Late overtime run orchestrates Park Ridge’s first win vs. Bogota, advances in BCT

It's easy to get their names mixed up.

Mia Izzo and Izzy Yarenis are not just bonded by a similarity in name - which trips people up sometimes - but are also mentioned in the same breath when it comes to the ability of keeping Park Ridge volleyball in every match.

The two senior captains, who each lead the entire state in a statistic, have never won a Bergen County Tournament matchup and things were not looking good for them midway through Tuesday's contest on the road against Bogota.

In the opening round of the tournament, 17th-seeded Park Ridge was handed a difficult meetup against 16th-seeded Bogota, a team the Owls have never defeated. To make tallying a victory even more unlikely, Bogota opened up the match with a set win in the first.

Izzo and Yarenis navigated Park Ridge to a middle-frame victory to force overtime in an environment they have never seen success.

Trailing 20-15 in the third set, Park Ridge marched to eight straight points, including three Mia Izzo kills, to pull off an unprecedented win, advancing to the First Round of the Bergen tournament following a 23-25, 25-16, 25-23 mark on Tuesday.

"That was the best volleyball from our team this season. We showed so much resiliency and really focused on the present. It's all about letting the scoreboard speak to us at the end," Park Ridge head coach Bill Allen said.

Trailing by a handful with Bogota gaining momentum behind five third-set aces, Allen was restless. The sixth-year coach was on his knees on the court, positioned right next to his team, holding his clipboard tensely.

"In practice, he is conditioning with us and playing volleyball to help us. B.A. and the entire coaching staff live and breathe for this team," Yarenis said. "So in these games, he is unsurprisingly so passionate and it inspires us."

He knew his players were primed for stringing together bunches of points at a time, and kneeling by them helped alleviate any notion of him not being part of the match.

"That's my way of being on the floor with all of them. I have to be right in on the action," Allen said.

Allen watched junior Lori Graham pull off the play of the day right next to him in the third set as the game came within reach.

Chasing a floating ball toward the wall of Park Ridge's bench, Graham executed a backwards bump that went over Allen and back into play, which eventually turned into a Park Ridge point to keep their trudging run intact.

"That play is a product of us practicing and learning how to play with urgency and constant hustle. That was an unbelievable play," Allen said.

Izzo led the offense with a season-high 25 kills alongside 11 digs and nine blocks. She leads New Jersey with 280 kills and is within the Top 10 in blocks with 61. Her last kill of the night came in the third set to give the Owls a 21-20 lead.

A vocal leader, Izzo has grown into a dynamic and powerful hitter who can jump and swing from the back row, despite being a middle blocker. She was as happy as she's ever been on the hardwood and embraced her teammates following the historic victory.

"We have never beaten Bogota. The fact that this is the first team to do it after losing the first set has us all on Cloud Nine," Izzo said. "Izzy and I have spoken about this since our freshman year. For a brief moment, we thought that this wouldn't happen for us. Now we're so joyful and so proud of everyone."

Yarenis tallied 28 digs on Tuesday, giving her a state-high 342 digs this fall. Her stymieing performance survived the Owls (13-5) in each possession, keeping tough swings off the ground. She also etched herself into Park Ridge royalty, becoming the all-time digs leader with 1,047.

Ella McDermott directed 25 assists to surpass 300 for the season and 700 for her career. Serena Wagner knotted a dozen digs and Taylor Roth added seven digs. Roth also had a clutch ace in the third frame, tying the set at 20 with a stealthy corner drop-in.

Bogota (10-8) set an early tone behind four kills apiece from Emma Fowler and Isabella Cruz in the first set, including the set winner on a spike from Fowler.

It was a win that Park Ridge will not soon forget. This season has been a ground-breaking effort for the program, as they entered Tuesday leading the N1G1 section in power points with 26.756, jutting out ahead of other contenders in Glen Rock, Jefferson, Westwood and Ramsey.

Park Ridge will face top-seeded Old Tappan in the next round.