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Coaches: Melissa Strauss
Assistant Coach: Greg Rutz
2006 Captains: Anne Ruffner, Michelle Sempkowski and Andrea Temkin
Greater Middlesex Conference Champions: (Top Row)Candace Riggs, Kristina Borisova, Marta Matera, Grace Huang, Ivana Kapetanovic, Haidi Parais, Michelle Sempkowski (Front Row) Melissa Favis, Allanah Miller, Anne Ruffner, Becky Temkin, Andrea Temkin and Brittany Price Click for full sized image
Junior Varsity Champions: From left, Sam Keegan, Sandy Cao, Shirley Li, Deanna Acosta, Mary Ruffner, Candace Riggs (holding trophy), Jen Zavoda, Nicole Venezia, Colleen Murphy, Jing Cao and Rena Mamroud. Click for full sized image
| 9/5 | Marlboro | 4PM |
| 9/8 | Mother Seton | 4PM |
| 9/11 | at Bishop Ahr | 4PM |
| 9/13 | Old Bridge | 4PM |
| 9/14 | at West Windsor South | 4PM |
| 9/15 | New Brunswick | 4PM |
| 9/18 | South Plainfield | 4PM |
| 9/19 | Peddie | 4:15PM |
| 9/20 | J.P. Stevens | 4PM |
| 9/25 | at Edison | 4PM |
| 9/27 | at South Brunswick | 4PM |
| 9/29 | at Piscataway | 4PM |
| 10/3 | at Mother Seton | 4PM |
| 10/5 | Bishop Ahr | 4PM |
| 10/6 | Piscataway | 4PM |
| 10/7 | Eastern and Hackensack | 10AM |
| 10/10 | at Old Bridge | 4PM |
| 10/12 | at Westfield | 4PM |
| 10/13 | at South Plainfield | 4PM |
| 10/18 | Edison | 4PM |
| 10/20 | at South Brunswick | 4PM |
| 10/23 | GMC Tournament | TBA |
| 10/25 | GMC Tournament | TBA |
| 10/27 | GMC Tournament | TBA |
November 11, 2006 – NJSIAA Group IV State Finals: Hunterdon Central defeats East Brunswick 25-22, 25-13
East Brunswick girls volleyball team accomplished something that no girls volleyball team had ever done from the Middlesex Conference – they made it to the finals in an NJSIAA Tournament. East Brunswick had not lost a match all season and had won most of them easily, but they were facing a Hunterdon Central team that had been to the finals four times in the last six seasons. East Brunswick started off strong, pulling out to a 4-1 advantage, but a few things went wrong and quickly the Bears found themselves down 10-5. Allanah Miller came up to serve and helped East Brunswick come back to 10-8. East Brunswick kept fighting back and with Brittany Price serving, managed to tie the score at 14 each. The Bears finally took the lead at 16-15 and powered to a 19-16 advantage. It looked like so many other games in the season when East Brunswick powered to victory at the end, but this time it was not to be. Hunterdon Central pulled back in the lead and although East Brunswick got back to 23-22, Hunterdon Central took the game. The Bears were shaken by losing the first game, but they still started out strong in the second game going up 4-2, but things soon started to fall apart. East Brunswick couldn’t get a strong rally going and the game quickly slipped from their grasp. This team has been so amazing all year – a record of 31-1 for the year! The team was so balanced and strong at all positions and played with such a high level of team work, it was very inspirational to watch them through the season. Congratulations to all!
East Brunswick in the NJSIAA Group IV Finals!
