Randolph captured its first Morris County Tournament volleyball title in its sixth trip to the final.
FLORHAM PARK — Ashley Silvestri was fed up with looking at the blank girls volleyball banner in the Randolph High School gym. A senior in her second season as captain, Silvestri decided to do something about it.
The quest started in preseason, when the Rams set small, achievable goals. They didn't plan to win the Morris County Tournament. Instead, the girls' goal was to reach the semifinals – which Randolph was set to host.
And after a NJAC-National loss to Mendham when Rams head coach Shari Data said they played "scared to lose," the girls tightened their goals even farther to things which could be achieved in a single match – or even just one game.
That's how Randolph was able to relax in its 25-21, 25-19, 25-21 MCT final victory against Morris Hills on Oct. 18. It is the Rams' first MCT title, finally etching "2025" on that blank expanse of navy.
Randolph had played in six MCT finals in the team's 15-year history, most recently in 2018.
"It feels very good," Silvestri said. "What makes it even better is to be the first team to get something on the banner. That makes it 100 times better. ... It's in our gym. I see it every day. It's disheartening."
And the top-seeded Rams (16-1) celebrated in style, as each one of them carefully stroked the MCT championship plaque. They carried it around the FDU-Madison gym like it was an infant, or, as senior libero Jazmine Holder said, "the most precious thing in the world."
Sophomore Reese Nelson led the attack with 10 kills, a block, an ace and three digs. Randolph junior Ola Jankowska added eight kills, two blocks, nine digs, an assist and four aces. Holder had 13 digs and two assists, and was named the MCT Most Valuable Player.
"Our team goal was to get something on the banner," she said. "To get something on the banner, we needed to think small. Every game counts. ... We set small goals because we didn't want to think past big games. We had to think small steps before the big steps."
But Morris Hills (16-4) also had a lot to celebrate. This was the sixth-seeded Scarlet Knights' first trip to a final, after making the semis for the first time.
They had already upset second-seeded Madison in a semifinal.
Morris Hills senior outside hitter Lila Levine had a match-best 12 kills in the final, which was played as best-of-five as preparation for the new NJSIAA Tournament rules. Junior outside hitter Melanie Garnica had seven kills. Alex Klose added three kills and a block for the Scarlet Knights.
This was the third time Randolph had beaten Morris Hills this fall, after two 2-0 victories in NJAC-National regular-season matches. The Rams also clinched the division title this week.
"They never gave up. They just don't give up," Data said. "We met our goal when we won the semis. I told them, 'Win or lose, just have fun.' That's what has worked for us all season."
This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Randolph beats Morris Hills in 2025 girls volleyball MCT final
Category: General Sports
