Cohesive on and off the court, Wall’s growing trust advances them to CJG2 semis

Ahead of the state tournament, a team trip to Pete & Elda's in Neptune City for pizza has become tradition for Wall volleyball.

At its core, it is for group bonding, but there is one added layer among the Crimson Knights players. A mini competition takes place to see who can eat a Double-XL pizza pie all by themselves, which is rewarded with a free t-shirt.

Just as the Wall players want their teammates to succeed on the court, they all cheer each other on to see who can polish off the gargantuan pizza.

Ahead of Thursday's NJSIAA Central Jersey Group 2 quarterfinals matchup against sixth-seeded Manasquan, the third-seeded Crimson Knights all donned their prize-winning shirts during warmups, a white Snoopy shirt they each were proud to wear.

They entrusted one another to finish the pizza, similar to their approach on the hardwood in Thursday's straight-set victory. Wall setters Ava Grant and Lyla Gant relied on multiple players to register points, and spread the wealth behind 24 combined assists. They found found four players for five-plus kills apiece in the 25-21, 25-16 victory.

"Going to Pete & Elda's is such a fun thing for the varsity team to do," Grant said. "It gives us a chance to have fun with each other and relax before the playoffs take over."

Grant, who tallied 16 assists, has followed Wall's newer model of getting every player involved on offense. This formula has made it difficult for the opposition to predict a hitting lane, which allows for more floor-touching kills.

"We have learned to use all of our options a lot more," Wall head coach Laura Wall said. "We've really put that into motion lately. We just don't want to be predictable."

Gemma Ferris and Amelia Degutis led the way with seven kills each while Brianna Gant and Briann Young tallied five kills apiece on Thursday. Grant even marked off one kill herself.

"We have gotten more comfortable running everybody. Each player is capable of getting a score for us, which has put us into another gear," said Grant, who surpassed 850 career assists.

This Crimson Knights team has already clicked on all cylinders in 2024. After posting seven wins in 2023, Wall is now 16-10 this season and just one victory away from returning to the sectional finals.

Wall had reached the CJG2 tournament championship in 2021 and 2022, but fell short each time. The current senior class has not forgotten those defeats, and as they continue elevating their play this late in the year, they feel prepared to nab their second sectional trophy in program history.

Thursday's match started on the slower end for Wall, watching Manasquan (14-11) jut out to a 5-0 lead behind a pair of Nicole Jacobs aces.

Wall did not fret, however. Ferris lined an ace and Brianna Gant stealthily picked up a tip kill, eventually leading to a 5-5 tie. Once the rust was shaken off, the Crimson Knights stayed in rhythm for the rest of the day.

"Nerves are a good thing, and I think we had a bit of nerves in those first few minutes. It means that you care, but we were able to bounce back pretty quick," Wall said.

Wall then rode a 10-5 run and never looked back to win the opening frame.

Degutis cranked a pair of kills to open the second set, helping Wall to their own 5-0 lead. They held the lead for the entirety of the final set, which was capped by a Young match-winning kill.

Wall will face the winner of 2-Cranford and 7-Hopewell Valley in the semifinals on Saturday.