September 8th marked the fifth annual Lady Dodger Volleyball Tournament held in Madison’s gym. A wide range of talented teams entered the gym that morning, coming anywhere from 10 minutes to over a half hour away.
Meanwhile, the majority of MHS’s student body littered the stands outside, just yards away at the football game, their cheers heard from inside the gym. While the football team effortlessly maintained their undefeated status, the volleyball team was met with more resistance than anyone expected. The pool they played in determined what teams continued on to the gold bracket, the silver bracket, and who had to go home after playing two games against every team. Madison’s pool consisted of DePaul, whose middle hitter was well over 6 feet tall, West Orange, who played with at least four girls taller than the tallest Madison volleyball player, and Del Valley. Madison played competitively for the most part, but inconsistently, maintaining up to a 6-point lead, as well as being behind by at least 6 points for a number of games. Every player contributed to the team’s overall play. Kayla Fennelly racked up points with unyielding spikes thanks to Jen Vorel’s setting skills. Middle hitters Maddy Watson and Margy Taylor controlled the net; Margy spiked the ball, and Maddy blocking West Orange’s star player. Olivia Alexander served aces for the team, while Mackie Goodwin dug the other teams’ hits. However, after splitting every match, it wasn’t enough to put Madison in the gold bracket. For the first time in 3 years, Madison’s volleyball team was in the silver bracket at their own tournament.
Surprised and disappointed, Madison set out to win the silver bracket, playing the Summit and South Plainfield teams. The Lady Dodgers completely dominated, averaging a comfortable 10-point lead every game. Although they were named “Champions” on a metallic poster-board bracket, the Madison volleyball team put the tournament behind them, looking forward to a more successful season.