For months now, Steve Vahalla has sensed that this year’s Lyndhurst girls volleyball team was going to be special.This group can add some more words to describe themselves. Historic and champions.
This past Tuesday, this group cemented its status as one of the successful teams in Lyndhurst history when it defeated Mendham, 23-25, 25-11, 25-17 in the North 2, Group 2 final. It is Lyndhurst’s first sectional title in girls volleyball since 1990 and gave the Bears a school record 24 wins for the season.
“As our 2024 season began to approach and we started playing in the Harrison Summer League, I knew we had something special brewing,” Valhalla said. “After winning the Harrison Summer League Championship and starting our preseason, I sensed a strong team bond and a group of girls that all really loved each other. Throughout the first few weeks of our season, the play I witnessed was incredible. This group of girls really understood each other and they wanted to achieve our team’s goals.
Lyndhurst found itself in an early 20-9 hole to start the match and while it ultimately dropped the first set, the comeback helped set the tone for the rest of the contest.
“I knew they were going to have some nerves being in a sectional final,” Valhalla said. “Although those nerves were shown early in the first set, as soon as we began to gain momentum and play our game, I knew we were going to be fine. It took a lot of heart and fight to get back into that first set and the confidence we gained towards the end of that set allowed us to control the rest of the match.”
A dominant second set led to a decisive third set. It was then where the Bears truly started to pull away with a 14-5 run that gave Lyndhurst a 19-10 lead in the third. Moments later, the championship was clinched when a Mendham serve sailed out of bounds for the winning point.
“The girls knew what was at stake,” said Vahalla, specifically citing the play of captains Asya Akar and Yasemin Ugurlu as key during the run. “They worked hard all season to be in that exact moment.”
Akar finished with a team-high 10 kills to go with four digs, while Ugurlu added six kills, four blocks and 10 digs. Sofia Hechavarria had two of her seven kills in that decisive stretch, while also producing four blocks and four digs. Kiana Marizan dished out 20 assists.
Two days later, Lyndhurst traveled up to Old Tappan in the Group 2 semifinals to face an Old Tappan team that was undefeated and the reigning Bergen County champions. And while the hosts ended Lyndhurst’s season with a 25-17, 25-16 victory, the Bears showed they belonged on the same court with one of the state’s premier programs.
Akar and Ugurlu had five kills apiece with Hechavarria adding four in a match that the Bears may have lost, but ultimately proved that they belonged in the conversation of North Jersey’s best teams.
“We really surprised Old Tappan by the way we came out playing. We were serving, blocking, hitting and passing very well throughout the first 15 points of each set,” Valhalla said. “We stayed with the No. 4 team in the state and eventual Group 2 champion for the majority of the match and I am really proud of how we finished our season.
“Lyndhurst Volleyball is a force and it took a lot of hard work and dedication for these girls to be mentioned alongside some of the best programs in the state and Bergen County.”
While more are still to be announced, the honors have already started to come in for this group. Ugurlu, Akar and Hechavarria were all named All-NJIC National Division First Team with Marizan earning Second Team honors and senior middle hitter Gianna DeCoro earning Honorable Mention and Vahalla being selected as the division’s Coach of the Year.
The Bears are sure to have a very different look the next time they take the court with Hechavarria and sophomore opposite Gabriela Kalisiak the only starters set to return.
Thursday’s loss might have been an emotional end to a journey months, if not years in the making, but its one that won’t soon be forgotten either by the players and coaches that helped put Lyndhurst volleyball on the map in a way it never had been before.
“This was a special year, a special team and a special group of girls that I will never forget!” Valhalla said. “As we ended with a final huddle and a final “Lyndhurst on 3”, I saw some of the girls crying and I started to get emotional too. I like to remind myself that tears mean they care and this was something bigger than the last game. It was a season of hard work, commitment, long nights, tough matches, incredible wins and amazing memories. It was a season of unforgettable memories that I will cherish for the rest of my life.
“I hope these girls know how important they are and how much high school sports have an impact on their lives – they will remember these moments for years to come!”
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Jason Bernstein | Observer Sports Writer
Jason Bernstein joined The Observer as its sports writer in March 2022, following the retirement of Jim Hague. He has a wealth of sports-writing experience, including for NJ Advance Media (nj.com, The Jersey Journal, The Star-Ledger.)