Stevens girls ready for GMCT chase
BY SHAWN LAYTON
Staff Writer

EDISON - With a first-round bye in the Greater Middlesex County girls volleyball tournament, the J.P. Stevens High School team will play host to No. 5 Bishop Ahr today at 3:45 p.m. when the second round gets under way.

The two teams split the two regular season meetings between them.

A win today would pit the fourth-seeded Hawks against No. 1 seed East Brunswick on Friday.

Last week, the Hawks squared off against the top-seeded Bears in a division match-up which East Brunswick won 25-23, 25-10. After the meeting with East Brunswick, the team traveled south to take on the Mariners of Toms River North. The team was fried after the two-hour journey in the rain, and lost 25-12, 25-18.

Fortunately, the team rebounded with a pair of wins to close out the week heading into the county tournament. The Hawks took care of South Plainfield, 25-9, 25-9, before defeating North Brunswick, 25-10, 25-23.

"South Plainfield and North Brunswick are new to the GMC," Stevens head coach Patty Savulich said. "They're making names for themselves and they'll be a real threat with some more experience."

Stevens has a 13-7 record in county play and an overall record of 14-9 heading into this week's tournament.

Led by a solid mix of older players and younger upstarts, the Hawks appear ready to make some noise in the GMC Tournament. Senior captain Julie Green has been a solid force on defense with 87 digs.

"She's a good motivator and an overall solid player," Savulich said.

"She has the third most digs on the team, and she continues to do a steady job."

Classmates Becca Seaton and Caitlyn Seamster also head the list of upperclassmen.

Seaton, one of the team's outside hitters, heads into this week's action with 92 digs, 35 aces, and 27 kills. Seamster leads the team with 125 digs and her kills are second to sophomore Maggie Kowalska's 170. Kowalska also leads the team with 54 aces. She was selected by county coaches to represent Stevens on the all-county team. Like Seamster, Kowalska is a three-sport athlete at Stevens.

"Maggie is doing really well," Savulich said. "Any ball she gets she is able to make it work. She wants to play volleyball in college, so she may play at some different positions. She can play up front at any position."

Fellow sophomore Bella Milstein is also having a nice season with 273 assists and 56 digs.

"She was on the varsity roster last season but she didn't see much action," Savulich said. "The team's foundation is really laid with Bella and Maggie."

Daria Pazdzior, Amy Ponticello and Leah Ferrante head a list of strong juniors who will return to the fold next season as well. Ferrante, a defensive specialist, has accumulated 104 service points this season. She has 28 aces and 62 digs as well. Pazdzior is also having a nice year at outside hitter with 41 kills. Ponticello currently has 21 kills.

"We also have some juniors that add depth on our bench," Savulich said. "Girls like Cassie Doherty, Lauren Fellner and Sneha Guntaka will step into some starting roles next year. Cassie Zhu and Annmarie Tiango are also some really good juniors on this year's team."