First time Caper Tigers are division champs; three named All Conference
EDITOR’S NOTE: This end-of-season story updates the previous story on the LCMR girls volleyball team.
ERMA — The Caper Tiger girls volleyball team, from a little school at the southern end of New Jersey, proved this season that it represents.
The team made it to the semifinals of the South Jersey Group I sectional tournament after decisive wins over Roselle Park and Cape May Tech, making program history in the process.
The Lower Cape May Regional High School team then gave No. 2 seed Raritan all it could handle, going up two sets to one in the semifinal before falling in five sets, 3-2.
Head coach Greta Pacevich’s girls are the National Division champions for the first time, compiling a division record of 8-2 as they improved to 18-8 overall after the sectional tournament.
Three of the players have been named All Conference — Addie Pacevich and Ava Riggins to first team and Melinda Reeves honorable mention — another first for the program. On top of that, Addie Pacevich set a county and school record for assists, topping 1,000.
“I’m so proud of them on so many levels,” the coach said after the Roselle Park game Nov. 2. “We have this fall break in our district this week, so we’re off school a week and a lot of schools are not. A lot of our athletic teams deal with the issue of families going away on vacation, right? So we talked back in July about the commitment that it takes and that you have to be here through this week, which is really hard.
“A lot of our girls sacrifice, and families sacrifice to make sure those kids are here. And we really appreciate that,” Pacevich said. “We appreciate the sacrifice, we appreciate the commitment.”
“And when you come out with a win like that, it just makes it all worth it. So I’m super proud of them,” she said.
Tournament success
Lower Cape May Regional opened the sectional tournament and swept Roselle Park in three games, although the team from northern New Jersey (nearly adjacent to New York) kept things knotted up in the middle game before Lower won 29-27.
LCMR took the other two games 25-20 and 25-19, led by 21 kills from Ava Riggins, three blocks by Sahara Moore and 26 assists from Pacevich, along with 14 service points by Harley Siner.
Two days later, they hosted their second playoff game against Cape May Tech in the quarterfinals after that No. 14 team upset No. 3 Bard 3-2. Tech won in five games against Bard, but Lower didn’t give the team a chance, winning 25-16, 25-8, 25-11.
Riggins again led with 16 kills and Pacevich with 19 assists, and three players were nearly equal in their talent serving. Siner had 12 service points, Georgia Shutter 11 and Reeves 10.
Pushing Raritan
to the limit
The girls traveled far north to Raritan High School, the No. 2 seed, in Monmouth County for the semifinals Friday. Lower is the No. 6 seed.
The Caper Tigers pushed Raritan to five sets.
Lower lost the first set 25-16, then stormed back to win the next two 25-19 and 25-20. Raritan then turned it around and won the fourth set 25-20 and the deciding fifth set 15-7.
Riggins had 30 kills and 20 digs in the match, Pacevich had 36 assists, 12 service points and 10 digs; and Reeves had 17 digs.
“Being the lower seed, we were not expected to win, but we were very confident going into the match that we could give them a real run for their money,” coach Pacevich said on Sunday. “I had the utmost confidence in this team, and we all believed if we played hard and supported one another we could do it.”
Because of the two-hour bus ride, she said the team started out slow, but that changed for game two.
“I’m so proud of them for that. A lesser team might have given up after losing like we did in the first set. Remaining sets were all super competitive,” she added. “We gave it everything we had.”
Pacevich said there was an unexpected injury mid match, “which would have rattled most teams, but not this bunch. They always persevere. There was leadership and great moments from every girl on the team that match.”
She said she was sad the match didn’t turn out the way they hoped, but she was proud and honored to be their coach.
“We told the girls, you could look at this match and think about the ‘what ifs’ or you can think about all the history that was made this year for LCMR volleyball and be proud and hungry for what lies ahead.”
Back to Roselle Park
Siner, who went on a tear serving to give her team a 6-0 lead to start the third game against Roselle Park, loves how a run like that energizes the whole team.
“Everyone just feels so happy and it’s a great feeling when you’re on a service run,” she said. For the season, she has 143 service points, just one behind leader Pacevich with 144.
Siner was happy the season was being extended in the playoffs.
“It’s great. I love it. I’m so glad that we can spend these last few moments together as a team and really go out with a bang,” she said.
“We worked so hard for this moment and I’m really proud of us to keep moving forward,” Riggins said. “We had a break over the weekend and I think we all really needed that. We came together today. We all had a big talk and I think we really just locked it in.”
Riggins has amassed 288 of her kills this season to go with 162 digs, 98 service points and 37 aces.
All Conference
After the Roselle Park match, the team posed for a group photo and coach Pacevich honored four of the seniors. Addie Pacevich, captain of the team, was cited for her First Team All Conference honor, and how during the course of her career has surpassed 1,000 assists, getting 1,020. She also has 455 digs, 129 aces and 112 kills.
Riggins, another member of the All Conference First Team, has topped 450 kills, 200 digs and 100 aces. Reeves, a libero who earned an All Conference Honorable Mention, has more than 300 digs.
The coach also cited senior Siner, who has topped 100 aces and 100 kills.
“Not only were we division champions for the first time ever, three of them made it to the All Conference team, which is chosen by other coaches,” coach Pacevich said.
Her daughter said a winning season, winning in the playoffs, getting the division title and the All Conference honors raises the visibility of the Caper Tiger volleyball program.
“It’s been a really great season and I’m just so glad to have this team of girls,” Addie said. “We’re able to carry through into the playoffs and continue playing together because it’s just an amazing team, and I’m so glad to be able to just keep this energy going as long as we can.”
The All Conference honors are important, she added.
“It’s really good for our team and how we’re viewed within the state as a volleyball team coming from Cape May,” she said. “Everyone tends to look down on us because we’re tiny and in the middle of nowhere, but it’s great to represent like that.”
She said the girls lean on one another when other teams are challenging them.
“I was definitely not feeling my best for that last set, especially, but I was able to lean on my other teammates, look to them to lift me up,” she said. “Everyone was so supportive and cheering and everything was just amazing. I could definitely feel the chemistry flowing, especially in those last couple points.”
Reeves also was beaming with the rest of her teammates after the first-round playoff win.
“It feels amazing. I’m really excited for the next one that we play,” she said before the team also took down Cape May Tech.
Reeves was excited about the All Conference nod.
“This is my first time getting it ever and it just makes me feel really happy that I was noticed by other coaches,” she said, adding it was extra special getting noticed with her teammates. “It’s awesome. Everybody on my team, I love them all and I think we really deserve this.”
Proud coach, proud mom
“This is the first time we’ve had two First Team All Conference selections and an honorable mention. I’m super excited. So there are a lot of firsts this year for our program — first division title, first for three All Conference and then Addie just went over a thousand assists,” the coach said. “She’s the first player in Cape May County history to go over a thousand assists. I’m sure there will be others to follow, but she’s the first, so that’s pretty exciting setting a school record and a county record as well.”
During the game she had a few players in different positions because they were down a member. “I’m proud of them for stepping up and playing positions they weren’t familiar with.”
Pacevich said she and her players were happy with what came in the tournament.
“We’re excited for the opportunity. These seniors are fighting like dogs out there. They just want to keep playing together. They want to stay together as long as they can in every match. They think it’s their last and that’s what’s motivating them.”
On a personal note, she added, “I’m living every moment to the fullest, not just as a coach, but also as a mom.”
– STORY and PHOTOS by DAVID NAHAN/Cape May Star and Wave and Ocean City Sentinel staff
