LINWOOD — A historic season for the Mustangs was cut just short of another title Nov. 9.
Two days earlier, the Mainland Regional High School volleyball team defeated Pinelands Regional High School 2-1 to capture their first ever NJSIAA South Jersey Group III championship.
Mainland got revenge on Pinelands after they lost to the Wildcats last season in the South Jersey final. They overcame last season’s roadblock to catapult themselves further into the postseason this year.
Their deep playoff run brought great energy to the team. In Mainland’s semifinal match against the Princeton High School Tigers, the student section wore all black and stood the entire time. Loud cheers and coordinated chants followed every successful point.
Unfortunately, the Mustangs were not able to ride that energy any further as they lost 2-0. They never got into rhythm as both games turned into blowouts.
Princeton was ranked as the second-best team in the state and improved its record to 29-1 on the year. The Tigers’ lone loss was a close battle against another powerhouse in Williamstown. The state Group III championship will feature Princeton taking on Millburn.
Unforced errors by Mainland led to its downfall. Nine Princeton aces were caused by poor hits, while the Mustangs offensively were struggling to set up good scoring opportunities.
Game one was never in doubt as Princeton jumped out to a 9-2 lead. A timeout was not enough to get Mainland on track.
“I think we got down on ourselves a little at the start,” Mainland coach Erica Reis said after the match. “We were not talking to each other and started second-guessing ourselves.”
Their primary offensive threat this season had been freshman Bradee Boyd. She ended her first year with more than 200 kills and 80 digs. But Boyd’s spike attempts were constantly met with either girls blocking the net or great defensive digs.
Princeton’s defense was the difference in the match. It was credited with 30 digs while the Mainland had only 11. These defensive saves created longer volleys for Princeton, carrying the Tigers to a 25-13 win in the first set.
After a sloppy opening set, the Mustangs played with everything they had to open the second.
Both teams had their season on the line and played to an early stalemate. The 3-3 score evolved into 8-8 quickly as they traded points. Neither team served two times in a row in the span, which benefited the Mustang squad as it got its feet.
The streak generated some confidence and the Mustangs started to go on a run. They took a 12-9 lead midway through the set, their first lead of the match. The student section found a second wind and was doing everything it could to cheer for their team.
“I told them the only thing that counts is how you play this second set,” Reis said. “So, either you go down like that or we are going to come back and fight. That’s exactly what we did, and we showed some dignity and heart.”
Reis said she was proud of how her team responded in the second set, but Princeton eventually proved to be too much to handle.
The Wildcats quickly tied the game 13-13 and never looked back. Two Mainland timeouts couldn’t stop the bleeding as they struggled to get back into rhythm.
Set two ended in a 25-17 Wildcat victory after they went on a 16-5 run to end the Mustangs’ season.
Behind Boyd, the next three kill leaders for the Mustangs are all seniors who will be graduating. Four more seniors will also be leaving, including assist leader Sadie Kent, who racked up more than 400 this year.
Many new faces will be on the team next year, but the 2023 Mainland Mustangs will be remembered as champions.
By WILLIAM TRUITT/For the Sentinel
