Verona Volleyball Nabs First Round Win in State Tournament

By Erika Desimone

Verona volleyball made winning look easy Monday, beating New Providence, 25-19, 25-18, in round 1 of the NJSIAA Group 1 State Tournament.

The 13th-seeded Hillbillies will face the winner of Tuesday's Hawthorne-Glen Rock match later this week.

Verona co-captain Eliza Sniatkowski attacked the net with 5 kills, bringing her season total to 156 — a new Verona single-season record. With a school record of 411 assists, junior setter Alex Luehs came out strong, setting up the Hillbilly spikers for 17 kills. Junior Paige Ferrell added to the damage, delivering 4 aces and 12 service points.

Verona claimed the SEC Conference Liberty Division Championship last week, marking the team’s first conference title in more than a decade, and only the second in VHS history.

The Hillbillies won 13 consecutive conference games to finish the regular season with a conference record of 14-2. 

The championship was a bit unexpected — even for veteran players.

“I knew we'd do well in the conference...but I am not sure any of us thought we’d be ready enough to win,” said Sniatkowski, a returning senior.
 
Verona volleyball may need to get accustomed to winning under the new leadership of renowned varsity coach Jeff Stiefbold, who recently celebrated his 500th career victory on Sept. 23.

As part of the former coaching duo for Caldwell volleyball, Jeff and his brother Scott led the Chiefs to 15 conference titles, six Essex County Tournament titles and six state championships.

Winning the conference championship in his inaugural season with Verona, it appears Stiefbold has perfected the recipe for success.

“We want the players to play every point like it’s match point,” Stiefbold said after Monday's game. “If we can get the girls to play hard, play together, and believe in themselves…that’s the secret to developing a championship team."

Senior co-captain Madison Misuro attributed their success to teamwork.

“This year, we’ve built a really strong bond off the court, and it definitely makes a difference during the games,” Misuro said. “Today we were confident, but we've learned never to underestimate the competition…we had to play to win.”

Senior co-captain Ellen Didia agreed. “After winning the first game, we are feeling confident. But as a team we’ve come closer, and that’s what’s important.”