November 9, 2006 – NJSIAA Group IV Semifinals: East Brunswick Defeats Bridgewater-Raritan 25-21, 25-21
East Brunswick put on an impressive display in the NJSIAA Group IV Semifinal game against the second seeded Bridgewater-Raritan team. East Brunswick got off to a slow start, falling steadily behind until the score was 14-8. Melissa Favis then came up to serve for East Brunswick and got the Bears right back into the game. Michelle Sempkowski and Allanah Miller kept blasting the ball at Bridgewater, which amazingly managed to get some of them back over. The Bears looked like they were going to surge right on past Bridgewater, rolling to a 22-14 lead, but Bridgewater made a run at East Brunswick and pulled within a point at 22-21. East Brunswick then brought in Brittany Price to serve and she closed out the game. The second game was back and forth with both sides making some great plays. East Brunswick was ahead 12-11 with Melissa Favis once again coming up to serve. The Bears then surged forward to an 17-11 lead aided by several aces. Andrea Temkin was doing an amazing job as setter, getting to everything and placing her sets flawlessly. Bridgewater crawled back into the game and eventually managed to tie the game at 21-21. Becky Temkin made many great saves with her lightning fast reflexes which gave the Bears lots of chances. Ivana Kapetanovic made a great kill to put the Bears back in the lead. Once again, Bridgewater had the misfortune of having to face Brittany Price’s serve. Anne Ruffner scored the final point to close out the game. East Brunswick is now 31-0 for the season and will play in the finals on Saturday at William Patterson college. Please come out and support the team.
Brittany Price closes out Bridgewater
November 7, 2006 – State Quarterfinals: East Brunswick Defeats Watchung 25-15, 25-16
East Brunswick made it look easy in the state quarterfinals pounding Watchung 25-15, 25-16. The Bears pulled out to an incredible 14-0 lead off the serving of setter Andrea Temkin. On defense, the Bears really played strong, with Becky Temkin getting 12 digs. Melissa Favis had 11 digs in addition to her 3 kills and two aces. Ivana Kapetanovic had 5 kills and two digs. Allanah Miller seemed to always be diving for a ball when she wasn’t delivering wicked kills. Anne Ruffner had several nice blocks and 4 service points. The Bears seem to be getting better every week. They will face Bridgewater-Raritan, the number two seed on Thursday at 5:30 in South Brunswick. Please come out and support the team. East Brunswick is now 30-0 for the season.
Andrea Temkin – 21 Service Points!!
November 3, 2006 – State Tournament Second Round: East Brunswick Defeats Hackensack 25-16, 25-12
East Brunswick dominated Hackensack in the second round of the NJSIAA Group IV State Tournament. The Bears as usual made very few mistakes. On serve, East Brunswick featured hard serves that were fired with pinpoint accuracy – Andrea Temkin, Anne Ruffner and Michelle Sempkowski each had several aces. Ivana Kapetanovic, Mellisa Favis, Michelle Sempkowski and Allanah Miller all made numerous kills. The Bears looked very strong and will take a lot of momentum into the quarter finals against Watchung Hills, Tuesday 4PM at home. Come out and cheer on the team! East Brunswick is now 29-0 for the season.
Allanah Miller was unstoppable
October 30, 2006 – GMCT Finals: East Brunswick Defeats South Brunswick 25-22, 25-15
East Brunswick proved beyond all doubt that they are the best team in the Greater Middlesex Conference – defeating South Brunswick for the third time this season. The undefeated Bears struggled in the first game, with the lead changing hands several times. With the score tied 15 all, Brittany Price started serving and with an ace, a block by middle Anne Ruffner and a kill by Melissa Favis, the score was 18-15. South Brunswick was not about to give up and they soon had pulled ahead 20-18. Melissa Favis made another crushing shot to put the Bears back on serve. After another exchange of points, Melissa came up to serve and got an ace to make the score 22-21. Michelle sempkowski’s kill followed by another ace from Melissa and the score was 24-21. The second game stayed close up through 8-8, but East Brunswick was starting to surge forward. Allanah Miller made several kills. Andrea Temkin 2 aces, 5 digs and 12 assists. Becky Temkin had 9 digs. East Brunswick is now 28-0 for the season.
Melissa Favis makes a kill
October 27, 2006 – GMCT Semifinals: East Brunswick Defeats J.P. Stevens 25-16, 25-12
East Brunswick rolled to victory over J.P. Stevens in two games. J.P. Stevens stayed even with the Bears through 8 points, but then East Brunswick started pulling away. Mellisa Favis and Michelle Sempkowski were crushing the ball for East Brunswick. Becky Temkin didn’t seem to let anything hit the ground. Andrea Temkin, the setter, was getting to everything, no matter where the initial pass was coming down. Anne Ruffner and Ivana Kapetanovic were getting blocks and kills up at the net. The second game was never close. Kristina Borisova was crushing the ball with regularity. The final point of the game came off a serve by Marta Matera. East Brunswick is looking very strong going into the finals of the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament.
