bailey, Sydney Betz, Rhiannon Bush, Kendall Ferguson, Jennifer Howarth, Isabella Isaacson, Sofia Neary, Gabriella Perez, and Emily Pogorelec. We congratulate these seniors for their hard work and dedication to this program the last four years and we wish them luck in their futures.

Previous State Games
Quarter-finals: Wayne Valley v. Morris Hills at Wayne Valley: 25-6, 25-16
Semi-finals: Wayne Valley v. Fair Lawn at Wayne Valley: 17-25, 25-12, 25-20