Back in the North Jersey, Section 1, Group 1 final of the NJSIAA girls volleyball championships, Bogota wasted no time getting back into familiar territory with a familiar face in tow.
With head coach Brad DiRupo back after a one-year medical leave, the bracket’s top seed and No. 4 team in NJ.com’s Top 20 captured its 13th consecutive sectional title, ending third-seeded Cresskill’s upset bid with a dominant 25-11 advantage in the first set before shaking off an early deficit to prevail 25-14 in the second.
Bogota (26-2) continued its sectional reign and secured a spot in Thursday’s statewide Group 1 semifinals, where it will take on No. 7 Verona, which swept Rutherford in North 1, Section 2 final, 25-6, 25-13.
“The main parts of our formula are just all the time, sweat, tears and blood we put into this program,” senior Gianna Estevez said. “It’s a year-long program. We play the season and we get straight into club. We’re always together and the vibe is just good between all of us. There’s no drama or anything. We always make sure everything’s like healthy throughout the team.”
DiRupo was more than happy to put the focus on his players in the aftermath.
“They worked really hard and they got what they deserved,” DiRupo said. “I’m really happy for the kids, proud of the kids. They had a great year and worked really hard to get this.”
Bogota made sure that DiRupo’s return to the final would include yet another trophy hoist, quickly eliminating any momentum that Cresskill (19-6) might have been riding from a semifinal-round upset of second seed Emerson Boro.
Bogota earned the first four points of the opening set and maintained the lead primarily with strong play at the net from seniors Angelina Buhler and Ashanna Caviness. When Cresskill trimmed the lead to 15-10, Bogota rattled off nine consecutive points to get to set point.
“They played amazing. They’ve always played amazing,” Estevez, who worked primarily in the middle, said of Buhler and Caviness and their ability up front. “I’ve been playing with them since seventh grade and, honestly, congratulations to them. I’m just so proud about how they played.”
Cresskill ended the run with a point but could provide no further counter.
“It was really important to start off strong especially with the crowd (Cresskill) had here,” Bogota senior captain Mia Pimentel said, referring to a visiting student section that arrived in two buses. “It was really important to not be intimidated and really just to have your eyes on the prize. We played strong from the start and just pushed all the way through, knowing that we had to do our job.”
“It was just the drive and knowing that our seasons coming to an end,” Buhler said of the extra motivation at the onset. “We’re seniors and I feel like we just want to shine as much as we can before we’re out of here.”
Eager to keep its run going, Cresskill came out swinging in the latter set, even taking a brief 3-2 lead. That wound up being its first and only advantage of the match: Bogota went on a 6-1 run before Cresskill called a timeout to regroup.
While the visitors managed to keep a better pace, they failed to keep the Lady Bucs’ dominance from extending to yet another year, much to the delight of a sold-out crowd. Bogota has not lost a set since falling to No. 1-ranked Immaculate Heart Academy in the Bergen County Tournament final.
The state tournament has offered similar Bogota dominance, as it has earned the overall Group 1 title four times over the past five years. The seniors, major contributors to both streaks, offered their thoughts on what’s kept Buc supremacy alive and well throughout the past decade.
“I feel like the secret is the heart and determination and the time we’ve all put into this,” Buhler said. ” I feel like it’s not just physical, it’s mental as well. I feel like, mentally, if you’re steady and you’re focused, I feel like that’s the key to winning huge matches like this.”
“We’re like a family and we do things like a family. We’ve bonded as a team like no other,” Caviness said. “In the second set, when we fell behind, we definitely gathered up when we saw that we were letting and we told each other not to do that. We came back really strong after that.”
Cresskill’s run came to an end, but head coach Laura Germano held nothing back in expressing her love for her accomplished group, which brought Cresskill its first sectional championship appearance in girls’ volleyball since 2003.
“We gave it everything we go. We wanted to make sure that we left it all on the floor,” Germano said. “With a new coach and the squad responding the way that they have, just getting here felt like we won something. I think (the first set) was nerves. They haven’t been in this type of situation before … But I think we came back in the second game and we literally gave it everything we had.”
“The heart got us here. The heart of this team and the drive of this team is something like I’ve never seen before. Hands down, this is the best team I’ve ever coached.”
