On Wednesday, October 30, the NJSIAA released the brackets for all 20 sectional girls volleyball tournaments. They can be seen below and the brackets are visible in a group-by-group format. This season, the North 1 and Central sectional champions will host their respective group semifinal matches.

GROUP 1

• North 1

Lots of intriguing matches in this section. Glen Rock has earned the top seed, followed by Park Ridge. Look for some potential upsets.

JOSH’S PICK FOR SECTIONAL CHAMPION: Jefferson has played some very strong teams this season, including traveling to Goshen, NY for a tournament. The Falcons have the best chance to win the section this season.

• North 2

Secaucus and Verona are definitely the two top teams in this section, and for good reason. Secaucus won the Hudson County championship, while Verona was the runner-up in the Essex County Championship.

JOSH’S PICK FOR SECTIONAL CHAMPION: Secaucus and Verona are my picks to duke it out in the North 2, Group 1 finals match. The Verona Hillbillies are very well positioned to snatch the sectional title, being that Verona is more battle-tested with tougher matches through the season.

• Central

This section seems pretty straight forward, with Hoboken being the dominant team. Now, why is Hoboken in the Central section, being that Hudson County is anything but central NJ. This is because North Jersey is so saturated with teams, that teams like Madison, North Arlington and Newark VoTech (just to name a few) are in the Central section.

JOSH’S PICK FOR SECTIONAL CHAMPION: The Hoboken Redwings have had an amazing season, and that will continue as they are the favorite to win the Central 1 section.

• South

In the South 1 bracket, we have our first team that has earned a first-round bye in Delaware Valley, with Mastery Camden not eligible for the postseason since they played more than 60% of their games against schools outside of NJ.

JOSH’S PICK FOR SECTIONAL CHAMPION: The DelVal Terriers had a challenging schedule, as they faced the H/W/S champion Sparta Spartans, and the H/W/S runner-up Hunterdon Central Red Devils two times. Delaware Valley is the best sub-.500 1-seed in all of Group 1, and possibly all of NJ.

GROUP 2

• North 1

Old Tappan, Sparta and Montville have all earned first round byes. Lodi, Dwight-Morrow and Lakeland all opted out of states this season, thus granting the top 3 seeds byes. The Vernon vs. Passaic Valley matchup is fascinating, as 8/9 matches usually are. Look for all the higher seeds to win first-round matchups.

JOSH’S PICK FOR SECTIONAL CHAMPION: This may be one of the hardest sections to predict a winner for. Both Old Tappan and Sparta are incredible, but Old Tappan is just so strong. The Golden Knights have only dropped one set all season and despite an injury to one of their outside hitters, Old Tappan will have a true homecourt advantage and should be the favorite in this section.

• North 2

Lots of strong teams in this bracket. Lyndhurst earned the 1-seed and a bye in the first round, as they await the winner of the 8-Par Hills vs. 9-Leonia match. Mendham has been a surprise this season, earning the 3-seed, and may have the easiest track to the sectional finals game.

JOSH’S PICK FOR SECTIONAL CHAMPION: The Mendham Minutemen have definitely been better than most have thought under second-year head coach Maria Castro-Alvarez. Alena Pfersch, Jane Klosowsky, Breanna Riley, and Caroline Brubaker (just to name a few) have been fantastic this season and they will all be back next year, too. Mendham is going to have a great chance to take the section.

• Central

Governor Livingston, Cranford and Wall have all earned byes in the first round. Look for Voorhees to advance to the sectional semis to face Governor Livingston. Whoever wins that match is in the best position to win the section, especially with the schedules that both of those teams play.

JOSH’S PICK FOR SECTIONAL CHAMPION: Governor Livingston is just so strong in many ways. This team is well-coached and has made the Group 2 championship game each of the past two seasons. Look for the Highlanders to make it a trifecta and likely face the winner of the North 1, Group 2 champion.

• South

Cedar Creek and Pinelands will both have byes in the first round of the South 2 tournament. In this section look for all chalk, with higher seeds winning their matches.

