Essex County Tournament Final
Friday, May 10th, 5pm at Livingston High School in Livingston | bracket
No. 16/1-Livingston (15-4) vs. 2-Milburn (11-3)
how did they get here
Livingston: Livingston, the tournament's top seed, earned a first-round bye and hasn't lost a set in three matches. The Lancers faced a first-set challenge from No. 17 seed Science Park in the first round, but dominated in the second set and carried that momentum into the quarterfinal round match. No. 8 seed West Orange only had 12 points in the first set and nine points in the second, but Livingston advanced to the semifinals and will face No. 4 seed Bloomfield in a rematch of last year's final. is what happened. The Bengals struggled in both the first and second sets, but the Lancers won the second set 27-25 to advance to the finals.
Milburn: The Millers also earned a straight bye in the first round of the tournament and handled the competition well through the opening two games. Milburn defeated No. 15 seed Montclair Immaculate in the first round and No. 7 seed Orange in the quarterfinals, both in straight sets, never allowing more than 20 points in a set against either opponent. The toughest test, and the most entertaining game at ECT thus far, came in the semifinals against No. 3 seed West Caldwell Tech. The Millers lost the first set, but won the second set in a close contest, 25-22, and controlled the third set, winning 25-16 and winning the semifinal round.
championship history
Livingston: Since the Essex County Tournament began in 2005, Livingston has won the county title 10 times and appeared in all but one final (2009). The Lancers are two-time reigning champions and will be aiming for their first three-peat since winning three in a row from 2011 to 2013.
Milburn: Milburn has never won the Essex County Tournament and has never played in the finals before. To date, his only four teams have won ECT: Livingston (10 teams), Bloomfield (6 teams), Belleville (1 team), and Newark East Side (1 team).
Featured players
livingston
Duncan Sturt, S: In his first year as Livingston's starting setter, Sturt quickly rose through the ranks and became one of, if not the best, junior setters in the state. He ranks in the state's top 15 in assists with 393, including a 38-assist performance in a three-set win over Bergen Tech. Sturt had 24 assists in the Lancers' semifinal round win over Bloomfield. He had 50 kills and 10 blocks and was a presence at the front of the net. A player who can not only run the offense but also contribute in other spots, his performance will be key for the Lancers on Friday.
Alia Deshmukh, OH: Deshmukh is also a new starter at Livingston and is very good at the outside hitter position. He leads the Lancers with 124 kills and averages just over seven kills per game in ECT. He also tied for second on the team with 49 digs, and had 21 digs in a two-set win against West Essex on Monday. He will likely be a fixture in the Lancers' starting unit for the next two years.
John Hong, O: One of the few returning players from last season's ECT title team, Hong has been a huge addition to the Lancers this season, playing an even bigger role. Hong, who had just 59 kills, 10 blocks and four digs as a junior, has already recorded 105 kills, 13 blocks and 31 digs in her senior season. He showed his ability to have a good game on both offense and defense on Saturday, recording six kills, two blocks and three digs in a two-set victory over No. 7 Northern Burlington.
Sean Shea, Ohio: Along with Hong, Shea is helping build the Lancers' strong two-man batting unit. The junior had 105 kills in her first year at the university and just tied her career high with 11 kills in the Lancers' loss to Bergen Tech on Tuesday. At ECT, Xia averaged just over 5 kills in 3 matches.
Milburn
Patrick Pribiszewski, O/MB: For the past two years, Pribiszewski has been a winning guy on Milburn's roster. Last season, his sophomore year, he totaled 125 kills, 15 blocks, 24 digs, and 32 aces, but he has surpassed those numbers this year. Pribeshewski, who is only a junior, led Milburn with 166 kills and added 10 blocks, 102 digs and 32 aces. He was by far the top offensive option on Millburn's roster, recording a career-high 23 kills in the semifinal win over West Caldwell Tech. This season, Pribiszewski has reached double-digit kills in eight different games.
Ishaan Modi, S/DS: Milburn needed to fill a void this season after the graduation of setter Jason Lamb, and Mody seamlessly stepped into the role. In his first year as the starting setter, the sophomore tallied 333 assists, and his knowledge only grows as he continues to shine in a key offensive role. In the semifinal game against West Caldwell Tech, he recorded a career-high 35 assists in the game. He now has at least 21 assists in each game, surpassing Milburn's four-game winning streak.
Brandon Park, London, DS: Pribiszewski and Mody may be the offensive stars for Milburn, but Park does all the dirty work for the Millers. The senior, who played as a libero for three years and is a defensive specialist, led Milburn with 257 digs and provided a major threat from behind the service line with 56 service points and 15 service aces. There is. His numbers have only improved throughout his high school career, and he comes into the finals having scored at least 20 goals in each of Milburn's past three games.
Noah Elder, MB/O: Elder is another standout defensive presence for Milburn, leading the Millers with 26 blocks as a senior middle blocker and opposite. With so much focus on Przybyszewski and attempts to limit him, that could free up space in the middle of the court and near the front of the net for Elder. If he can get a few blocks free, he could be a huge difference in turning the momentum towards Milburn at any point in this game.
key factor
experience is important
Livingston has played in this very game every year and will definitely have an element of experience on his side in this year's final. This particular team may be made up of rookie players who don't have a lot of personal experience when it comes to winning titles, but the Lancers' head coach does. Dan Kim took over the program after Al Partelow and did nothing but win and continue Livingston's tradition of being a dominant force in Essex County. Kim's expectation is that the Lancers will at least advance to this game, but you better believe he's setting the team up for a three-peat if they get here. Kim knows how to coach and win games like this, whether it's a close game or a big loss. That should be a big factor Friday night.
Slow down Pribishevsky
Much of the attention on Millburn's offense has been focused on Patric Pribyszewski, and for good reason. The junior has been the best hitter in the SEC this season, and it shows in his numbers and his recent semifinal round performance that led Milburn to victory. However, Milburn has not played at its best in two of the three games it has lost this season. Milburn had just four kills in Monday's loss to Belleville and just seven kills in the Millers' final loss of the season against Livingston on April 5. Milburn's offense largely follows Pribiszewski's style. If he's playing at his best and the Millers are setting him up well to end offensive possessions, this game could work. But if he is contained, it will likely be more difficult for the Millers to come away with a win.
prediction
Livingstone 2, Milburn 1
Donovan Hugel can be contacted at: dhugel@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X @Donohugel.
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