BY GREG TARTAGLIA
SPECIAL TO THE RECORD | THE RECORD
RUTHERFORD – Lizzie Alba and Paige Lemieux took a detour at the end of Tuesday’s handshake line.
The Glen Rock co-captains wanted to make sure to say “good game” to each of their opponents from Rutherford after the teams’ quarterfinal match in the Group 1 state girls volleyball tournament. That meant making a stop at the Bulldogs’ bench to give well-wishes to their captain, Kristen Wernicki, after she had been sidelined by a first-set injury.
Alba and Lemieux combined for 18 kills and 31 digs to propel the fifth-seeded Panthers to a 21-25, 25-19, 25-13 win over their NJIC Colonial rival. Their postgame actions spoke volumes, as well.
“When they came in together as freshmen, you just knew that they were some special players for our program,” Glen Rock coach Matt Kingsley said. “They’re doing a great job of leading us, and they’re good kids.”
The Panthers (21-4) will face Bogota in the Group 1 semifinals for the third straight season when they visit the No. 1 Bucs on Thursday.
