Old Tappan Cracks NJ’s Top 20 Early in the Season – Girls Basketball

High School Sports Elite • Dec 21, 2023

Photo Credits: High School Sports Elite

Girls Basketball Top 20, Dec. 21:

Week 1 stunners lead to upheaval in rankings

 

The opening week of the 2023-24 girls basketball season came and went. The top teams and players in the state took basketball courts around the state and proved themselves against each other as well as others facing some top teams from out of the state. The first week of the season featured plenty of upsets with previously unranked teams knocking off ranked teams as well as ranked teams beating other ranked teams. Holiday showcases are around the corner, with several marquee ones taking place in New Jersey that includes some of the top teams. Others will be going out of state to prove themselves against top competition.

19-Old Tappan (4-0)

Last week: Unranked

Old Tappan finds itself in the Top 20 this week after starting the season at 4-0. The Golden Knights opened with wins over Holy Angels, Ramapo, Paramus Catholic and Wayne Valley and are currently atop the Big North National Division. Led by seniors Layla and Maya Giordano, Old Tappan will look to remain undefeated against Ridgewood and River Dell.

Source Link: https://www.nj.com/highschoolsports/2023/12/girls-basketball-top-20-dec-21-opening-week-stunners-lead-to-upheaval-in-rankings.html

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Back to Back

Nov 02, 2025

OLD TAPPAN - "Back-to-back - it's very exciting," said Golden Knights senior outside hitter Julia Whaley after Old Tappan defended its Bergen County Volleyball title with a 3-1 victory over Immaculate Heart Academy Nov. 1. "It was a really good game, very competitive."Whaley was instrumental in the third set when she tallied 6 of her game-high 18 kills to bring the Knights back from a 21-16 deficit to a 26-24 victory, which turned the momentum squarely back in Old Tappan's favor.Junior setter Joley Giordano broke a 23-23 tie with one of her 4 kills to give OT a set point. She also had 2 blocks to go along with the 40 assists she distributed and the 9 digs she scooped."We've been working on it in practice," Giordano said of her scoring prowess. "On offense I can jump high and get points like that."An errant serve by the Knights knotted the score 24-24 but sophomore middle blocker Nadine Whaley and junior outside hitter Bianca Benasillo blasted back-to-back kills to give Old Tappan a 2-1 advantage in sets."When we were down it's really easy to get sucked into negative emotions," senior opposite hitter Eva Curko said in a published report. "But as a team we did a really good job of staying positive on the court, keeping our energy up … and playing for each other. That's ultimately what helped us succeed."In the fourth and final set Old Tappan shook off an early 3-0 Immaculate Heart Academy advantage to grab its largest lead of the set, 19-11, on a kill by Nadine Whaley, who finished with 8 kills and 3 blocks in the match.A block by Julia Whaley gave Old Tappan a match point, 24-16, but an errant serve and 2 attack errors closed the gap, giving IHA some life at 24-19. But a thunderous kill by senior middle blocker Gaby Paltag ended the set and the match, 25-19."It was very tough," Julia Whaley said. "Going in we knew it wasn't going to be easy even though there was a difference between No. 2 and No. 9 [seeds]. But we didn't let that affect what we thought was going to happen in the game. Both teams have had on-and-off seasons - no one is undefeated - but we had confidence. We knew all we could do was control what we could do on our side. Our motivation was to get to every ball."The two teams split the first two sets with Old Tappan leading for the entire first set in a 25-17 win.The Golden Knights led 16-10 in the second set when the Blue Eagles caught fire. An errant serve by Old Tappan was followed by a pair of service aces by junior Emma Fowler. After an attack error by the Knights, Fowler tallied another ace and freshman Anabelle Albano blocked a shot to tie the set 16-all. Sophomore Adrielle Crump gave IHA a 17-16 lead, but a kill by Benasillo and service ace by Giordano put Old Tappan up, 18-17.From there the lead changed hands back and forth and the score was tied at 19 and 20. Kills by Paltag and Julia Whaley sandwiched around an IHA attack error gave the Knights a 23-20 lead, but 2 OT attack errors trimmed that lead to 23-22. Then IHA committed an attack error to give Old Tappan a set point at 24-22.But an errant Knights serve, a block by Eagles sophomore Sophia Mahon, followed by 2 more OT attack errors gave IHA the second set, 26-24.Julia Whaley, in addition to having the most kills in the match, also contributed a game-high 23 digs and added 3 service aces. Benasillo blasted 14 kills and had a block. Senior libero Adriana Bryan scooped 19 digs and Curko had 7 kills, a block, 7 digs and 4 assists.Crump (14 kills, 3 service aces) and Mahon (7 kills, 4 blocks) led Immaculate Heart Academy scorers.Last year Old Tappan finished 25-0, with county and state tournament titles. Although at 17-4 they are not undefeated this year, they are again county champs and have a good shot of earning a state title too."We started the year without three starters, and at one point, we were down four starters," Old Tappan coach Melissa Landeck said in a published report. "So we had a lot of work to do to compete in September with younger kids doing an outstanding job pitching in. Then, we had to work on jelling as kids came back, so this has not been an easy road, by any means."

