Girls volleyball: Bogota hangs on in Group 1 semis against tough Verona squad

In a season of dominance for Bogota, the Bucs showed a different side of their prowess in the Group 1 semifinals on Thursday. Bogota displayed mental and physical toughness at home in the NJSIAA/JAG-ONE Physical Therapy girls volleyball semifinals, taking down Verona 28-26, 25-15 to advance to the Group 1 championship on November 13.

The opening set lived up to the hype. Bogota, ranked No. 4 in the NJ.com Top 20, was going point for point against No. 17 Verona. Superstar outside hitters Ashanna Caviness (Bogota) and Patricia Rakova (Verona) were trading off kills in front of a packed crowd.

About midway through the frame, Bogota’s Angelina Buhler limped off the court following a “dull and sharp pain” in her knee. Verona managed to take the lead during this time, but Buhler’s absence in the match did not last long.

Despite not feeling at her very best, the Bucs senior did all the convincing possible to get back into the game. Her efforts were immediate, rattling two late kills to tie the match at 24 and 25 in a resilient and epic set between two powerhouse Group 1 programs. Eventually, Bogota notched the overtime win to completely swing the momentum in their favor.

“At first I thought it was worse than it really was. I saw how close this match was and I knew I couldn’t give up on my team there. When I got back on the court, I told them I wasn’t 100 percent, so just cover me when you can,” Buhler said.

“Angelina’s a tough kid. Not too many kids would go back in there and play so well. And when she’s on, we are a tough beat,” Bogota head coach Brad DiRupo added.

In overtime, Verona twice was one point away from corraling the victory in the first set thanks to kills from Rakova, who finished with 15 kills.

But Bogota continued finding ways to tally another point behind selfless and smart play.

“I told them to calm down there. We got a bit whacked out when Angelina stepped out, so that threw us out of sorts for a little. When she came back, that was an emotional lift for sure. From there, we just took it one point at a time,” DiRupo said.

In the set, Caviness smashed 10 kills, including one to tie the game at 23. She logged 18 total in the win and now has 374 this fall.

“We just told each other to play as one. So we came together and pushed through those final points. That was the biggest thing for us,” Caviness said.

Bogota looked much more comfortable in the closing set. Jutting out to a 9-6 lead, Bogota setter Mia Pimentel started finding Buhler frequently in the front and back rows.

“I think what helped us was knowing how they play. We knew what to expect and where to be in terms of being in the right spots,” Pimentel said. “I always trust my teammates to get the job done, I just have to get the ball in the right place.”

The All-State setter produced 28 assists.

Buhler’s memorable match was capped with a spike to give Bogota a 22-15 lead in the second, which created another frenzy from the Bucs faithful. She notched eight kills and eight digs.

Libero Gianna Estevez was spectacular in keeping the ball off the floor, tallying 12 digs. Jenelly Jimenez and Adamarys Pinos had four digs apiece while Pimentel, Carolina Villada and Seniah Burrel clocked two blocks each.

“They showed a ton of heart. I told them that I’m proud of them,” DiRupo said.

For Verona (22-6), Rakova’s 15 kills put her at 288 for the season and 782 for her career as a three-time sectional champ. Sydney Aiello added seven kills, ending her career with 387.

“They’re going to be remembered for a long time. They played all four years as leaders on and off the court. We will miss them but the culture they helped create will continue to breed success for our future teams,” Verona head coach Ryan Brown said.