State Tournament: Group 3 Breakdown

<p>Welcome to the State Tournament! The State Tournament starts today for some squads so we are going to do a breakdown of each Group of the tournament. So let’s begin with Group 3 that opens up tournament play today!</p> <p><strong>North 1 Section</strong></p> <p>The North 1 Section of Group 3 features 12 squads. Northern Highlands is the top seed and the favorite in this section. </p> <p><em><strong>Players to Watch</strong></em></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="99871" first="Ruby" last="Van Der Heide"] (Northern Highlands)</p> <p>Van Der Heide is the engine of the squad. Her volleyball IQ is off the charts and she can play at any position. Her focal point is at setter where she has 113 assists on the year. </p> <p>Zuzanna Buchnajzer (Tenafly)</p> <p>Buchnajzer has been flying this season and has made a name for herself and Tenafly. She has 132 kills and 51 digs on the year. The team will go as far as she can take them. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="128677" first="Lorie" last="Horta"] (Roxbury)</p> <p>Roxbury may have a low seed but they can easily make the championship with Horta leading the way. Her passing is pinpoint and she shares the ball around the court to keep teams off-balance. She has 219 assists and 69 digs. </p> <p><strong><em>Prediction</em></strong></p> <p>Northern Highlands over Roxbury</p> <p><strong>North 2</strong></p> <p>The North 2 section of Group 3 features 14 teams with Chatham as the top seed in the bracket. </p> <p><strong><em>Players to Watch</em></strong></p> <p>Gabriela Rojas (Belleville)</p> <p>Rojas is the anchor to the back line of the Belleville defense. She has great court awareness and ensures her team is set up correctly. She has 117 digs on the year to lead the squad. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="128489" first="Cat" last="Holtz"] (Mendham) </p> <p>Holtz is a lethal outside hitter with a live arm. She will be the focal point and it will be intriguing to see how far she can carry Mendham. She has 111 kills. </p> <p>Kasey Walsh (Summit)</p> <p>Walsh always has her fingerprint on the game as the setter for Summit. She is very deceptive with her passing to keep opposing teams off-balance. </p> <p><em><strong>Prediction</strong></em></p> <p>Chatham over Mendham</p> <p><strong>Central</strong></p> <p>The Central section in Group 3 as 14 teams with Scotch Plains-Fanwood as the overall top seed. </p> <p><strong><em>Players to Watch</em></strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="99806" first="Adelina" last="Berisha"] (Scotch Plains-Fanwood)</p> <p>Berisha continues to carry the load for Scotch Plains with 179 kills and 118 digs. The all-around outside will have to carry them if they want to win this group. Her live arm gives her every opportunity to do so.</p> <p>Kristina Ashton (Colonia)</p> <p>Ashton is the offense for Colonia. Everything runs through her as she has 229 of the 231 assists on the season. Her IQ is off the charts watch for her to be dominant in this tournament. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="99872" first="Kate" last="Stoughton"] (Brick Memorial)</p> <p>Stoughton may have not had the year many expected so far statistically speaking. But you better hope she does not get hot in this tournament otherwise she will carry Brick Memorial to the title. </p> <p><em><strong>Prediction</strong></em></p> <p>Scotch Plains-Fanwood over Colonia</p> <p><strong>South</strong></p> <p>Lastly, we have the South section that features 12 teams with Shawnee as the overall top seed. </p> <p><em><strong>Players to Watch</strong></em></p> <p>Mia Moscicki (Shawnee)</p> <p>Moscicki verstality is on full-display for Shawnee by being able to be a potent hitter from anywhere on the court, outside, opposite, back row it does not matter. She has 107 kills on the year. The team will run through her. </p> <p>Deesha Chokshi (Absegami)</p> <p>Chokshi has impressed this season as a sophomore in her first season as the setter for Absegami. Her creativity with her passing allows her to be extremely deceptive. It helps that she does not miss a pass either. </p> <p>Kelle Anwander (Toms River South)</p> <p>Anwander impacts the game in all phases. She can have an off day in one area but she will make up for it in others. She has 119 kills, 29 blocks and 91 digs. Her mentality to do whatever it takes will be the rallying cry for Toms River. </p> <p><em><strong>Prediction </strong></em></p> <p>Absegami over Shawnee</p>