St. Joseph’s volleyball teams raise awareness for breast cancer, win on the court

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Awash in fluorescent pink posters and players donning special cotton candy pink uniforms and pastel pink shoelaces to raise awareness for breast cancer, the typically Kelly green-dominated St Joseph’s gym was an even more spirited place than usual the week of Oct. 23. Both the JV and varsity girls volleyball teams came out on top

at home and raised $779 between the 50/50 raffle, bake sale and other donations. 

“We started another great tradition at St. Joseph’s and I want to thank all of the parents who organized and worked to create great memories that the girls will never forget,” said St. Joseph’s CYO Athletic Director Gerry O’Connor.

During the past week, the JV team earned the first-place position in its division with a two-game victory over top-ranked St. Cassian. Veronica McLaughlin’s dominant serving secured the first game and Avery Spell’s consistent serving brought the team back after being down by 10 points to take the second set in a thrilling nailbiter. 

The JV team is now the top seed and will play in the semifinals for the CYO championship on Saturday, Nov. 11, at Mount Saint Dominic in Caldwell.

The varsity team had a decisive victory over St. Nicholas on Thursday, Oct. 26, with critical teamwork leading to impressive rallies and courageous dives. Kelsey Kouyoumdjian’s trademark bullet of a serve resulted in five aces. 

Sofia Peterson delivered dominating hits and Violet Kessler provided impressive work at the front, gently angling the ball just over the net at the just the right time. 

The matchup on Friday, Oct. 27, against St. Cassian was a whiteknuckle game that went three sets. Though the game didn’t ultimately break St. Joe’s way, the score belies the heart the team showed, working together, scrapping and clawing for points. 

Highlights included a thrilling one-handed save by Maya Hersh; critical serving by Mary Browne; spirited contributions from Victoria Canuto, Ainsley Geoghan, Zoe Salzmann, Summer Connell and Lila Spoerel; smooth returns from Evie Quinn, Cassie Maguire and Lauren Ryan; and courageous dives by Ava Hersh.

Prior to the game, parents Mame Brown and Lorena Salzman organized an incredibly memorable “senior” night honoring with flowers, candy bouquets and individual posters for the team’s eighth-graders who are playing their final season of CYO volleyball this

year: Summer Connell, Ainsley Geoghan, Ava Hersh, Maya Hersh, Violet Kessler, Kelsey Kouyoumdjian, Cassie Maguire, Sofia Peterson, Evie Quinn, Lauren Ryan and Lila Spoerel. Coach Helene McLaughlin’s speech about working hard, taking risks and “getting the

job done” was a touching tribute to a group that was among the first generation of the St. Joseph’s volleyball program.

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