DIGGING IT: Princeton High girls’ volleyball player Camila Barbosa dives for a dig in recent action as Lily Cao looks on. Last Wednesday, senior star libero and team captain Barbosa made 13 digs and had two assists to help PHS defeat WW/P-South High 2-0 (25-18, 25-16). The Tigers, who defeated Hopewell Valley High 2-0 (25-18, 25-22) on Thursday to improve to 6-0, host Notre Dame High on September 23 and Northern Highlands High on September 26, play at Hightstown High on September 28, and then host Burlington Township High on September 29. (Photo by Frank Jacobs III)

By Bill Alden

While Camila Barbosa is one of the few returning starters for a Princeton High girls’ volleyball team that won the program’s third straight New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Group 3 state title last year, she has adjusted quickly to the squad’s revamped lineup.

“It has been a lot of fun, it definitely takes some getting used to with the new faces,” said senior star libero and team captain Barbosa. “But everybody is so ready to play and so eager to get on the court. It doesn’t feel like much has changed at all in the aspect of energy.”

Last Wednesday, Barbosa and her teammates displayed some good energy as they defeated WW/P-South High 2-0 (25-18, 25-16) to earn their fifth straight win to start the season.

In the first set, PHS jumped out to an 18-9 lead and never looked back.

“South is a great team and it is really fun to compete with them,” said Barbosa. “I think in the first set we really focused on our play. We were going to get all of our serves in, swing hard, pass well, and compete.”

The Tigers trailed 11-10 midway through the second set before going on a 6-0 run to regain momentum on the way to the win.

“After the timeout, we got in the huddle and we were, ‘guys we know we can do better. Let’s go show them what we have got,’” said Barbosa.

After having rallied to a 2-1 win over South (16-25, 25-18, 25-19) in the season opener on September 1, PHS was looking to show the progress it has made this season.

“Today the goal was to come out and play some Princeton volleyball and do our thing,” said Barbosa. “It means having the environment when everyone is succeeding, feels uplifted and we are putting that ball away.”

As she goes through her final season with the Tigers, Barbosa is looking to uplift her teammates.

“It has been so exciting,” said Barbosa. “This year I felt my goal was to ground myself more in the team. It is great to get these girls going, it is really rewarding.”

Barbosa believes the performance against the Pirates shows that PHS is going in the right direction.

“I see a lot of potential on the team for the future and the state playoffs,” said Barbosa. “I am really excited, I think we have great servers, great passers and some great hitters. All of the girls on the team are competing so well right now. We are getting our center-hitter connections going. It is going to look good.”

PHS head coach Patty Manhart liked the way her team competed in the win over WW/P-South.

“I think how we played today is indicative that we are on the right track,” said Manhart. “We are coming together in what we are doing. It was playing clean volleyball, like not making simple mistakes on our side.”

Manhart credits Barbosa with helping the Tigers get it together.

“Camila is heart and soul and passion,” said Manhart. “She is running the defense. She has really great court IQ, seeing what is happening. That is what makes her so fast. She is really good at reading and being there on defense. She is always going to do her job and pick up her teammates. They know they can rely on her as a passer so that is really helpful.”

Junior Lily Cao has been doing a great job on the front row this season.

“She is great. At the beginning of the year with height being a thing in volleyball, I wasn’t sure if she would be able to play front row but she just really wants it that position,” said Manhart of Cao, who had three kills and six digs against the Pirates.

“As I was watching our preseason shake out, I was, ‘right, you can hit in the front row and you are very consistent.’ She is very smart, she adjusts really well. As an outside in her position, you get the most amount of sets so you really need to be able to be consistent. That is something she does so well, she is a very consistent player.”

Another junior, Leah Wang, has been doing well in her first varsity campaign.

“I love how Leah is serving, she is always on in that role,” said Manhart. “She is so strong as a setter. She is making the jump from JV to varsity and I am asking her to be the first server out. We had that game against Lawrenceville (a 2-0 win on September 11) where it was Leah’s service run that brought us into it. She is really contributing in a significant way. I am happy with her play.”

Freshman Ruhi Zhou has been making a big contribution in her debut season for the Tigers.

“I found out she switched over the beach volleyball recently — that is a good pattern for us,” said Manhart, noting that former PHS standouts Naomi Lucas and Kaelin Bobetich also took up beach volleyball. “I think that is part of what makes her so fast and athletic and good all around. In beach volleyball you are not isolated to a single position, you don’t do just one thing. She can do everything. When her jump top spin serve is on, it is dangerous. She just has to be on consistently.”

A pair of seniors, Sedona Arminio and Lucy Wang, have helped bolster the Tiger defense.

“I love our middles, Sedona and Lucy,” said Manhart. “We are getting way more blocks as a team we have in the past having an active middle.”

With PHS moving to 6-0 as it defeated Hopewell Valley High 2-0 (25-18, 25-22) on Thursday, Manhart is encouraged by how her squad has gotten out of the gate this fall.

“Considering the legacy, the girls have a high bar for what we want to do and where we want to go this season,” said Manhart, whose team will look to keep on the winning track when it hosts Notre Dame High on September 23 and Northern Highlands High on September 26, plays at Hightstown High on September 28, and then hosts Burlington Township High on September 2. “Coming out to this start makes us a little more confident. It is a nice building block to keep working on. I love this momentum, we are only going to get stronger from here.”

Barbosa, for her part, is confident that PHS can live up to its championship legacy.

“We are going for that fourth year,” said Barbosa. “We are going to work hard and see what comes out of it.”