November 3, 2005 – NJSIAA Group 4 – East Brunswick defeats Washington Twp. 24-26, 25-15, 25-18
East Brunswick faced a very tough opponent in Washington, TWP in the first round of the NJSIAA Central Jersey girls volleyball tournament. The Bears were suffering from jitters early in the game and quickly fell behind 20-10. Thanks to a 12 point run on the serve of Michelle Sempkowski during which she registered three of her total 10 ‘Aces’, the Bears surged forward with great kills by Anna Chesnakova. East Brunswick went ahead 23-21, but Washington Township came back which resulted in a disappointing 24-26 loss for the Bears. East Brunswick was fired up for the second game and the entire team was playing great volleyball. Kristen Semeniak provided some extra height and power on the front line in addition to her great serving. Marissa Nadeau made many kills and blocks that helped power the Bears to a 25-15 victory in game 2. The third game was a real test for the Bears. East Brunswick quickly was down 2-8, but clawed back into the game until they pulled even at 13 all. Once again it was behind Michelle Sempkowski’s Aces that East Brunswick roared to a 21-15 lead. Melissa Favis made several amazing saves as well as some powerful hits to help finish off Washington, Township. Marissa added the final exclamation point with a memorable kill at the end. The Bears will take a break from the state tournament tomorrow to continue on with the Greater Middlesex Tournament. East Brunswick is now 22-1 for the season.
