Pinelands is liking what they are seeing on the court.
The Wildcats changed up their lineup early in the campaign, which has led to a growth in confidence and consistent victory that may have not been too expected.
Moving to NJSIAA South Jersey Group 2 this season, Pinelands is now in the same bracket as the reigning sectional champion in Barnegat. This program is also the Wildcats’ divisional rival in Shore Conference-B South, drawing up for an intriguing matchup each time they face one another.
This has added to the intensity of wanting to defeat Barnegat in the regular season to properly prep for the playoffs. As part of an extravagant run that has seen a winning streak reach 14 victories, Pinelands has nabbed the season series against the Bengals.
On Monday in Barnegat, Pinelands registered a 25-17, 21-25, 25-17 victory on the road to improve to 16-2, including two tallies over Barnegat in 2024.
“Historically, it’s always back-and-forth with Barnegat. It’s really big for us to beat them twice in the regular season,” Pinelands’ Olivia Shertenlieb said. “They are definitely a team to watch out for in the playoffs, so two wins against them has really made us believe this will be a great year.”
Ranked No. 20 in the NJ.com Top 20, Pinelands saw Shertenlieb produce 35 assists, bringing her to 426 this season.
It’s her fifth 30-plus assist performance of the fall and she entered Monday’s contests leading all of New Jersey in the statistic.
“I was hoping to be in this position coming into the season,” said Shertenlieb, who has 1,170 career assists. “I have so many great options, so to get to this point has made me very grateful.”
Olivia Shertenlieb (11) of Pinelands with a bump set during the girls volleyball match between Barnegat and Pinelands at Barnegat High School in Barnegat, NJ on 10/7/24.Scott Faytok | NJ Advance Media
Shertenlieb found five players for multiple kills, including 15 from Jill Becker, who now has 488 career kills.
Jayda Quigley added seven kills and four aces, including two in a row in the final set to give the Wildcats a convincing 7-2 lead.
“Jayda scored the last six points for us in front of a packed house to beat Donovan Catholic this season,” Bennett said. “She is awesome at the line, so we’re happy to see she is consistent with these serves.”
Madison Wilbert went for eight kills and Heidi Cyphert slammed six. Norah Maleski added three kills, including the set-winning point in the opening frame.
“These girls are working real well together now. And they’re having fun with it,” Bennett said. “It seems like a different girl is stepping up each match, so that’s led to so many wins. I can’t complain, that’s for sure.”
Barnegat made the match a little more dramatic, forcing a third set thanks to a strong middle frame where they never lost the lead. Isabella Pavan popped off for a double-double of 15 digs, 12 kills to eclipse 300 career kills, and Allison Haggerty punched 10 kills.
Isabella Pavan (13) of Barnegat with a bump set during the girls volleyball match between Barnegat and Pinelands at Barnegat High School in Barnegat, NJ on 10/7/24.Scott Faytok | NJ Advance Media
Annabella Fraim dished 27 assists while Brooke Degrazio collected 25 digs.
Both Pinelands wins over the Bengals have come in three sets, too. The Wildcats have five victories in 2024 when they lose one set, so for Barnegat to be two of those five shows how familiar these teams are with each other.
You can bet that Pinelands wants to take on Barnegat one more time this season.
“We know how they play now, so if we see them in the sectional tournament, there’s a huge advantage moving forward,” Becker said.
Pinelands celebrates a point during the girls volleyball match between Barnegat and Pinelands at Barnegat High School in Barnegat, NJ on 10/7/24.Scott Faytok | NJ Advance Media
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PJ Potter may be reached at PPotter@njadvancemedia.com.
