The East Orange Campus HS girls volleyball team members beam as they gather for group pose.
EAST ORANGE, NJ — The East Orange High School girls volleyball team enjoyed a banner season.
The Jaguars, under head coach Eric Ansah, won the Super Essex Conference–Colonial Division championship. They finished in first place out of six schools, going 9-1 in the division. Cedar Grove finished in second place, Bloomfield was third, Payne Tech was fourth, Belleville was fifth and Barringer was sixth.
EOCHS finished with a 17-4 overall record. They went 1-1 in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 state tournament. The seventh-seeded Jaguars defeated No. 10 seed Dickinson (Jersey City), 25-27, 25-11, 25-13, on Tuesday, Nov. 5, at home in the first round. They fell at No. 2 seed Union City, 25-19, 20-25, 25-21, in the quarterfinals on Thursday, Nov. 7, to end the season.
In the Essex County Tournament, the 12th-seeded Jaguars also went 1-1 as they defeated No. 21 seed Barringer, 25-10, 25-7, in the preliminary third round on Oct. 17 before losing at fifth-seeded Mount St. Dominic (North Caldwell), 25-13, 25-10, in the first round on Oct. 19.
Ansah was elated for his team’s amazing season.
“This season was a season with the combination of hard work, dedication and talent,” Ansah said in an email to the Record-Transcript. “Nyah Herman, one of my first four-year players, led the team as the captain and was my main outside hitter. She was coming back from her knee injury that she suffered during the offseason, and she did all that she could and came back and (led) the conference in kills. She made first team all-conference.”
“Nalani Washington, my other outside hitter, complemented Nyah very well with the different level of attacks. She made second team all-conference. Mackenzie Carty is my libero and she took a huge leap this year as a first-year varsity libero. With hard work and dedication, she made every good pass when we needed it. She made second team all-conference. Kerla Mathurin is my middle blocker and she was very aggressive this year blocking and (making) quick middle attacks. She made first team all-conference. Other players, like Janah Tukay, Walkiria Cuesta and Jasmine Bunche, stepped up as defensive specialists in the back row, making it very difficult for teams to score.
“Noelle Ayacko, my setter and a sophomore from Barbados, came in with experience and was able to help run the offense in the best way possible. She is definitely the best setter I’ve ever seen at the high school level. Players like Kamani Acheampong, Rose Jean-Baptiste, Saniyah Carter and Amani Shabazz contributed and played their roles to the best of their abilities, even when it was during practice.”
Ansah also credited his assistant coach, Ricardo Pierrevil, who played for Ansah.
“He was the leader of the 2017 boys team that won the division for the first time in East Orange history,” Ansah said of Pierrevil. “He did a great job last year getting those girls from the junior varsity level to the varsity level. When it was time to move them to varsity, it was an easy transition.”
In addition, Ansah credited Ayacko and Herman for the team’s success as they did a great job as a setter and outside hitter, respectively.
“Knowing that you have the best setter and outside (hitter) when you are going into games gives you a chance to win every game,” Ansah said.
Indeed, teamwork was a strong ingredient to the team’s season.
“We played as a team, and just like our slogan ‘Who’s got my back?’ We got your back. We all we got. We all we need. They had each other’s back on every play and every game,” Ansah said.
Photo Courtesy of EOCHS head coach Eric Ansah
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