Mainland team makes it to South Jersey sectional semifinals for first time
LINWOOD – Although Mainland volleyball coach Tori Rich has led the team for her second season, she has actually been around since its inception at the school, so she still was filled with an immense amount of pride Friday despite the Mustangs’ two-set loss in the South Jersey playoffs.
Mainland, the No. 3 seed in the tournament, reached the South Jersey Group III sectional semifinals for the first time ever, falling at No. 2 Toms River East 25-21, 25-21.
The 2021 Cape-Atlantic League champions finished their season 21-2, their best ever.
Tom River East advanced to the South Jersey Group III finals where they will face Toms River South. Mainland beat Clearview last Wednesday to reach the semifinals.
It was the final game for seven seniors, tri-captains Bella Canesi, Cadence Fitzgerald and Olivia Leap, along with Amaya Perez, Julia Thornton, Laziah Wilson and Kaitlyn Boggs.
“Even though we lost, I’m so proud of how far these girls have come over the past four years, and how far the program has come as a whole,” Rich said. “They’ve been through thick and thin. They come from never being above .500 to two-time Cape-Atlantic League champions. We have a lot of great memories with this team.”
Mainland’s 21-2 record is the best in the history of the program which is less than 10 years old. The Mustangs have built an 18-1 record in CAL divisional play over the past two seasons. It looked like the Mustangs were ready to take the next step in challenging the power volleyball schools from Toms River.
In the spring, the Mustangs lost to Toms River South, the eventual South Jersey Group III finalists, in the quarterfinals.
Against Toms River East on Friday, Mainland lost two of its starters in the second set while trying to rally back after losing a tight opening set. Wilson, an outside hitter, and Perez, who was playing libero, collided with each other just minutes after starting the second set and never returned.
Sophomore Sadie Kent was called in to replace Wilson while fellow sophomore Bella DeRichie, who played back row libero, took over those duties full-time for the remainder of the game.
“It was hard because our girls played really well against Toms River East,” Rich said. “And we actually had two injuries in the second set. It was hard in a sense to lose [Wilson and Perez] at that point of the match but we were able to put in some younger girls to see what we have for the future.
“Both of them played beyond their expectations. After losing two starters on the road and still come back and lose only 25-21 in the second set is something to be proud of,” Rich added.
Overcoming adversity was already a part of this team’s DNA. After the first four games of the season in September, Mainland had to shut down the volleyball program for two weeks because of a coronavirus episode.
The delay robbed the Mustangs of the momentum they had started but also big games against opponents that would have boosted the team’s power rankings.
“We had to make up all of our games and [NJSIAA] only took the first x-amount of games for power points,” Rich said. “We didn’t have time to make up all the big games we needed for the power points. We didn’t play all the big teams we wanted to play to get the power points.”
Rich said what she was impressed by was her team’s determination to keep their stellar play going instead of taking it as free time off to relax.
“We know these kids were resilient,” Rich said. “Some girls just worked out at home. Some girls asked to bring volleyballs home to keep their skills up. That was awesome. They couldn’t wait to get back. Their energy when they got back was so positive. They got right back into it and was ready to fight.”
That fight to succeed was eight years in the making when Rich started the club volleyball program at Mainland in 2013. Rich, a Mainland alum who was already coaching field hockey and softball, began the program so it could meet the two-year club requirement before becoming a varsity sport.
“When approached about actually coaching the [varsity] team, I was still coaching field hockey, so I chose to stick with field hockey.”
Fast forward to last school year when the position became open again and Rich was teaching but no longer coaching field hockey, which conflicted with volleyball in the fall. She said it was her assistant coach Kelly Echevarria, whom she graduated with from Mainland in 2005, who talked her into it.
“We’ve been friends and coaches for a long time,” Rich said of Echevarria. “She said if you do it, I’ll do it with you. We’re kind of in this together.”
She said they received a big boost when Bill Wilcox joined the staff to coach the freshmen and a junior varsity and varsity assistant.
“The girls just absolutely look up to and love him,” Rich said. “He is an awesome assistant coach.”
Last Wednesday, Mainland won their first South Jersey Group III quarterfinals game ever, dispatching Clearview at home 25-17, 25-16. Boggs, Canesi and Liv Leap combined for 15 of the team’s 24 kills in that game while Fitzgerald set them up with 19 assists.
It was just the school’s second playoff win. In the spring, the Mustangs beat Lacey in the first round of last season’s South Jersey Group III playoffs 25-13, 25-15 before falling to Toms River South in the quarterfinals 25-15, 25-19.
“We’re going to miss our leaders for not only their playing, but their leadership ability will be hard to replace,” Rich said. “The younger girls have all looked up to them and that will be missing next year.
“But we have a lot of talent to fill their roles. Next year will be a bit of a rebuilding year but the following season we should be right back to where we are. We’re looking forward to the future and no one should take us lightly next year. These girls are eager, willing and ready to play.”