WOHS celebrats a kill by Kendal Hoges
WEST ORANGE, NJ – The West Orange High School girls’ varsity volleyball team, under second-year head coach Jackie Cruz, clinched its first Super Essex Conference title in program history after beating East Orange Campus on Oct. 19. The Lady Mountaineers won the Colonial Division of the SEC.
The team had two spectacular wins over Belleville and Millburn, said Cruz.
“We are currently undefeated in the conference,” said Cruz on Oct. 22. “We are looking to end our season undefeated in conference as we play home against North 13th Street on Wednesday, October 26th. It will be a tough match-up; North 13th Street is a great defensive team.”
WOHS, seeded 13th, had a tough loss against fourth-seeded Nutley in the first round of the Essex County Tournament on Oct. 21 to end an eight-match winning streak.
“I am hoping the girls can bounce back and realize that the road does not end there; I hope it was a learning experience for the girls instead an upsetting loss,” Cruz said. “We still have three tough regular season games against PCTI (Passaic County Technical Institute), North 13th Street, and Montclair next week, and also states the week after.
“Unfortunately, our leading scorer, Aliya Perkins, has been out due to a season-ending injury for about two weeks now. Due to this, we have been trying to find “THE” line-up. The girls have been very patient with all of the changes we have been making. We are very fortunate to have the height and the athleticism that we have; we have so many options to choose from. Recently, freshman Ogechi Nwobu was moved up to the varsity level to add to our height at the net. She’s been doing a great job defensively. She’s learning her position and has adjusted well for a freshman.
“Tamyah Sheard is leading the team with her defensive skills and offensive set-ups. Tamyah has proven to be a leader. She has learned how take control of the game. In addition, Jahnya Boschulte has been a great addition to the pack offensively and defensively. She has only been playing for about two weeks, due to NJSIAA rule, and already has made a huge impact to our lineup.”
Cruz said other common contributors are senior Mayra Tamay, juniors Cassidy Ferrell, Kendal Hoges, Selene Headley, and Kena Arthus; and sophomore Saniyiah Richardson, who has more than 300 digs this season.
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