Cape Atlantic League Tournament Finals
Friday, May 17th at Egg Harbor Township High School in Egg Harbor at 4:00 pm | bracket
1-Egg Harbor (17-5) vs. 2-Absegami (17-5)
how did they get here
Egg Harbor: Egg Harbor came as a bit of a surprise in the quarterfinal round when it was pushed to three sets by No. 8 seed Oakcrest, but they dominated the match for the most part and won in three sets. The Eagles lost the second set 25-23, but outscored the Falcons in the first and third sets 50-26. In the semifinals, the Eagles held off fourth-seeded Pleasantville in two sets, winning the second set by just two points.
Absegami: The Braves advanced to the finals by defeating seventh-seeded St. Augustine and third-seeded Atlantic Tech in the quarterfinals and semifinals. In both matches, Absegami improved with each passing match, and against Hermits, Brace won the first set by five points, but closed to a nine-point lead in the second set and won. The Braves narrowly won the first set against the Red Hawks by two points, but rallied in the second set to win by six points.
championship history
This is the first year of the CAL tournament, so the winning side between Absegami and Egg Harbor will be the tournament's first-ever champion.
Featured players
egg harbor
Christian Vitienrat Sr., Ohio: Vitienrat is Egg Harbor's offensive target, leading the team with 206 kills. He is one of two players on the roster with over 100 kills and the only player with over 200 kills. He set a career high with 19 kills in the Eagles' quarterfinal round win over Oakcrest and has had at least five kills in every game this season.
Bryce Lake, SA, MB: Lake, an up-and-coming talent from Egg Harbor, has stepped up and grown into a bigger role this season. Lake, who had just three kills all last season, is the other Egg Harbor player with at least 100 kills this season, with 120 kills. He also set a career high with 11 kills in the match against Oakcrest. And along with Visienrat, they make up the most dangerous hitting duo in CAL.
Joseph Vu Jr., S/L: In his first year with more playing time, Boo was a force for Egg Harbor with a team-high 230 assists, 106 service points, and 25 aces. His rise in the lineup has been interesting, as he saw little playing time last season, but has become one of the best passers in the CAL along with teammate Clinton Lee this season.
Clinton Lee Sr., S/O: Lee, who finished with 101 assists last season, took a big step forward this season, finishing behind only Vu as the team leader in that category with 227 assists. He's been incredibly consistent, with double-digit assists in 14 games. The last time the Eagles faced Absegami, he totaled a career-high 21 assists.
Absegami
Chickaody Wokocha Sr., Ohio: Wokocha has been putting up big numbers all season, leading to a team-high 211 kills, completely shattering last season's season-high of 135 kills. He has at least 10 kills in 13 games this season and is averaging 13 kills per game in Absegami's last four games. He's been good all season, but now he's at his best at the right time.
Xavier Vasquez, Sr., S: Like Wokocha, Vazquez entered this season as a player to watch, but he's done even better than previously advertised. The senior had 379 assists last season, and already has 443 this season, with a chance to reach 500 assists. In Absegami's past two games, he has totaled 53 assists.
Roy Cepeda, Sr., L: The unsung hero of Absegami's team, Cepeda plays a strictly defensive role as a libero and has scored a Braves-leading 193 goals this season. He will reach his 200th hit season at some point in the state tournament, but his first focus will be on helping keep the ball off the floor in games against Visienrat and off Egg Harbor Lake. right.
key factor
Egg Harbor: spread the ball around
Visienrat and Lake are Egg Harbor's two best hitters and it's no secret. The last time these two met, Visienrat and Lake had 11 and nine kills, respectively, to help the Eagles win, but their depth also showed. Abdullah Malik had eight kills and Joshua Brushkin had nine kills. When the two first met in April, which Absegami won, the Braves were unable to get such production from anyone other than Vitienrat and Lake. A similar game plan to the second matchup could go a long way in converting scoring chances Friday afternoon.
Absegami: Create a clean and aggressive look
Wokocha has been playing his best volleyball of the season during the CAL tournament, and it's no secret that the Braves are looking to him to finish off offensive possessions and get some kills throughout the game. Egg Harbor knows that, which is why Wokocha's clean possessions and clean looks are paramount for the Braves to rack up points. It will also be up to Vázquez to put the ball in the best spot for Wokocha's attack.
prediction
Absegami 2, Egg Harbor 1
Donovan Hugel can be contacted at: dhugel@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X @Donohugel.
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