Sports roundup: Spartans win H/W/S title

Led by individual champions Maureen Gaines and Emilie Fagen at first doubles and Molly Tomko and Juliet Shim at second doubles, the Sparta High School girls tennis team earned its first Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex team championship in 13 years on Wednesday, Oct. 1 at the Pingry School in Martinsville.

Sparta, which led the 14-team contingent with 19 points, last won the event in 2012. Either Hunterdon Central or North Hunterdon won every title since then. Voorhees was second this season with 18 points followed by Vernon with 16 points.

Gaines and Fagen defeated Vernon’s Sienna Wagner and Karina Czerhoniak, 6-2, 7-6 (7-3) in the first doubles final. Tomko and Shim also won in straight sets, beating Hunterdon Central’s Miranda Kopp and Bridget Smith, 6-0, 6-1.

Sara Schwarz (first singles), Layla Boohoff (second singles) and Emily Dondero (third singles) each reached the semifinal round in their respective flights for Sparta.

Sparta (10-6) is seeded third for the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) North Jersey, Section 1, Group 2 tournament and was slated to play host to sixth-seeded West Essex in the quarterfinal round Tuesday, Oct. 7.

Here’s how other Sparta teams fared last week:

Girls soccer

Mya Grycuk totaled two goals and an assist and Alyssa Ciaburri also scored to pace the girls soccer team to a 3-1 victory over Morristown there Wednesday, Oct. 1.

The win snapped a two-game losing streak for the Spartans, who improved to 5-6 this season.

Goalie Riley Molbury anchored the defense for Sparta.

Sparta is seeded second for the H/W/S Tournament and received a double bye into the quarterfinal round, which will be Tuesday, Oct. 14.

Boys soccer

Reynaldo Ballon had a goal and an assist and Jakub Targonski and Cormac Gibbons also scored as Sparta’s rally fell just short in a 4-3 loss to Mount Olive at home Oct. 1.

Sparta trailed, 3-1, before receiving goals from Gibbons in the 51st minute and Ballon in the 57th to even the score before Mount Olive scored the go-ahead goal in the 74th minute.

Jaison Caswell made eight stops in net for Sparta (2-6), which is seeded seventh for the H/W/S Tournament and was slated to play host to 10th-seeded Warren Hills on Tuesday, Oct. 7 in a second-round game.

Field hockey

Kaitlyn Rodriguez made nine saves as Sparta bowed to Pope John, 1-0, in its only game last week there Oct. 1.

Gabriella Celentano converted a feed from Olivia Zywicki as Pope John scored the lone goal of the game in the third period. Evelyn Gerald made six saves to post the shutout for the Lions.

Sparta (2-5) will play host to Parsippany Hills at 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10 before welcoming Morris Knolls at 4 p.m. Monday, Oct. 13.

Girls volleyball

Hannah Dodson collected 29 assists, 13 service points, four digs, three aces and one kill; Arielle Gomez totaled 19 kills, eight digs, six service points, two aces and one block; and Alexia Hill added 18 digs, seven service points and one ace to lift Sparta to a 25-2,20-25, 25-19 victory over Jefferson at home Oct. 1.

Brooke Meara (two blocks, two digs, one kill), Avery Munier (three kills, two blocks, two digs), Maeve Uitdenhowen (seven kills, two digs, one block), Grace Mathurin (six kills, four service points, two aces, two digs), Amelia Boohoff (five digs, one service point, one ace) and Victoria Sucich (six digs, three service points) aided the win for Sparta, which has won four straight matches.

The Spartans (10-4) will play host to Kinnelon at 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9 and to No. 18 Immaculate Heart at 5:45 p.m. Oct. 13.