Predictions for the Spring: NJAC's American Division

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: 6. Pope John 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 Paige O’Connor, Katherine Putsky, and [player_tooltip player_id="99839" first="Brooke" last="Askin"] will have the opportunity to grow under the leadership of setter Meaghan Lawrence and libero Taylor Ferguson in their final seasons. 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. 5. Mount Olive Mount Olive split with Roxbury last season thanks to key players like Jenna Lynch, Adriana Garcia, Gabby Forero, Tristin Adams, and Alyssa Ouimet. With only Lynch and Forero returning, the program will be relying on growth from returners <a href="https://highschoolsports.nj.com/player/isabella-lino-montes/girlsvolleyball/season/2019-2020">Isabella Lino-Montes</a>, <a href="https://highschoolsports.nj.com/player/ava-padwelka/girlsvolleyball/season/2019-2020">Ava Padwelka</a>, Genevieve Sarinelli, and Ella Scott 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. 4. Sparta With players like [player_tooltip player_id="99815" first="Mackenzie" last="Wiggins"] and Martina Foy 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. Sophomore Alexis Smernoff will do well to add to the offensive lineup Sparta has as well as a number of other returning sophomores like Brynn McCurry and <a href="https://highschoolsports.nj.com/player/caroline-mastandrea/girlsvolleyball/season/2019-2020">Caroline Mastandrea</a>. 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 Emily Smernoff will be joining her sister in the program as a freshman this spring, and she brings a lot of talent with her. 3. West Morris Central 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 Lauren VanderLaan and Ava Novello, who made a profound impact on the court last season, will be returning. Met with returners Isabel Greco and Kelly Kaltenhauser, and anyone rising up from the Freshman and JV teams, this program has a good chance to stay standing. 2. Roxbury 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 [player_tooltip player_id="99811" first="Amber" last="Chen"], Samantha Olander, Victoria Latino, and Juliana Medini to make a big splash. Defensive and setting studs like Isabella Chan, Jocelyn DeFuria, Cassidy Dettlo, [player_tooltip player_id="128677" first="Lorie" last="Horta"], and of course Quinn Longo will be supporting them every step of the way. 1. Mendham 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 Michele Kifyak, [player_tooltip player_id="128489" first="Cat" last="Holtz"], [player_tooltip player_id="128675" first="Sarah" last="Wilcock"], [player_tooltip player_id="99813" first="Lauren" last="Wilcock"], and Poppy Skjonnemand to maintain their status. These returners are just too good, but even so, there will be a number of hard-fought matches within this division.

Access all of Prep Dig

Continue reading this article and more.

Predictions for the Spring: NJAC’s American Division

In this article:

Access all of Prep Dig

High School News: Uncommitted And Still Up For Grabs