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Giordano's 40 assists sets a new Old Tappan record

Nov 02, 2025

Joley Giordano Sets School Record as Old Tappan Captures Seventh Bergen County Volleyball TitleOLD TAPPAN – In one of the most dominant performances in program history, junior setter Joley Giordano made Old Tappan history by recording 40 assists in the Bergen County championship win over Immaculate Heart Academy, the most ever by a Golden Knights player in a single match.The 3–1 victory (25–17, 24–26, 26–24, 25–19) secured Old Tappan’s seventh county title and marked the program’s second straight championship. Giordano’s record-setting effort powered an offense that hit rhythm early and never lost control of momentum.Superstars DeliveredGiordano’s 40 assists broke the previous single-game mark and set the standard for future setters at Old Tappan. Each rally seemed to run through Giordano’s hands, as she distributed the ball with precision and kept IHA’s defense guessing. Julia Whaley led the attack with 18 kills, 23 digs, and 3 aces. Bianca Benasillo added 14 kills and steady play at the net, while Nadine Whaley powered the defense with 7 blocks and 8 kills. Adriana Bryan kept the back row steady with 19 digs and 2 aces, and Eva Curko filled multiple roles with 7 kills, 9 digs, and 5 assists.Desi Malafis added 8 digs in key defensive rotations, Gabriela Paltag chipped in 3 kills and 4 blocks, and Kate Finn provided depth in the rotation with 2 aces. The team’s chemistry was clear on every rally, with each player contributing to the flow that allowed Joley Giordano to run a record-setting offense.IHA fought hard behind Adrielle Crump’s 15 kills and Kristen Lee’s 26 assists, but the Golden Knights’ depth proved too much.

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Old Tappan outlasts Immaculate Heart to repeat as Bergen County girls volleyball champ

Nov 01, 2025

OLD TAPPAN — The best girls volleyball rivalry in North Jersey experienced some extra drama this season.Old Tappan and Immaculate Heart met in the Bergen County championship final for the third year in a row, having each won a title in the last two. The added twist came from the tournament’s change to best-of-5 format this fall.The No. 2 seed Golden Knights overcame a six-point deficit late in the third set to defeat No. 9 IHA, 25-17, 24-26, 26-24, 25-19, and defend their crown in the Old Tappan South Gym on Saturday, Nov. 1.In the best-of-3 format, the Blue Eagles would have been on the verge of a championship after winning the second set and taking a 21-15 lead in the third.Instead, Old Tappan (17-4) calmly regrouped, and senior Julia Whaley delivered five kills in a game-ending, 11-3 run to help swing the advantage to her team.“We know that one kill is not going to get you three points,” Whaley said. “So our focus became, don’t look at the score... don’t let past mistakes affect our momentum at all.”What it meansThe Golden Knights secured their seventh Bergen County title all-time, the fourth-most behind Paramus (11), Demarest and IHA (9 each).The Blue Eagles (19-5) and Old Tappan have been to more championship finals than any other schools with 17 and 16 appearances, respectively.This year brought about the first best-of-5 final since 2003, when Pascack Valley bested Demarest, 3-2.The big-picture comebackOld Tappan graduated several stars from the 2024 county-title team that went on to finish 25-0. Back-to-back losses followed a 4-0 start this fall, as coach Melissa Landeck had to navigate numerous early-season injuries.“We started the year without three starters, and at one point, we were down four starters,” said Landeck, whose team has used 12 different starting lineups. “So, we had a lot of work to do to compete in September with younger kids doing an outstanding job pitching in.“Then, we had to work on jelling as kids came back, so this has not been an easy road, by any means.”Key sequenceIHA jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the fourth set and had it tied at 6-6 before the Golden Knights took command. Opposite Eva Curko, one of the players who missed time earlier in the year, had a pair of kills during a 9-2 run that she punctuated with an ace.“When we were down, it’s really easy to get sucked into the negative emotions,” Curko said. “But as a team, we did a really good job of staying positive on the court, keeping our energy up… and playing for each other.“That’s ultimately what helped us succeed.”Game balls► Whaley (18 kills, 23 digs) and Curko (7 kills, 7 digs, 3 blocks), both seniors from Norwood, led the Old Tappan attack along with junior Bianca Benasillo (14 kills).► Golden Knights setter Joley Giordano put up 40 assists, including a pass to senior Gabriela Paltag for the championship point.