Volleyball Gets its First Win Against Morris Hills

Thanks to strong defense and aggressive serves, the Montville Township High School volleyball team notched its first win of the season against Morris Hills on Wednesday.

"Our serving run really sparked us and carried us through," head coach Heide Kmetz said. "It's really easy for us to set up our offense when they are having a hard time retuning our serves."

Senior Taylor Strickland led the Mustangs with seven service aces on the day, including five in the first game.

"We usually serve really well, but the last two games we were more tentative," Kmetz said. "We were much more aggressive today, serving with more confidence."

Montville got off to a somewhat rocky start, falling behind early to Morris Hills before going on a run behind Strickland's serves, pulling ahead 14-8 and causing Morris Hills to call a timeout.

Montville won the first game 25-13.

If the first game was a back-and-forth, the second was all Montville, as the Mustang's defense caused Morris Hills to adjust its strategy. Senior Alexi Corham led the defense with 14 digs and four kills on the day.

"Our blocking was much better than it has been today," Kmetz said. "We had seven blocks today, a lot of touches on the ball. If we didn't block, they could just swing away."

The team's strong serving continued into the second game. The Mustangs went on a nine-point run, going up 13-6 on Morris Hills before giving up a point. They won the second game 25-12.

"Our serving and blocking were better today than they have been," Kmetz said.

Strickand finished the day with four kills, nine digs, seven service aces and two solo blocks.

The victory marks the first win for the volleyball team, which lost its first two games despite showing signs of improvement against county powerhouse West Morris Central.

"The first game we were kind of getting the kinks out," Kmetz said. "Against West Morris, we almost beat them in game two, and I think that was a confidence booster for us, kind of turning point. This win is definitely a good thing, should carry us into our next game against Mount Olive.

Kmetz hopes the win will establish more confidence in her team, which she believes can compete with the county's high-level programs.

"The 0-2 record really doesn't explain the beginning of our season," she said. "It's hard to start that way, but I know this team has it in them. I think they are starting to get excited, starting to feel it, and I think it should convert into a lot of success."