MOUNT OLIVE – After a decade of not having a sectional title, the Mount Olive Marauders girls volleyball team earned their second state sectional title after besting the North Hunterdon Lions in three sets.
With this sectional title win, the Marauders are now 28-1 overall on the season, with their only loss being to Randolph early on in the season. However, they quickly avenged that loss with 26 wins in a row, with two of them being wins against Randolph in the regular season and in the Morris County tournament final, where they ultimately won it all at Fairleigh Dickinson University-Madison in a 3-0 clean sweep.
The road to the finals for the Marauders was, for the most part, smooth-sailing. In the first round, they took down 15th-seed Millburn 3-0; and in the quarterfinals, Mount Olive bested seventh-seeded Wayne Valley 3-0. Their first real test of the tournament came in the semifinals, where they won a close 3-2 match against third-seeded Ramapo after bouncing back in the third set.
For the Lions, the road to the finals was not as easy. They started off playing 12-seed Belleville, where they had a solid 3-0 sweep. From there, they were able to pull off an upset against fourth-seeded West Essex, winning the first and second sets before bouncing back in the fifth and final set for a 3-2 victory. After their quarterfinals victory, they were back at home, winning against eight-seeded Old Tappan in yet another five-set contest, winning in the second, third, and fifth sets.
For this match, all three sets were quite close. The Marauders won the first set 25-18, which would be the largest point differential of the match. The second and third sets were much closer, with both going in favor of the Marauders by 25-23 scores.
The Marauders had a star during the match. That star was sophomore outside hitter Olivia Drucks. She typically averages about 15 kills per match, but this match brought her an unusually high number of kills, with 20 kills for the match. In addition to her kills, Drucks also recorded 15 assists across the three sets. This performance came shortly after she set her season high in the semi-finals against Ramapo. Defensively, Drucks was able to contribute three blocks and four digs, making her a versatile player for the Marauders both offensively and defensively.
Junior outsider hitter Izabella Osoria was also a star for the Marauders, recording a triple-double. Osoria contributed 16 kills, 21 assists, and 14 digs against North Hunterdon. This comes after she set her season high kill mark in the semi-final matchup against Ramapo, where a lot of highs were set for many of the Marauders. Her 21 assists, was her second-highest amount of assists in a singular game this season, nearly tying her record of 22 assists. Her current record was set in the October 22, 2026 matchup versus West Morris, where the Marauders won 2-1.
Looking ahead for the Marauders, they will be playing the Shawnee Renegades on November 14 at a neutral site: Franklin High School. Both teams will be looking for their first-ever overall state titles, making this one of the marquee matchups this weekend in New Jersey.