East Brunswick 27-0 for the season.
Allanah Miller is awesome!
October 25, 2006 – GMCT Quarter Finals: East Brunswick Defeats North Brunswick 25-5, 25-7
East Brunswick totally dominated North Brunswick in the quarter finals of the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament. Melissa Favis had 24 service points, 6 aces, 3 digs and 2 kills. Kristina Borisova had 8 service points, 3 aces, 3 digs and 3 kills. East Brunswick is now 26-0 for the season.
October 21, 2006 – East Brunswick Wins Junior Varsity Tournament
East Brunswick junior varsity team capped off the season with a magnificant victory in the Junior Varsity Tournament at West Windsor Plainsboro South. The Bears won 6 out of 9 games in the pool play to be seeded 2nd for the single elimination phase of the tournament. Things did not look good for East Brunswick when they rapidly fell behind 8-0 in a 15 point game. When they finally broke Hunterdon Central’s serve, Deanna Acosta came up to serve and got the Bears right back into the game. East Brunswick managed to get to 15 first. The next game was a 21 point game against Old Bridge. The game was very close the whole way, but Mary Ruffner made a key block that helped put the Bears over the top. The finals were between South Brunswick and East Brunswick. The Vikings had just beaten the Bears in two games the day before, so perhaps they were a bit over confident. East Brunswick played strong right from the start. Colleen Murphy, the setter was doing a great job of placing the ball for Nicole Venezia to make some good kills. With the game tied 10-10, Jing Cao came up to serve and that was the end for South Brunswick. Jing served a number of aces and even when South Brunswick was able to get the ball back over, the Bears kept getting to everything. The final score was 25-11. For more pictures…
Championship JV Team: From left, Sam Keegan, Sandy Cao, Shirley Li, Deanna Acosta, Mary Ruffner, Candace Riggs (holding trophy), Jen Zavoda, Nicole Venezia, Colleen Murphy, Jing Cao and Rena Mamroud. Click for full sized image
October 20, 2006 – East Brunswick Defeats South Brunswick 25-20, 23-25, 25-14
East Brunswick had one of their toughest matches of the season against and enthusiastic South Brunswick team. The Bears fell behind 7-4 early in the first game, but Michelle Sempkowski came up to serve and East Brunswick surged forward to an 11-7 lead. Despite some wicked hits by Melissa Favis and Ivana Kapetanovic, South Brunswick kept chipping away at the Bears and finally took the lead 20-18. East Brunswick kept their cool and with Michelle Sempkowski once again serving, pushed forward to capture game one. The second game was back and forth all the way, but South Brunswick pulled ahead and at 24-20 the Bears tried to mount a comeback with their setter senior captain Andrea Temkin serving. East Brunswick pulled back to 24-23, but came up short with a 25-23 loss. East Brunswick didn’t let this get them down. They came out strong in third game and never looked back. The Bears pulled out to a lead and kept building upon it, finishing 25-14.
East Brunswick completed the regular season with a perfect 25-0 record.
Ivana Kapetanovic Dominates
October 19, 2006 – East Brunswick Defeats North Brunswick 25-8, 25-9
East Brunswick had a solid day against North Brunswick. Grace Huang had 7 service points, 2 aces, 2 digs and 1 kill. Michelle sempkowski had 9 kills and 2 aces. East Brunswick is now 24-0 for the season.
October 18, 2006 – East Brunswick Defeats Edison 25-12, 25-15
East Brunswick had a very memorable senior night which started out with a solid victory of Edison. Brittany Price had 2 aces and 10 digs. Mellisa Favis had 6 kills and 4 digs. Ivana Kapetanovic had 3 kills, 1 ace and 2 digs. Andrea Temkin had 18 assists and 4 aces. East Brunswick is now 23-0 for the season.
