GOING FOUR IT: Princeton High girls’ volleyball player Lily Cao hits a serve in action last fall. Junior Cao will be playing a key role for PHS this fall as it looks to win its fourth straight New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Group 3 state title. The Tigers were slated to start their season this week by playing at WW/P-South on September 1, hosting WW/P-North on September 4, and then playing at Notre Dame on September 9. (Photo by Frank Jacobs III)

By Bill Alden

With the Princeton High girls’ volleyball team having won three straight New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Group 3 state titles, Patty Manhart isn’t shying away from talk of a four-peat even though the program is featuring a revamped lineup this fall.

“That is the bar — there is absolutely no reason to lower standards and play it safe,” said PHS head coach Manhart, who guided the Tigers to a 27-5 record last fall. “There are returning varsity players who just didn’t get a lot of time last year and have worked their way into the lineup this year. They have been with the program and they have seen what is involved. That is always going to be the bar that we are shooting for.”

Looking to fill the void left by the graduation of senior stars Naomi Lygas, Kaelin Bobetich, and Charlotte Woods, Manhart has been tinkering with her lineup as the squad prepares to get its 2026 season underway.

“We played in the Williamstown tournament on Saturday,” said Manhart, whose team was slated to start regular season action by playing at WW/P-South on September 1, hosting WW/P-North on September 4, and then playing at Notre Dame on September 9. “It doesn’t count towards the record, it gives you a chance to try different lineups and play different people. We finished pool play around the middle of the pack and then we lost to Kingsway in the quarterfinals when we moved on to the playoffs.”

In the middle of the front row, senior Sedona Arminio (29 kills, 27 blocks in 2025) is primed for a big final campaign.

“Sedona is great, she is one of the captains this year with the Barbosas (Camila and Carmen),” said Manhart. “She has really grown so much, we are going to rely more on the middles now. In the past we have always had Naomi and Charlotte at outside. Now it is a much more balanced attack. Even in these scrimmages we are moving the ball around. Sedona has been really consistent in the middle and really producing there.”

Senior Lucy Wang (18 kills, 12 blocks) should produce on the front row
as well.

“Lucy is coming back, probably at opposite again,” said Manhart, noting that Carmen Barbosa is currently sidelined due to injury. “I may put her in the middle with Carmen out. Putting her at the right side, she has the highest reach and the biggest block on the team. With her on the right side, we are really relying on her to shut down other team’s outside hitters.”

PHS is also relying on junior Milla Petrecca (10 kills, 4 blocks) to excel.

“Milla got in here and there last year in those games when we were really doing well,” said Manhart. “She was not part of the starting lineup. She was someone who I could tell she was thinking, ‘Who graduated — the outsides — so what do I need to work on being an outside hitter?’ She is tall and you could tell that she was really working on trying to get one of those outside spots, and she did.”

Junior Lily Cao has worked hard to earn a spot in the lineup.

“The second outside is Lily — she was a defensive specialist last year,” said Manhart. “I wasn’t sure how she would fit in as a hitter, but through preseason you could tell that is something she really wanted and worked really had to get to. Outside is a tough job — you have to be able to pass, you have to do cleanup, you are going to get all of the sets out of system. You are running around a bit on a play. Lily is someone who can make anything work. She is really smart. She has great ball control. Even being on the smaller side, she can still find ways to produce on kills.”

A pair of seniors, Kenzie Miller and Nishika Singh, will also be playing more this fall.

“Kenzie is coming in as a pin hitter, probably playing opposite of right side, and so is Nishika, who is a first-time varsity player,” said Manhart. “Those are people who will probably split playing opposite on the right side. They are two people who can produce and do a nice job in our front row. Those are girls who are both great at blocking.”

After doing a great job last fall stepping in as the starting libero, senior Camila Barbosa (387 digs, 34 assists) figures to be a catalyst for the Tigers all over the court.

“Camila is back at libero,” said Manhart. “She is so consistent, she is so fast, and she is the rock of our serve receive. Watching her at the tournament this weekend, when her serve is on, it is a bullet and it is so hard to pass. I really like the way Camila serves. That is going to be a big part of our game this year.”

Junior Leah Wang and freshman Ruhi Zhou are looking to be big parts of things as they join the squad.

“We have Leah, who is a junior but first-time varsity,” said Manhart. “Ruhi is someone who has been on my radar since she was in fourth or fifth grade. She has just always been around, she has been playing volleyball from a young age. It is just really exciting that she is finally at the high school. With the time she has spent playing volleyball in her youth and club, you can see how that is making her ready to earn a spot on the varsity lineup as a freshman.”

Others in the mix include junior Zoe Ghaim (5 kills, 4 blocks) and senior Claire Hua.

“We have Zoe to fill in the middle — this is the first time she is working her way into the lineup,” said Manhart. “Claire is a first-time varsity player and someone who has been working really hard at defense. She is just such a consistent passer, so having her as a defensive specialist really helps out when we
are able to use her on the back row.”

While PHS may hit some bumps in the road early on as it works new faces into the rotation, Manhart believes the team has the talent on hand to produce another big season once it gets in synch.

“It is just consistency. Every time we have gone out in the preseason, there are so many amazing highlights of what each person is able to do,” said Manhart. “The consistency piece just comes from being able to do it together. It is that communication, being in system just so we can be at that high level all of the time. It is just going to take more practice, more reps, more time on the court. These girls are committed. They worked really hard in the offseason and they want to make it happen.”

As it faces Burlington County Scholastic League (BCSL) foes, WW/P-South, WW/P-North, and Notre Dame, in the first week of the season, the Tigers are looking to make an early statement.

“It will be a good first time out to see where we stand in the BCSL, it has been old hat that we are going to be at the top of the food chain in the league,” said Manhart. “So just coming back, I don’t know who the teams are returning, I don’t know what they have got yet. We want to be able to leave that mark that OK, yes, Princeton is going to be coming back for the league championship again. That will be the test — to see how we play against these teams that we see consistently every year.”