Lady Raiders Respond to Volleyball Coach's Lecture, Dispatch Demarest

Ramapo came out like gangbusters in the opening minutes of its match with Northern Valley-Demarest on Tuesday, but it's entirely possible they won the match the day before.

Ramapo looked every bit like a team that's now 14-2 and seeded third in the county tournament during a 25-14, 25-18 triumph over a familiar rival, albeit one that's in the throes of a rare down year.

Demarest, a traditional Bergen County juggernaut, may have been 9-6 entering the match, but Ramapo sought instead to prepare for the opponent that recently took Old Tappan, the state's top-ranked team, to three games—making them the only team to do so all season.

That's why the ordinarily reserved coach Dave Van Hook nearly blew a gasket during Monday's practice.

"Our focus just wasn't there, and I lost it," Van Hook said. "They know that's not my personality and if I was upset, there was probably a good reason. And I invited them to put it back in my face if I was wrong and we played up to our potential today, and we certainly did."

Ramapo came out confident and precise from the opening volley. After a few kills from a devastating Nicole Kincade, a pair of deft tips by Erin O'Hagan and a couple of service points from Sarah Giegerich, Ramapo settled in to a 7-1 lead, and stayed in the driver's seat for the rest of the match.

Demarest fought back to pull within 14-10, but five consecutive points put Ramapo back in command, and allowed their coach an opportunity to exhale.

"I was wired today," added Van Hook. "I felt like Demarest would be a dangerous opponent. They had nothing to lose today, and they are too well-coached and too determined to ever take lightly. Any win over Demarest is always a good win."

The Raiders also stormed out of the gate in the second game, opening up a 13-2 lead after consecutive kills by Kincade. Demarest showed some fight to get within 23-18, but a Ramapo timeout broke their momentum, and the Raiders put the finishing touches on a season sweep.

With another Bergen County Tournament game looming (Saturday at 6:30 p.m. vs. Tenafly at Old Tappan), Van Hook insists that even practices are no place to take shortcuts.

"I told them I wanted to see heart, desire, grittiness—girls doing whatever it takes to keep a ball in the air."

Van Hook reminded his team about a state tournament game back in 2008, when his current core of seniors were emerging sophomores. They watched an 18-10 season end in disappointment at the hands of a beatable opponent. What a difference a little focus makes.

"We played well at Old Tappan last week, but today I could tell even in the warm-up that we were ready to play," said setter Erin O'Hagan. "The season has been an incredible ride, but we're focused on being the best we can be, and we feel like we're getting closer to reaching our peak."

Added Van Hook: "This is a team sport, and we're only as good as our worst player on the floor."

On Tuesday, all of Ramapo's players were stars—and focused ones at that.