October 16, 2006 – East Brunswick Defeats J.P. Stevens 25-23, 25-10
East Brunswick improved to an amazing 22-0 for the year with another strong showing. Becky Temkin had 10 digs, while senior captain Andrea Temkin had 11 service points, 5 aces, 4 digs and 15 assists. East Brunswick is now 22-0 for the season.
October 12, 2006 – East Brunswick Defeats Westfield 19-25, 25-15, 25-22
East Brunswick not only proved that they were one of the best in the state, but they showed that they are mentally tough. Both Westfield and East Brunswick came into the game undefeated and ranked in the top 20 in the state. East Brunswick was nervous at the start of the game and fell behind 6-0. The outside hitters for East Brunswick, Mellisa Favis and Michelle Sempkowski (7 kills, 7 digs, 3 aces) turned up the heat and helped the Bears play even for the rest of the game. With their confidence restored, East Brunswick demolished Westfield in the second game aided by numerous blocks by Allanah Miller (5 kills, 1 block, 6 digs), Ivana Kapetanovic and Anne Ruffner. The third game was a battle, but with Andrea Temkin (23 assists, 3 digs) hustling like crazy to make great sets, East Brunswick was not going to be denied. In all three games, Becky Temkin made numerous saves of what seemed like killer shots. The strong serving of Brittany Price was another decisive factor in this impressive victory for the Bears. East Brunswick is now 19-0 for the season.
The Junior Varsity won in two games.
October 10, 2006 – East Brunswick Defeats Old Bridge 25-13, 25-17
East Brunswick played a solid game against division rival Old Bridge. Anne Ruffner had 4 service points, 5 kills, 1 block and 2 digs for East Brunswick. Britt Price had 6 service points and 3 digs for the Bears. East Brunswick is now 16-0 for the season.
October 7, 2006 – East Brunswick 2, Eastern 0; East Brunswick 2, Hackensack 1
East Brunswick had their first challenge of the season, facing Eastern and Hackensack. The Bears faced Hackensack first and won the first game 25-13, but in the second game things weren’t going to well for East Brunswick who ended up losing their first game of the season 22-25. The Bears were very determined in the third game and despite some fine play by Hackensack, East Brunswick won 25-18. Allanah Miller had 7 kills, 10 digs and two aces for East Brunswick. Becky Temkin had 13 digs for the Bears.
The second match of the double header was against Eastern. East Brunswick won in two games, both with the score of 25-19. Michele Sempkowski had 7 kills and 4 digs. Ivana Kapetanovic had 5 kills, 1 block and 3 digs. With the two victories, East Brunswick improved to 15-0 for the season.
Anne Ruffner
October 6, 2006 – East Brunswick Defeats Piscataway 25-13, 25-18
East Brunswick had a fine game against Piscataway. The Bears got off to a slow start, with Piscataway staying even with them until the score was 5-5. East Brunswick then turned up the heat with some great serves, wicked kills by Allanah Miller and Melissa Favis. The second game was a little closer, but it was never really in doubt. Michelle Sempkowski made several really nice shots. Anne Ruffner had 4 kills and 5 digs. Britt Price had 2 aces and 8 digs. East Brunswick is now 14-0 for the season.
The Junior Varsity also won in two games. Jenny Zavoda had a great game serving. Shirley Li had a fine first game as Libero.
Anne Ruffner
October 5, 2006 – East Brunswick defeats Bishop Ahr 25-8, 25-10
East Brunswick dominated the game against Bishop Ahr with Melissa Favis contributing 5 kills, 1 ace and 6 digs. Allanah Miller had 8 kills, 2 aces and 4 digs. East Brunswick is now 13-0 for the season.
October 3, 2006 – East Brunswick defeats Mother Seton 25-12, 26-24
East Brunswick was almost force into a third game for the first time of the season, but they were able to prevail with a 26-24 victory in the second game. Allanah Miller had 9 kills and 5 digs for the Bears. Marta Matera got her picture in the paper. East Brunswick is now 11-0 for the season.
September 30, 2006 – East Brunswick defeats Bishop Ahr
East Brunswick continued their domination with a victory over Bishop Ahr, despite a slippery floor that had some of the Bears sliding across the floor. East Brunswick is now 12-0 for the season.
