Volleyball team wins H/W/S title
SPARTA. The high school girls are tri-county champions for the second year in a row.
Sparta /
| 21 Oct 2024 | 10:42
SV1 Sparta's Sylvia Przydzial gets a hand on the ball above the net in the game against Roxbury at home Oct. 14. The Spartans won 25-22, 25-20. (Photos by George Leroy Hunter)
SV2 The Gaels and Spartans maneuver on the court. Both teams wear pink jerseys for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
SS1 Sparta's Abigail Connors (15) pursues the ball in the second period of the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament semifinal against Hunterdon Centtral on Oct. 16. The Spartans won, 3-0, and Connors scored one goal and made one assist. (Photos by George Leroy Hunter)
SS2 Sparta's Uma Kowalski kicks the ball toward the goal in the second period. Hunterdon Central's goalie Emily Culton stands ready to defend. Kowalski missed the shot.
SV3 Sparta's Aralyn Saulys performs an overhead pass.
Sparta's Maggie Higgins leaps in the midst of a serve.
Sparta's Sylvia Przydzial gets a hand on the ball above the net.
The Gaels and Spartans maneuver on the court.
Sparta's Aralyn Saulys in the midst of a serve.
Sparta's Giselle Faria is about to serve.
Sparta volleyball players Sylvia Przydzial, Aralyn Saulys and Arielle Gomez stand ready for action.
The Sparta girls volleyball team: Giselle Faria, Arielle Gomez, Kaitlyn Peterson, Emma kristiansen, Aralyn Saulys, Lea Tsamadias, Tara Keller, Sylvia Przydzial, Maddie Worsley, Tessa Goldman, Ava Daggett, Maggie Higgins, Emily Ciaburri, Hannah Dodson and Alexia Hill. (Photo by George Leroy Hunter)
Sparta's Katie Sutton controls the ball in the second period.
Sparta's Adriana Dolinski scored a goal and made an assist.
Sparta's Gina Stankiewicz scored one goal and made an assist.
Sparta's Abigail Connors steers the ball. She scored one goal and made one assist.
Tessa Goldman reeled off three straight aces in the final stages of the third set to help spur the second-seeded Sparta High School girls volleyball team to a 20-25, 27-25, 25-23 victory over top-seeded Hunterdon Central.
The Spartans won the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament championship for the second straight season on Saturday afternoon, Oct. 19 in Hackettstown.
Sparta, ranked No. 11 in the state, has won 15 straight matches this fall and improved to 16-2.
Hunterdon Central (17-5), ranked 10th, was seeking its first tri-county title since 2017. Sparta also defeated Hunterdon Central to win its first H/W/S crown a year ago.
On Saturday, the Spartans, under the direction of head coach Caitlin Jozefczyk, also received standout performances from Aralyn Saulys (six kills, two aces), Lea Tsamadias (two kills, two aces), Sylvia Przydzial (four kills, three aces, one block), Tara Keller (nine kills, one block), Arielle Gomez (five kills), Alexia Hill (one ace) and Emma Kristiansen (one kill).
Keller, a senior, was named the finals’ Most Valuable Player.
Sparta began Saturday with a straight set victory over third-seeded North Hunterdon, earning the opportunity to defend its championship.
During the past six seasons, the Spartans have accumulated an incredible record of 125-17, which includes an overall New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Group 2 state title in 2022.
Here’s how other Sparta teams fared last week:
Boys soccer
Sparta’s senior goalie Evan Miller turned in a sensational effort, making 13 saves - with several coming at point-blank range.
But top-seeded Hunterdon Central was able to score the game-winning goal with 3:40 remaining in the second overtime to deny second-seeded Sparta its first H/W/S Tournament championship in the 14th annual final Oct. 19 at Warren Hills.
Sparta (11-2-1), which had its five-game winning streak snapped, took a 1-0 lead when Matt Torres scored off a feed from Andy Parreno nine minutes into the first half.
Hunterdon Central (12-1), which has won five straight tri-county titles, knotted the score with 8:12 remaining in the half.
The game remained tied, 1-1, until Luke Christensen headed a corner kick into the top-right corner of the net just over Miller’s outstretched hand.
Girls soccer
Second-seeded Sparta battled top-seeded Kittatinny but bowed in a penalty-kick shootout, 4-2, in the championship game of the H/W/S Tournament there Oct. 19.
The teams were tied, 1-1, through regulation and the two subsequent 10-minute overtime periods.
Sparta (9-7) was seeking its second straight H/W/S crown while Kittatinny (12-2) won for the first time in the 14-year history of the event.
Abigail Connors’ goal with 14:05 remaining in the first half gave Sparta a 1-0 lead before Kittatinny tied it with 4:42 left in the second half.
Field hockey
Eliana Intorrella scored off a feed from Cassandra Ailara and Keara Hynes was outstanding in goal with a 20-save performance, but Sparta bowed to Lenape Valley there Oct. 19.
Sparta (6-9-1) will play at Jefferson at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 26.
Cross country
Julian Laznik-Moraghan placed ninth with a time of 16:09.89 to pace the Sparta boys at the NJAC Large School Division championships Oct. 15 at the Greystone course at Morris Hills.
Ava Barone was 26th with a time of 21:14.38, followed by Celia Rossettini in 28th place in 21:23.13 to lead the Sparta girls.
Jack Wittenmeier was 27th for the boys with a time of 17:16.95.
The Sparta boys finished eighth overall in the team standings and the girls team placed ninth overall.