High School Sports Preview: Phillipsburg Girls' Volleyball Rises Above with a New Season, New Heights

PHILLIPSBURG, NJ - The Phillipsburg High School girl’s volleyball team will look a bit different this season after losing five seniors to graduation.

Middle blocker RaYanah Brown-Smith, setter Sara Ellison, opposite outside-hitter Caitlin Jansen and Addison Acuna will be the senior leaders.

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“They are a great group of seniors,” said Ellie Hrunka, who has been the volleyball coach for all eight seasons since the program was established. “Our strength this year is our height. We have a very tall front row.”

The Stateliners (5-16 last season) will go with 6-footers Brown-Smith and Jansen and middle blocker Alexa Megjuric, a 5-11 sophomore, up front.

“They’ll create a lot of offense for us,” Hrunka said. “We’re building off our passes right now on the back row.”

Ellison is a returning starter and will play a big role.

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“Sara is like the quarterback of the team and controls the plays,” Hrunka said. “She receives the second touch and sets up the big hitters.”

There are six juniors on the team – Hannah Burdge, Emma D’Andrea, Samantha Lane, Amanda Mrotek, Kaitlyn Murphy and Jayla Nothdurft – along with two more sophomores in Era Sabbaral and Aubrey Hille.

“It should be an interesting season,” Hrunka said. “If we can control the first contact on the ball, we should be great, to be honest. We’re good in most aspects but we have to get that first pass to set everything up so that’s what we’re working on the most. We also have a good group of sophomores at the jayvee level that have a lot of promise who will be coming up to varsity in the next few years.”

The Stateliners open the season at home against Voorhees on Sept. 3.

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