Juniors Point Pleasant Finale 16 & Under Champs

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sunday, September 13th was a great day for Jersey beach volleyball. We saw some fierce competition all over the beach, but it was the 16 &amp; Under bracket that really impressed. These girls may be young, but they’re certainly not inexperienced or unpolished. Let’s dive in to check out who stood out the most, and how they’ve held up this past year.</span></p> <p><strong>Third Place Finishers</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">[player_tooltip player_id="99877" first="Hailey" last="Fouche"] of Montclair dominates the indoor court at Montclair Kimberley Academy. Standing at 5’11, she is not to be trifled with at the net. Just in her first season with the Cougars, Fouche racked up 127 kills, 202 digs, 23 blocks, and 10 aces. Before the season was cut abruptly short, she secured a spot on VB Rags’ 15 National team but was quickly brought up to 17 Nationals as a killer right side. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Her partner, Fiona North, also played for VB Rags this past season. North, of Westfield, rounded out her freshman season at Mother Seton with 109 kills, 117 digs, 100 service points, and 37 aces. By midway through the season, she had already made NJ.com’s list of top 80 girls volleyball underclassmen across the state. For the 15 National team at VB Rags, she commanded a powerful offense and defense alike as 6-2 setter playing all the way around. I</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">t’s no surprise that North and Fouche dominated on the sand court together as two dynamic giants with great ball control and ferocious netplay.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tying that pair for third was the combo of Lucinda Edwards of West Orange and [player_tooltip player_id="99883" first="Sophia" last="Metzner"] of Basking Ridge. This duo finished first in the Labor Day Classic just a weekend before with 74 points, finished second in the Juniors Inlet Splash in August, and finished first in the Mid Summer Beach Brawl in July. They’re clearly no strangers to New Jersey beach volleyball! </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Edwards stormed the court as a freshman at West Orange high with 62 digs, 3 blocks, 147 digs, 7 assists, and 31 aces. Standing at 5’8 just as a 15-year-old, we have reason to believe she’ll turn out to be a sizable outside hitter. With only one starting outside hitter returning and a handful of seniors graduating, this challenge will present Edwards with the opportunity to really shine as a sophomore on the court.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Her partner [player_tooltip player_id="99883" first="Sophia" last="Metzner"] is a 5’7 Libero/Setter/DS who covered an impressive amount of ground at this tournament. She’s looking to make the varsity squad at Ridge High School this upcoming season, and in the meantime is getting more reps at Central Jersey Volleyball Academy. Though she’s young, don’t count her out by a longshot. She comes from a family of volleyball studs: her sister Metzner a stud pin hitter entering into her senior year at Ridge and her brother Max a recent grad of the Ridge Boys program.</span></p> <p><strong>Second Place Finishers</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Our second-place finishers were Julia Schwab and Rachael Kunicki of Williamstown with 32 points. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Schwab is a 5’7 pin hitter and DS playing at Williamstown High School and Eastern Volleyball Academy on the 15 Gold team. This class of 2023 athlete is a true double threat as a hitter and passer, gliding effortlessly to the ball whether she’s transitioning for an approach or covering her teammate. Not only is she a strong hitter on the pins, but she’s also a dependable stronghold when the team gets out of system. Just from a view minutes of game footage, I could tell how much her teams look to her as a leader on the court.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Kunicki is only class of 2025 but already has made an impact on NJ volleyball. Also playing for the EVA 15 Gold team last season, we’ve seen that age on the court is just a number. She’s played beach all summer in 12 &amp; under, 14 &amp; Under, and even Women’s A at the Back on the Beach Smackdown. She’s a super versatile player, which is good since she’s so young. Depending on how she develops height-wise and with her two teams, we’ll start to see her specialize in one or two positions as she gets older. Definitely keep an eye out for this stud!</span></p> <p><strong>First Place Finishers</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Alex Foley and Sofia Hor took first place with 37 points. These Freehold natives are an incredible pairing. They also took first in the Miller Lite Tour championships in Women’s B, and third at The DAG in Women’s B. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Foley had her debut on the Colts Neck High School varsity squad this past season primarily as a serving and defensive specialist. Only appearing in half their season’s matches, she still managed to earn 9 kills, 5 blocks, 19 digs, 45 service points, and 4 aces! She rosters now as a pin hitter with hopes of making an even bigger splash in the upcoming season. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sofia Hor was a formidable freshman on the Freehold Borough varsity team. As an outside, she locked in 29 kills, 14 blocks, 39 service points, and 14 aces. With two outsides, a middle, a setter, and a right side having graduated this spring, Hor will surely have an opportunity for more attempts on the court. </span></p>