Varsity Aces

Danielle Schulmann talks in paragraphs

I was working on a story about the upcoming United States Youth Soccer Region I U-18 girls soccer championship, which kicks off Friday in Portland, Maine. A local bunch, Arsenal World Class, won the tournament last season and advanced to the national tournament.

After practice, I was speaking with Ashlee Burt of IHA, Stacie Dulkis of Mahwah and Danielle Schulmann of Northern Highlands about their team, which includes more than a couple of members of the United States National U-18 team. Even though the team's talent level is extraordinarily high, all three know it's going to be that much more difficult to repeat than it was to win last year.

One woman stops a nation (volleyball)

If you've attended even one volleyball match (and if you haven't, shame on you), you likely noticed that there is this odd tradition/habit of fans switching sides in the stands after each game. Supporters will sit on whichever side of the court their team starts on and will pick up and move to the other side after each game.

It's something that is unique to volleyball. Can you imagine the same thing happening in football, say when Don Bosco and Bergen Catholic are playing? The scene would be chaotic if the fans changed sides in the stands after each quarter. In volleyball, such en masse moving is commonplace.

How do you forget referees?

So I got to Don Bosco early on Wednesday. The goal was to avoid traffic on the drive to Ramsey and pick up some yogurt peanuts at a deli near the school before the Ironmen met up with Passaic Valley in the North Sectional boys volleyball quarterfinals. I should have known things were jinxed when the deli didn't have any yogurt peanuts

I walked into the gym at about 3:50 for the scheduled 4:30 match and did the usual things a sportswriter does: checked both teams' rosters and records, made sure everyone was actually there and then went to take my seat in the last row of the lower bowl at the Don Bosco gym. Then I waited.

Wayne Hills volleyball -- Kissing the Barbie

Lucky charms can be found in the strangest places. Of course, this has to do with things like horseshoes, coins, the Blarney Stone and the like, not the sugar-blasted cereal endorsed by a cartoon leprechaun.

The Wayne Hills boys volleyball team will take the court as the favorite against Passaic Valley in the second round of the North Sectional tournament. But before the Patriots hit their first serve or smack their first kill, all of the team members will Kiss the Barbie.

Girls Lacrosse Statistics as of May 21

Here are the latest girls lacrosse statistics through Wednesday. Again, all of the credit goes to Jim McConville, who is tireless in his detailing of statistics from the lacrosse fields of North Jersey. All I did was type in the information. We also added a new category this week for the goalies with save percentage.

If anyone is missing and belongs on these lists, please have your team's coach e-mail Tim Leonard at Leonard@northjersey.com. Sorry, but we cannot accept e-mails from parents or boosters, unless that person has been designated by the coach to send statistics and the coach contacts us to confirm.

Ridgewood's Donovan honored

Ridgewood senior Liz Donovan has been selected as an All-American by Inside Lacrosse magazine. Amazingly, Donovan's selection marks the first time a Ridgewood player has been named as an All-American. She will attend Boston College in the fall.

The Ridgewood defender was one of 44 players selected by a committee put together by Inside Lacrosse. She will compete in an All-Star Game on July 12 in Baltimore. The players will be split into two teams for a North vs. South game. The official announcement of the full team is expected sometime next week.

Girls Lacrosse Statistics as of May 14

Although the cooperation by the coaches has been minimal, here are updated statistics for girls lacrosse. All of the credit goes to Jim McConville, who is tireless in his quest to find and record every goal, assist and save that is made on a North Jersey lacrosse field. All I did was type in the information.

If anyone is missing and belongs on these lists, please have your team's coach e-mail Tim Leonard at Leonard@northjersey.com. Sorry, but we cannot accept e-mails from parents or boosters, unless that person has been designated by the coach to send statistics and the coach contacts us to confirm.

Volleyball moving to best-of-5

The sport of volleyball will be making changes soon. This is both a good thing and a not-so-good thing among coaches.

The good decision made on Wednesday is that volleyball -- that's both boys and girls -- will once again be a best-of-5 competitoon, rather than the best-of-3 it has been for the past three seasons. I'm not going to take sides on this issue. I know there are coaches out there who would rather things remained a best-of-3, but most of the states in this country, play a best-of-5. That's also what is played in college and international matches.

Girls lacrosse statistics

I put the word out a few days ago for girls lacrosse statistics and this is what came back from the coaches. If you or your favorite player or your favorite team is not represented on this list, it's because the statistics were not sent. Speak with your coach or statistician and ask that they e-mail me the stats. For you fans of defense, groundballs will be included beginning next week.

Without further ado, here are the current North Jersey leaders....

Passaic County Boys Volleyball Tournament seeds

Undefeated Wayne Hills, as expected, was named as the top seed for the Passaic County Boys Volleyball Tournament on Thursday. The second seed is Clifton and two-time reigning champion Lakeland is the third seed.

The tournament kicks off with a match between No. 8 seed Passaic and No. 9 seed Eastside for a spot in the quarterfinals. That match must be played before Apr. 28.