Bears hope to make top seed stand up in GMCT
BY RICHARD JEROME
Staff Writer

With a 14-10 record after Tuesday’s 3-0 loss to Elizabeth, Coach Greg Rutz hopes his East Brunswick High School girls’ volleyball team can rally in the upcoming Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament.

The Bears faced fourth-seeded Old Bridge yesterday in the semifinal round, with the winner to meet the winner of the South Brunswick-Piscataway match today.

East Brunswick advanced to the semifinals on Friday with a hard-fought win over Mother Seton, 25-22, 25-16, and 25-16, in the quarterfinal round. Old Bridge, meanwhile, rallied to win the last two game to knock off J.P. Stevens, 26-24, 23-25, 25-18 and 25-15.

The Bears entered the GMCT as the favorite to emerge with the title, which is a testament to how much they’ve improved over the course of the season.

"The kids started really slow," said Rutz.

"They weren’t aggressive or confident. But they’ve been making progress. We graduated seven seniors, so it’s a young, inexperienced team."

Returning seniors for EBHS include Kathleen Cammidge and Jessica Castles, both in the middle.

Another senior starter is center Emily Cheah, while Danielle Epstein is on the outside.

Eunice Kim, a junior, is on the right side, with sophomore Jennifer Strapko, junior Lacey Byrnes and Aimee Hagan, another junior, on the outside.

Dara Monasch, also an 11th-grader has been an excellent role player, and Amanda Carness has also contributed to the Bears’ cause.

"Our strength is definitely in the middle," said Rutz, who is assisted by Taras Borysyuk, a Rutgers junior and EBHS grad

"A lot of teams in the conference, aside from Piscataway, don’t have a true middle, so that helps us score points.

"I think our big improvement has to be in our confidence," he added. "The kids have to learn to believe in themselves, and trust their skills and their ability to use them properly."

In addition to the GMC, the Bears will be hosting the Central Jersey Volleyball Championship Tournament on Saturday. They will take on Hunterdon Central at 10 a.m. in one semifinal, with South Brunswick and Bridgewater facing each other in the other semifinal.

The two winning teams will then play for the title at noon.