FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP — The Mount Olive volleyball team couldn’t help but dance. “Cha-Cha Slide” boomed over the speakers at Franklin High School between the first and second set of the NJSIAA Group 3 final, and the Marauders used that opportunity to shake off the jitters.
After withstanding a tight first set, Mount Olive rolled on to a 25-23, 25-10, 25-14 victory against Toms River South. It is the Marauders’ first Group title in just two appearances, the last in 2016.
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“It takes a long time for us to wake up in the morning, but once we wake up, we’re in sync,” senior opposite Angelina Keenan said. “We all really looked at each other and said, ‘We really want this.’ After the first game, when we pushed through, we realized we could do this.”
NJSIAA assistant director Derryk Sellers (right) presents the NJSIAA Group 3 volleyball trophy to Mount Olive head coach Tom Reszka. The Marauders defeated Toms River South in the final on Nov. 14, 2026 at Franklin High School.
Mount Olive turned to its dynamic duo of Bella Osoria and Olivia Drucks, who both served and hit this fall. Three straight aces by Madelyn Marone jump-started the Marauders’ first-set comeback, then seven combined points from Osoria and Drucks.
Osoria, a sophomore who wears tortoiseshell-framed glasses on and off the court, also had seven straight kills as Mount Olive stretched its lead from 11-5 to 17-7 in the second set.
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Yet even Osoria and Drucks had doubts about the Marauders’ modified 6-2 when assistant coach Lee Clowers introduced it in preseason. Drucks had never served before, but both adjusted slowly.
Drucks had team highs in both kills (17) and assists (15) in the final. Senior libero Ava Diaz added 12 digs, five assists and two aces.
“I thought it was crazy, but we kept winning those games and building from the loss (at Randolph on Sept. 9),” said Osoria, who had 17 kills, two blocks, 11 digs, 15 assists and an ace in the final. “Having such a good player to depend on made me feel secure. It’s such an experience. All the seniors are leaving this year. It’s really sad, a sentimental kind of moment. But it shows how hard we worked to get to this moment.”
More: Mount Olive volleyball tops North Hunterdon, advances to Group final
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Junior middle Dalia Elghoraby led Toms River South with 11 kills, two blocks, an ace and four digs. Senior outside hitter Cora Olcott added seven kills and five digs.
This is the first time Toms River South (16-9) had reached the Group final in the program’s 20-year history, after claiming back-to-back sectional titles. That legacy of success what head coach Kimberly Williams emphasized to her players, particularly the four seniors. Most of the Toms River South girls, particularly the juniors and seniors, had come up playing together at Tomahawk Volleyball Club starting in middle school.
Sara Kamienski, mom of Toms River South libero Liv Hall, had used AI to analyze the records and relative strength of schedule of the two teams.
“They have set the precedent moving forward of what they can aspire to be,” Williams said. “This is the farthest we’ve come since the program started. It’s a big deal for the program. We’re only moving on to bigger and better things.”
This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Mount Olive volleyball outlasts Toms River South in Group 3 final