IN THE NEWS: MSDA Volleyball in State Semifinals

CALDWELL – The Mount St. Dominic Academy volleyball and soccer teams continued to play in the state tournament this week.

The volleyball team (18-8) is the top seed in the NJSIAA Non-Public, Group B tournament. It will play in the semifinals against fourth-seeded Immaculate Conception of Lodi on Thursday, Nov. 11.

The Lions defeated eighth-seeded St. Rose, 2-0, in the quarterfinals Tuesday, Nov. 9 to advance in the tournament.

Isabella Rivera had 12 assists, two digs and a block. Kiera Bevilacqua had 10 digs. Bridget Lonergan had seven kills, three blocks, three digs and three aces. Brooke Algieri registered five aces, four digs and two kills. Brianna Jiminez had five digs and an assist. Marissa Munoz had five digs. Michela Peluso had two kills. Michala O’Neill had one kill and one block.

The Lions defeated 16th-seeded DePaul, 2-0, in the first round of the tournament Thursday, Nov. 4.

Soccer Team

The soccer team finished the season with a 9-11-1 record.

The Lions, the fifth seed in the NJSIAA North Jersey, Non-Public A tournament, lost to top-seeded Immaculate Heart Academy, 4-1, in the semifinals Tuesday.

“Our athletes played hard and tough all game, but we came up short,” said head coach Angelo Del Vecchio. “We scored a goal in the first half on a header by sophomore Caitlin Caufield, assisted by junior Hailey Murphy. We had excellent goal-tending by senior Christina Piparo which kept us in the game. At halftime, we were winning 1-0. IHA is a tough opponent, and they came back strong in the second half, scoring four unanswered goals for the win.

“We played well. I am very proud of our players and the way the season went.”

The Lions defeated 12th-seeded Holy Angels, 2-1, in the first round of the tournament Tuesday, Nov. 2. They defeated 13th-seeded Morristown-Beard, 3-1, in the quarterfinals Friday, Nov. 5.

“Morristown-Beard was a hard-fought win. It was 1-1 at halftime. We scored halfway through the second half to make it 2-1 and scored another goal late in the game to come away with a 3-1 win. The entire team has really picked up their game. We are playing our best soccer of the year,” Del Vecchio said after the quarterfinal game.

Several players played well in the last several games of the season, he said.

“Senior goaltender Christina Piparo and sophomore goaltender Frankie Mansfield have improved. Our defensive backline, which consists of juniors Amanda Galasso, Julia Camporeale and Hailey Murphy as well as freshman Maddie Natale, have been playing their best soccer. Midfielders juniors Maria Hoelevas and Saheli Davitt and sophomore Eliza Haghighi along with freshman Mary Hladik have been winning balls and controlling the center of the field. Our offensive attack has been led by senior Gianna Mangili and sophomore Caitlin Caufield. We’ve also received a spark from sophomores Kaitlyn Ferris and Erin Murphy coming off the bench.”