Verona volleyball defeated Kinnelon in the Group 1 semifinals on Thursday and will play Delaware Valley for the Group 1 grand title on Sunday.
The semis pitted Verona against a team that had beaten Verona in the Group 1 playoffs in the past. While both teams were all smiles at the first check-in with the refs, they grew steely as the afternoon stretched into three high-tension games. Kinnelon took the first set, 25-22. Verona rallied and pulled out the second 25-21 and then gathered all its forces to capture the third 25-20.
The two teams were rarely more than a point or two apart for most of the action. There were volleys saved from the edges of the court, the gym floor and, more than once, from the VHS gym’s steel rafters. Verona was outstanding at the net, blocking shot after Kinnelon shot and saving points that seemed unwinnable.
Emily Theobald had 14 kills, followed closely by Kendra Santos with 13. Marley Kramer and Katie Meehan did the heavy work on digs, with 19 and 18 respectively. Olivia Baureis, a sophomore in her first varsity season, came into her own on the service line, leading Verona with 10.
“It was a big-time team effort,” Verona Coach Ryan Brown said after the win. “They came in with a little bit of jitters and made some mistakes. But they bounced back from those mistakes, made some adjustments and they fought together as a team. They wanted it and they went out and battled.”
Santos echoed the team effort. “We are all best friends and we all encourage each other,” she said. “We have fun, and we all love each other so much.”
The NJSIAA Group 1 Championship will be played at Franklin High School in Somerset on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Delaware Valley comes into the finals with a 17-7 record and was the #2 seed in the South Group 1 bracket. Verona was the #1 seed in the North 2 Group1 bracket with a 24-4 record.
Photos copyright Mike Perry. Used by permission.
