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SEPTEMBEr 11-17, 2019

Burlington Township, Timber Creek among local schools making their debut in girls volleyball in 2019 By MIKE MONOSTRA Sports Editor

Just before 3:45 p.m. last Wednesday, Northern Burlington’s Eimile Simpkins served the ball into play to open the Greyhounds’ girls volleyball match at Burlington Township. The Falcons managed to return the serve, forcing Northern Burlington to set up a play. Less than a minute later, Northern Burlington finished off the point to take a 1-0 lead. And yet, the loudest cheer after that point went up from the Burlington Township side of the court. The Falcons may have lost the point, but it didn’t matter. They made history simply by competing in the program’s first-ever varsity match.

Burlington Township is one of five high schools in South Jersey fielding girls volleyball teams for the first time in 2019. Many of these teams made their debuts last week, including the Falcons, who opened their first season at home against Northern Burlington. “They were super excited,” Burlington Township head coach Gemma Winkler said. “I thought they were going to be nervous. But they were excited, they were ready to play. … They were just into it, they love the sport and they finally get to play it at the high school level.” Every time Burlington Township touched the ball last Wednesday, it added another page to the history books. After dropping the first six points of the match, Burlington Township finally won its first point when sophomore Taylor Fitzpatrick made a solid hit that Northern Burlington failed to return. The celebration after winning the point was almost as if the team had won a match point in the playoffs. “We were just so excited,” senior Nancy Huynh said. “When you keep the play alive, you really worked hard for that point,” senior Ariana Nunez added. “It’s a little bit of confidence booster. We came together as a team. We passed, we set, we hit, we got the point.”

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Nunez, Huynh and Kaitlyn Walker are the most experienced players on Burlington Township. The three seniors all played volleyball at the club level and were some of the community members who advocated to the school board to add girls volleyball. Getting to play in their first varsity match was a dream come true. “I remember us as freshmen trying to get a team and we didn’t have one,” Walker said. “Now as seniors, seeing (the freshman class) get to play and knowing they’ll get four years of it is awesome to see.” Most of the remainder of Burlington Township’s roster consists of players with no previous volleyball experience. The three seniors were named captains and tasked with helping Winkler teach the basic fundamentals of the sport. “We just want to motivate the girls to do the best they can.,” Walker said. “When their heads are down, we pick them up and reassure them that it’s OK to make mistakes. It’s not the end of the world, it’s just volleyball.” The Falcons’ opponent on Day One, Northern Burlington, was an experienced team that had finished with a winning record the past two seasons. It wasn’t a surprise when Burlington Township lost both games to fall in its first match, However, the score was secondary. Just getting on the court and competing in a varsity match was all that mattered. “Playing in a game, it’s a little bit more pressure, especially because it’s please see VOLLEYBALL, page S5 MikE MoNoStRA/South Jersey Sports Weekly

Burlington Township’s Ariana nunez drifts under a ball during the Falcons’ first-ever varsity match against northern Burlington last Wednesday. nunez is one of three varsity captains for Burlington Township this season.

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