JOSH’S PICK FOR SECTIONAL CHAMPION: The Cedar Creek Pirates have turned a 9-15 team a season ago into a 25-2 juggernaut. The Pirates claimed the Cape-Atlantic League title and have been paced by Stella Ketschek, Sofia Zahedivash and Julianna Crawford. Cedar Creek is going to keep the good vibes going and will be the likely South 2 champs.

GROUP 3

• North 1

Some really fascinating teams reside in this section. Ramapo has earned the top seed, and will face the winners of 8-Morris Knolls vs. 9-Randolph. Despite Randolph having a tad of an advantage in power points, the Golden Eagles of Morris Knolls jumped over the Rams in seeding, thanks to a victory that Knolls had over Randolph earlier this season. Home court may play a big factor in that match. Mount Olive has also been fantastic this season wish so many players having breakout campaigns in 2024.

JOSH’S PICK FOR SECTIONAL CHAMPION: Mishka Fernandez and Isabella Osoria helped lead the Mount Olive Marauders to the NJAC National title. Osoria is just a freshman and has recorded 198 kills, 151 digs and 31 aces. The setting tandem of Emily Fusiarz and Kaitlyn Tungman has been very effective, as  well. As one of the best serving teams in the state, look for 4-seed Mount Olive to claim the North 1, Group 3 crown.

• North 2

Millburn and North Hunterdon are definitely the two top teams in this section. Millburn is the Essex County champion, while North Hunterdon has played one of the toughest schedules in the state. Plus, you can never count a team coached by Kirk Hissner out of any match.

JOSH’S PICK FOR SECTIONAL CHAMPION: Millburn is just too strong this season. While North Hunterdon will give Millburn all they can handle, look for the Millers to win this section. I mean come on, look at the out of state teams they played—teams from Texas, California, Florida, North Carolina and West Virginia.

• Central

Princeton and Brick Memorial will await the winners of first-round games, as both have received byes. Princeton has been unbelievable, with most of their team returning from a season ago.

JOSH’S PICK FOR SECTIONAL CHAMPION: The Princeton Tigers (no, not the college—same mascot, different color) are one of the premier teams in NJ. They have only lost 4 sets all season, all to top-20 teams in the state. Wins over Williamstown, Immaculate Heart, Paul VI, and Union Catholic are just some of the reasons why the BCSL champion Princeton Tigers are in an incredible position to win the section title, and are also favored to win Group 3.

• South

This section is a bit of a tossup. Not a ton of upsets projected in this section, which means lots of higher seeds are likely winners of their matches. Moorestown and Hammonton have earned the top 2 seeds, and for good reason.

JOSH’S PICK FOR SECTIONAL CHAMPION: Moorestown took down Cedar Creek late in the regular season. Couple that with some games against Paul VI, especially having taken a set from them, the Moorestown Quakers are the favorite to win the South 3 championship.

GROUP 4

• North 1

Morristown will await the winner of 8-West Orange vs. 9-North Bergen while all other teams will play first-round matches. Livingston, despite having a season that wasn’t as strong as expected, will have a chance to redeem themselves by winning a sectional title.

JOSH’S PICK FOR SECTIONAL CHAMPION: Morristown dropped the Morris County finals game, but has been playing inspired volleyball for the majority of the season. Another team that has played one of the toughest schedules in the state, the Colonials are going to be led by Gwen and Hailey Atkins, along with a strong supporting cast. Look for Morristown to take this section.

• North 2

Westfield is the only team with a bye in the first round. Look for Westfield to face Watchung Hills in the sectional title game. Watchung Hills is a team that is playing fantastic volleyball, just look at what they did in the Somerset County tournament.

JOSH’S PICK FOR SECTIONAL CHAMPION: Watchung Hills upset the 1-seed in the Somerset County championship, and Coach Jens Madsen has his team playing at a high level. Lately it has been Watchung Hills senior Emma Jubin’s world, and we have all been living in it. No stranger to upsetting teams, the Warriors have a great opportunity as a 3-seed to take down 2-Union City and 1-Westfield en route to a possible sectional crown.

• Central

Hunterdon Central and Old Bridge earned the top 2 seeds, respectively. Franklin became the 13-seed in their first ever season, and will look to give Woodbridge a run for their money. Hunterdon Central was the runner-up for the H/W/S tournament, while Old Bridge won the Greater Middlesex title.

