Andrew Hopman said his team accomplished the impossible.
It turned out his players knew all along it was going to happen.
Old Bridge, No. 3 in the NJ.com Top 20, used star performances from Ashley Markle and Weronika Malinowski and strong contributions from everyone else in the lineup to defeat No. 1 Williamstown 3-0 on Thursday in the NJSIAA Group 4 state semifinals.
The Knights won by scores of 25-21, 26-24 and 25-18 to improve to 32-1 and avenge their only loss this season, halting the Braves’ 43-game winning streak in the process. They will face No. 12 Westfield on Saturday in the state final at Franklin High School.
“We came in as prepared as we could, we came in as fierce as we could, and we were confident,” Markle said. “We knew we could beat them, we knew we could win a state championship, and we knew all of it was possible. We did everything we could to prepare, and when you prepare well, you can be confident.”
“We knew that they were a great team with great coaching, a great set of girls and a really strong connection,” Malinowski added. “But overall, we wanted to play our game, take control and not make as many mistakes as we did in the past. It really paid off.”
Despite having an outstanding season of its own, Old Bridge came into the game as the underdog based on Williamstown’s 2-1 win over the Knights back on Oct. 11. The Braves were also at home, defending Group 4 state champs and closing in on the program’s second undefeated season under coach Chris Sheppard.
“I just told Coach Shepp, we did the impossible,” Hopman said. “I’m not quite sure how we did it, but we did the impossible. Coming down here and beating Williamstown in Williamstown? I’m dumbfounded; I’m amazed. I’m so proud of these girls. This is the best girls team I’ve ever coached.”
Old Bridge came through in the clutch to pull out close calls in the first two sets. The opener was tied at 16 before the Knights broke away with a 9-5 run, and the second set was knotted at 24 when kills from Markle and Tatum Jones helped them take a commanding 2-0 lead.
They then jumped out to a 3-0 advantage in the third and led comfortably the whole way, draining the energy from Williamstown’s large home crowd.
“Old Bridge is known for having the best crowd in the state, and it tops this,” Markle said. “But either way, we practice with a crowd, we practice with loud music. We knew there was going to be a crowd here and nothing surprises us. We knew we weren’t going to win if we played timid, so we had to come out aggressive and confident. We knew if we did that we could win, and we knew we couldn’t win if we weren’t ourselves. Being ourselves is being loose.”
Markle finished with 24 kills and Malinowski added nine to go with multiple key digs. The supporting cast was also sensational: Jones finished each of the first two sets with kills and had two big blocks down the stretch of the third, while Tetiana “Tania” Kontsohrada chipped in seven kills.
“I told them the same thing that I tell the boys before big games like this toward the end of the year: Our studs have to do their job, but we need somebody else to step up,” Hopman said.
“Tatum always plays great, but the person who stepped up the most was Tania. We talked about it ahead of time, that we needed Tania to hit well on the right side so that Ashley and Weronika could get their chances on the outside. There were times when all three blockers were on this side of the court.”
Jones, just a sophomore, held her own against Williamstown’s intimidating senior middle, Addy Belcher.
“She was going up against Addy, who’s the best middle in the state and is also like 6 inches taller than her, and she was going point for point with her,” Hopman said.
“She’s got that incredible vertical. Tuesday was her first game back (from injury), and we were so thrilled to have her back for this game.”
Old Bridge also showed incredible resolve in overcoming whatever adversity it faced. The Knights never game up on a point, keeping plays alive again and again when it seemed like Williamstown had scored a point. Libero Jannah Khalil and Malinowski were especially hustling defensively.
“Honestly, we go until we crash or fall on the floor,” Malinowski said. “We try our best and good things happen. We were confident in each other — I think that was the biggest factor in our success.
“We weren’t playing individually, we were playing as a team and we relied on each other. We played in unison and we believed in each other.”
The loss marked the final career game for Williamstown’s outstanding senior class, which includes Belcher, Stella Eberly, Lora Kunicki and Sabrina Aslanian. They helped the Braves win a sectional title for the third time in four years earlier this week.
As for Old Bridge, the Knights realize that their job isn’t finished. The state final will be another challenge.
“This means nothing if we don’t win that game,” Hopman said. “I don’t even have to tell them — they’ll probably be asking me on the way home, ‘Can we watch film? Can we do this, can we do that?’ They want this more than any other girls team I’ve ever had, and they deserve it.”
Sure enough, Hopman’s two standouts echoed that sentiment.
“We’re on a high right now, I can’t lie,” Malinowski said. “But tomorrow it’s right back in the gym, right back to practicing as if today never even happened. We’re just going to use it as motivation and hopefully have even greater success.”
Added Markle: “We’re going to get back to work: have a long film session, do some team bonding, practice hard. We’re going to do the same thing we’ve done all season. We’ve been prepared all season and we’re not letting it go yet.
“Just because we won this doesn’t mean we’re going to lay back. We’re going to do everything and more to win a state championship.”
No. 3 Old Bridge, 3, No. 1 Williamstown 0
| 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
|---|
| Old Bridge (32-1) | 25 | 26 | 25 | 3 |
| Williamstown (31-1) | 21 | 24 | 18 | 0 |
Kills: (OB) Ashley Markle 24, Weronika Malinowski 9, Tetiana Kontsohrada 7, Izabela Morgan 1, Tatum Jones 5 kills, Olivia Grub 1 kill.
Blocks: (OB) Jones 4. (W) Abby Belcher 4, Payton Wright 4, Sabrina Aslanian 3.
Digs: (OB) Malinowski 22 digs, Jannah Khalil 17 digs, Dylanie Canzano 9 digs. (W) Lora Kunicki 16, Stella Eberly 10, Payton Wright 10, Ava Carabin 4, Khole Lynch 3, Bria Kozak 2, Bella Elontrio 1.
Assists: (OB) Maya Lupinski 41. (W) Lynch 9.
Aces: (OB) Lupinksi 4, Malinowski 2.
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