September 28, 2010
Falcons outlast Hawks in three
HFA's Jen Grzegorzewski had a match-high 16 kills in a win over Hudson Catholic.
Click Here for more photos from Holy Family at Hudson Catholic.
By Jason Bernstein
Editorial Director
JERSEY CITY – In previous years, this is the type of match that Holy Family would have lost. The emotion of letting a second-set lead slip away and a couple rough patches in the third set are the type of obstacles that sunk this Falcons squad in the past.
This year however is a different story, as a calmer, more mature Holy Family was able to overcome that adversity to hold off Hudson Catholic 25-15, 24-26, 25-21 yesterday.
“I’m very proud of my team,” Hawks coach Michael Cerreta said. “Last year they probably would have lost this game. This year they’re a little bit more experienced, understand what it takes to win the game.”
Whenever trouble struck for Holy Family (8-2) Cerreta was able to rely on the duo of senior middle hitters Diane Forker and Jen Grzegorzewski for stability. Forker gave the Falcons what appeared to be a comfortable 22-16 lead after a kill and an ace on consecutive plays.
The host Hawks (4-3) wouldn’t relent, reeling off five straight points to cut the HFA lead down to just one. But Grzegorzewski would end the comeback attempt as she ended the match with three consecutive kills, displaying both power and finesse in the process.
Forker and Grzegorzewski were an unstoppable duo for the Falcons. Grzegorzewski led all players with 16 kills to go with three aces. Forker added 13 service points, 11 kills, nine digs and five aces in the victory.
“I expect both of them, if they desire, to play in college,” Cerreta said. “They have the height, they have the defensive skill set, they’re becoming leaders. They’re going to be very good players at the next level if they chose to do so.”
“They’re two of the best players in our division,” Hudson Catholic coach Fernando Colon said. “They have experience and it shows on the court.”
That talent and experience proved just enough to hold off Hudson Catholic’s own 1-2 punch of Jade Gomez and Jade Medley. The duo combined for three kills and an ace as the Hawks took six of the final seven points to avoid defeat in the second set. In a similar scenario in the third set Medley had a kill and a block and Gomez followed with a pair of aces to cut a six-point deficit down to just one.
Medley, a senior, had 11 kills, three blocks and two aces. Gomez had 12 service points, 11 assists, eight aces and four kills, also displayed a leadership rarely seen in sophomores.
“She’s the heart of the team,” Colon said. “We were a first-year program last year and she stepped it up as a freshman. As soon as she came in, she stepped it up. The team feeds off her energy.”
Cynthia Soto added four aces for a young Hawks squad which features six sophomores on the varsity roster.
Wiktoria Staromieiska had 23 assists and 10 digs for Holy Family. Payton Micewicz added 10 service points, five digs and four aces. Nickole Herrera and Morgan Zygmund-Murphy chipped in with six and five digs respectively in the victory.
Hudson Catholic sophomore Jade Gomez had four kills and eight aces.
1st |
2nd
|
3rd |
|
| Holy Family Academy Falcons (8-2) | 25 |
24 |
25 |
| Hudson Catholic Hawks (4-3) | 15 |
26
|
21 |