JOSH’S PICK FOR SECTIONAL CHAMPION: Look for Old Bridge to take the section this season. Coach Andrew Hopman has an unbelievable team, and they have been serving teams off the court left and right all season. Ashley Markle is only a sophomore and has been doing it all, recording 219 kills, 96 digs and 23 aces.

• South

The South Group 4 is going to come down to Williamstown and Southern facing off against each other. Teams like Cherry Hill East and Kingsway also have had great seasons, but the top two teams are in a class of their own.

JOSH’S PICK FOR SECTIONAL CHAMPION: Southern just took down St. John Vianney to win the Shore Conference championship, but Williamstown is too strong all the way around. Williamstown has also had a very strong schedule, and the Braves are led by Gab Titus and Stella Eberly. Something is in the water down in Williamstown, considering they keep rolling out incredible talent every season.

NON-PUBLIC A

• North

Each of the top five seeds will have first-round byes, with Immaculate Heart earning the top overall seed. At seed number 4, St. Elizabeth has matched their highest seed in states in program history. After an improbable season, Morris Catholic will host a game in states when they play Pingry in the first round. Despite some early struggles, Pope John has a chance at redemption and will travel to Livingston to face Newark Academy in their first-round matchup.

JOSH’S PICK FOR SECTIONAL CHAMPION: Sure, this team may not be as strong as they have been in past years. However, whenever a team plays IHA, it’d be wise to bring your ‘A-game’. Head Coach Michelle Yoo has a strong squad, paced by Julia Sobilo and Eve Roman. Sobilo and Alessandra Nazor run the 6-2 offense and are a formidable team to face, especially at home. Immaculate Heart is definitely the favorite to win this section.

• South

This section has some extremely intriguing matchups and possibly four choices to win it. St. John Vianney was the runner-up in the Shore Conference tournament and is the 4-seed in Non-Public A South. Union Catholic is the 3-seed and ran roughshod through the Union County tournament. 2-seed Notre Dame was battling in the BCSL with Princeton all season long and played a very tough schedule. Speaking of tough schedules, 1-seed Paul VI played some teams from out of state, in addition to some top teams in NJ.

JOSH’S PICK FOR SECTIONAL CHAMPION: Paul VI is a very tough team, and is one of the best serving teams in the state of NJ. 260 aces combined, led by Maggie Carcillo with her 62 aces, help keep teams off balance and give Paul VI lots of easy chances to put the ball down. Carcillo also has 129 kills and 218 assists and is only a junior. Paul VI also runs a 6-2, with Danielle Mascolo being the other setter. A perennial favorite to win Non-Public A, look for Paul VI to win the South.

NON-PUBLIC B

• North

There is only one first round matchup in this section. Villa Walsh will host St. Benedict’s, with the winner playing top-seeded St. Mary (Rutherford). Most of this bracket is pretty evenly matched, which makes it a fascinating section to watch with a chance for a handful of upsets.

JOSH’S PICK FOR SECTIONAL CHAMPION: Head Coach Kyla Sebello’s Montclair Kimberley team plays in the toughest division in the Super Essex Conference. MKA is a battle-tested team and is best positioned to win this section. With not many seniors on this team, it is scary to see how good this team has the potential to be next season. Look for MKA to take the Non-Public B crown.

• South

The top 6 teams will have byes in the first round in this section. Mother Seton was impressive and earned the top seed, followed by Bishop Eustace and Timothy Christian. Look for Rutgers Prep to make a run in this bracket, they have a really strong team.

JOSH’S PICK FOR SECTIONAL CHAMPION: Mother Seton was taken down by J.P. Stevens in the Greater Middlesex Conference tournament quarterfinals. That can fire a team up, which is the expectation in this section. The Mother Seton Setters, and that mascot fits the team perfectly, also runs a 6-2. Eve Forenza and Sasha Smyth are the heartbeats of the offense, and Eve Forenza also has 84 aces this season, which is 4^th-most in all of NJ. Look for Mother Seton to take the section this season.

Sectional tournaments begin on Monday, November 4^th and will continue throughout the week, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel to catch all of the action that’ll be on our air!