Photo Credits: High School Sports Elite
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 means
The 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 comeback
Old 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 sequence
IHA 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.
