Mighty Oaks fall to DelTech in three sets, roundup includes results from Wednesday’s Salem County high school sports calendar
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT — When you’re starting a program from scratch you can expect more ups and downs than a rollercoaster. Take a step forward, then move a step back. It’s the dance card on the way to consistency.
For the upstart Salem CC volleyball team Wednesday night qualified as a step back, although the Mighty Oaks were starting to take step forward in the final set of the night.
The Mighty Oaks remained winless in their maiden season after Delaware Tech dispatched them 3-0 in 58 minutes. They lost the first two sets 25-5 and 25-1, but came back to a grab an early lead in the third set before falling 25-13.
“We saw Del Tech, they were our very first scrimmage of the season, and they are very solid and really good,” SCC coach Andrea Bartlett said. “Absolute kudos to them; they are a fantastic team, and I think the girls were intimidated. Even though they know they put the work in and they know they’ve gotten better, they were still intimidated from the get-go.
“Our game is such a mental game we took longer than anticipated to get through that mental block. We started turning things around a little bit in the third set.”
The Mighty Oaks (0-4) scored only two points on their own serve in the first two sets. They fell behind in the first set 11-1 and Del Tech (3-4) closed it out with 14 of the last 15 points. The visitors scored the first 18 points of the second set before a serving error ended their run and gave Salem its only point.
The Mighty Oaks could have packed it in after nearly being shutout in the second set, but they were determined to make something of the evening. They held leads in the third set of 6-4, 9-5 and 11-9. A kill by Kelianne Swartz gave them a 12-10 lead, then DelTech stormed back with 15 of the last 16 points to close out the match.
“We are working on those mental skills,” Bartlett said. “Mental skills are just as important as the physical skills, so we have to practice working through that because we are going to run into situations like that and it’s how we prepare for them so we are able to push through like we did in that third set.
“I keep telling them we have 11 personalties here that we are trying to put into a six-piece puzzle. Some nights it works, some nights it doesn’t work. Some nights I’ve got to flip the puzzle around. We are still figuring out what works for each player. But they’re still working, they have not given up. They’re all in.”
Prep volleyball
TRITON 2, SALEM TECH 0: The Mustangs won a tight second set to complete the sweep and remain undefeated. The set scores were 25-13, 25-23. No other details were available. The loss snapped the Chargers’ two-game winning streak.
Girls tennis
SEWELL — The Minutemaids won three third-set tiebreakers to sweep the Wolverines.
WASHINGTON TWP. 5, WOODSTOWN 0
Jillian Lai (WT) def. Madison LaPalomento, 6-2, 6-3
Julia Agli (WT) def. Emma West, 6-3, 6-4
Taylor Minchin (WT) def. Angelina Lindenmuth, 6-4, 1-6, 12-10
Julianna Delosso-Kourtney Spina (WT) def. Elliana Norman-Emilee Kehr, 5-7, 7-5, 10-4
Hannah Thomas-Emily DeVecchio (WT) def. Isabella Lindenmuth-Eleanore Lawson, 5-7, 6-2, 10-7
Records: Washington Twp. 1-2, Woodstown 2-3.
Cross country
PILESGROVE — Woodstown’s David Farrell and Abby Marino were the top Salem County finishers in their respective races at the Tri-County Batch Meet at Marlton Park.
Farrell ran 18:25.20 to finish 15th in the boys race. Marino ran 23:15.85 to finish 11th in the girls race. Trevor Szilier of Washington Twp. won the boys race (16:52.44) and Kingsway’s Ava Buchanan won the girls race (20:21.15).
Here are the fastest runners from the other Salem County teams at the meet:
BOYS: 24. Levin Seals, Salem Tech, 19:02.75; 30. Aidan Cain, Schalick, 19:13.84; 48. Carter Marts, Pennsville, 19:59.59; 81. Aidan Dominguez, Penns Grove, 21:15.58; 82. Dominic Finfinger, Salem, 21:16.25.
GIRLS: 25. Emma Wilbur, Schalick, 24:35.85; 28. Sawyer Slad, Pennsville, 24:47.53; 84. Paityn Harrington, Salem Tech, 31:38.94.
