Predictions for the Spring: NJAC’s American Division

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Sara LiVecchi
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The NJAC had some big changes this season. The divisions were redrawn to drum up a ton of new matchups. Check out the full list here. Here are my predictions for the American Division teams:</span></p>
<p><b style="font-size: 1rem;">6. Pope John</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Pope John has a number of key athletes returning this season. They finished last season with a 17-8 overall record landing them 9th overall in the conference. Returners like</span><b> Paige O’Connor</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><b>Katherine Putsky</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and </span><b>[player_tooltip player_id="99839" first="Brooke" last="Askin"] </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">will have the opportunity to grow under the leadership of setter </span><b>Meaghan Lawrence</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and libero </span><b>Taylor Ferguson</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in their final seasons. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There will be a bit of a shakeup as coach Braulio Rivera has left the program to coach at the collegiate level. It will be interesting to see how the new coach, Harris Boyes, steps up to the plate.</span></p>
<p><b style="font-size: 1rem;">5. Mount Olive</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mount Olive split with Roxbury last season thanks to key players like </span><b>Jenna Lynch</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><b>Adriana Garcia</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><b>Gabby Forero</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><b>Tristin Adams</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and </span><b>Alyssa Ouimet</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">. With only Lynch and Forero returning, the program will be relying on growth from returners</span> <a href="https://highschoolsports.nj.com/player/isabella-lino-montes/girlsvolleyball/season/2019-2020"><b>Isabella Lino-Montes</b></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://highschoolsports.nj.com/player/ava-padwelka/girlsvolleyball/season/2019-2020"><b>Ava Padwelka</b></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><b>Genevieve Sarinelli</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and </span><b>Ella Scott</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> to help them stand out against the rest of these powerhouse programs. This new division will prove challenging for this program, but with enough growth and proper leadership, they will rise to the occasion.</span></p>
<p><b style="font-size: 1rem;">4. Sparta</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With players like </span><b>[player_tooltip player_id="99815" first="Mackenzie" last="Wiggins"] </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">and </span><b>Martina Foy</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in their final seasons, the program is looking to be in good shape from last season. Last year, they split with Pope John, split with Mendham, and won their only faceoff with Roxbury, so this competition isn’t going to be much of a surprise to this team.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sophomore </span><b>Alexis Smernoff</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> will do well to add to the offensive lineup Sparta has as well as a number of other returning sophomores like </span><b>Brynn McCurry</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and </span><a href="https://highschoolsports.nj.com/player/caroline-mastandrea/girlsvolleyball/season/2019-2020"><b>Caroline Mastandrea</b></a><b>. </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, if they don’t have any solid setting and defensive options rising up from the Freshman and JV programs, they may be in trouble. One definite is that 6-footer </span><b>Emily Smernoff</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> will be joining her sister in the program as a freshman this spring, and she brings a lot of talent with her.</span></p>
<p><b>3. West Morris Central</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">West Morris comes into this division with two wins over Mount Olive, three wins over Roxbury, and a split with Mendham. With that and their 18-7 record alone, it’s clear that West Morris will have an easier time adjusting to the new competition than others. They did lose 10 seniors last season, but </span><b>Lauren VanderLaan </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">and </span><b>Ava Novello</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">, who made a profound impact on the court last season, will be returning. Met with returners </span><b>Isabel Greco</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and </span><b>Kelly Kaltenhauser</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and anyone rising up from the Freshman and JV teams, this program has a good chance to stay standing.</span></p>
<p><b>2. Roxbury</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Roxbury is a well-coached program and they aren’t often caught up in a “rebuilding year” for this very reason. They finished last season just above Pope John in the overall conference rank with a 20-9 record having split with Mount Olive, lost both to West Morris, and earned a victory over Mendham in a 2-1 set match. Mendham will still be a strong program this year, and perhaps even stronger than last year, but Roxbury has an incredible list of athletes returning. Offensively, we look to </span><b>[player_tooltip player_id="99811" first="Amber" last="Chen"]</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><b>Samantha Olander</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><b>Victoria Latino</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and </span><b>Juliana Medini</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> to make a big splash. Defensive and setting studs like </span><b>Isabella Chan</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><b>Jocelyn DeFuria</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><b>Cassidy Dettlo</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><b>[player_tooltip player_id="128677" first="Lorie" last="Horta"]</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and of course </span><b>Quinn Longo</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> will be supporting them every step of the way.</span></p>
<p><b>1. Mendham</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Having finished second in the state in the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions, Mendham is a good bet to finish at the top of the division and top of the conference yet again. We can look to returners like </span><b>Michele Kifyak</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><b>[player_tooltip player_id="128489" first="Cat" last="Holtz"]</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><b>[player_tooltip player_id="128675" first="Sarah" last="Wilcock"]</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><b>[player_tooltip player_id="99813" first="Lauren" last="Wilcock"]</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and </span><b>Poppy Skjonnemand</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> to maintain their status. These returners are just </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">too</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> good, but even so, there will be a number of hard-fought matches within this division.</span></p>
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