The Team
September 29, 2006 – East Brunswick defeats Piscataway 25-16, 25-14
East Brunswick had another solid day playing against Piscataway. Brittany Price served up 6 aces, got 1 kill and had 4 digs. Melissa Favis had 2 kills, 6 aces and 8 digs. East Brunswick is now 11-0 for the season.
September 27, 2006 – East Brunswick Defeats South Brunswick 25-17, 25-22
East Brunswick got to test their skills against another top notch team from South Brunswick. With the first game tied 1-1, Melissa Favis served several winners to propel the Bears to a 5-1 lead. There were some very impressive volleys where both teams made hard hits that were dug out by the other team. Andrea Temkin, the setter, had 21 assists, one ace and 3 digs. Anne Ruffner, middle, had 5 kills, 1 block and 5 digs. Allanah Miller, Kristina Borisova, Melissa Favis and Michelle Sempkowski all had many impressive kills. The second game was especially impressive with some really great plays. East Brunswick pulled out ahead, but South Brunswick kept fighting back and managed to close the gap to 23-22 near the end of the game, but Michelle Sempkowski made several wicked hits in a row and shut the door on South Brunswick 25-22. East Brunswick is now 10-0 for the season.
The Junior Varsity had a pitched battle with South Brunswick. In the end it came down to a 24-24 tie in game 3. Unfortunately for East Brunswick, the Vikings got the next two points, but it was really an impressive JV game.
Allanah Miller makes a kill
September 26, 2006 – East Brunswick defeats North Brunswick 25-7, 25-6
East Brunswick played some dominating volleyball against North Brunswick. Kristina Borisova had 6 kills, 3 aces and 6 digs for East Brunswick. The Bears were also helped by Anne Ruffner who provided 4 kills 3 blocks and 3 aces. East Brunswick is now 9-0 for the season.
September 25, 2006 – East Brunswick defeats Edison 25-11, 25-16
East Brunswick has not lost a single game this season and has only rarely been behind and yesterday was no exception. Anne Ruffner helped get the Bears off to a good start with several blocks. Allanah Miller had several nice hits for the Bears. East Brunswick is now 8-0 for the season.
September 21, 2006 – East Brunswick Defeats J.P. Stevens 25-19, 25-23
East Brunswick was not as sharp as they usually are, but they were still able to defeat J.P. Stevens in two games. The Bears fell behind in the second game until with the score 11-17, Melissa Favis came up to serve and got the Bears back into the game. Mellisa had 6 aces and 4 digs on the day. Becky Temkin had 15 digs for the Bears. East Brunswick is now 7-0 for the season.
The Junior Varsity won in two games also. Mary Ruffner had a string of service points that helped pull the Bears out front.
Melissa Favis takes a shot
September 19, 2006 – East Brunswick defeats Peddie 25-16, 25-18
East Brunswick continued their domination with another 2 game victory. Senior Anne Ruffner had 4 kills and 2 blocks. Kristina Borisova had 5 kills and 3 digs. East Brunswick is now 6-0 for the season.
September 15, 2006 – East Brunswick Wins Double-Header over New Brunswick
Kristina Borisova scores for Bears
September 14, 2006 – East Brunswick Defeats WW-Plainsboro South 25-20, 25-11
East Brunswick continued in their winning ways. Senior Anne Ruffner had 6 kills, 4 aces and 2 digs for East Brunswick. Ivana Kapetanovic had 4 kills and 1 block for the Bears. East Brunswick is now 3-0 for the season.
September 13, 2006 – East Brunswick Defeats Old Bridge 25-18, 25-10
East Brunswick asserted their power in the Greater Middlesex Conference with a solid victory over Old Bridge. Allanah Miller had 5 kills and 3 digs for East Brunswick. Kristina Borisova had 6 kills and three digs for the Bears. East Brunswick is now 2-0 for the season.
September 8, 2006 – East Brunswick Defeats Mother Seton 25-18, 25-15
The Junior Varsity won the first and third game, with the last game a struggle the whole way that ended 26-24.
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