Cougar Girls Show Two Sides of Fall Season: Volleyball Stays Perfect, Field Hockey Finds Late Spark
Nicholas Mistretta
MHS ’79 Cougar Sports Correspondent
MONTGOMERY, NJ — It was a mixed day for Montgomery High School’s girls varsity teams Wednesday, as the Cougar volleyball team continued its unbeaten start with a straight-set victory over Bernards while the field hockey team showed some late offensive life in a 9-2 loss to undefeated Shawnee.
Volleyball Sweeps Bernards, Improves to 4-0
Montgomery girls volleyball remained perfect on the young season, defeating Bernards 2-0 with convincing set victories of 25-18 and 25-14. The win improved the Cougars to 4-0, while Bernards fell to 1-2.
Montgomery received contributions throughout the lineup, led offensively by Sidney Koslow, who finished with a team-high six kills while adding four digs, 10 service points and two aces.
Anshika Verma added five kills and two blocks, while Leah Fenmore contributed three kills. Avery Zhao finished with two kills, with Pooja Venkat and Anita Balashova adding one apiece.
The Cougars also applied considerable pressure from the service line. Selina Tan led Montgomery with five aces while also recording a team-high eight digs. Koslow added two aces, while Venkat, Verma and Ritisha Mungi each recorded one.
Mungi directed the offense with 15 assists, accounting for the majority of Montgomery’s 17 assists in the match. She also recorded eight service points. Montgomery finished with 18 kills, three blocks, 17 digs and 10 aces in the two-set victory. Through four matches, the Cougars have yet to suffer a loss as they continue a strong opening stretch to the 2026 season.
Shawnee Pulls Away From Montgomery Field Hockey
On the field hockey pitch, Montgomery faced a difficult test against unbeaten Shawnee, which used a big third quarter to pull away for a 9-2 victory. Shawnee improved to 3-0, while Montgomery fell to 0-3.
The visitors took control early, scoring once in the opening quarter and twice in the second to carry a 3-0 advantage into halftime. Shawnee then broke the game open with five goals in the third quarter, building an 8-0 lead entering the final period.
Montgomery continued battling and found its offense in the fourth, scoring twice before the final whistle. Ella Garrison and Carson Benedict each scored for the Cougars, giving Montgomery its two goals in the contest.
Shawnee finished with a sizable territorial advantage, recording 27 shots on goal and 14 penalty corners compared with Montgomery’s nine shots on goal and two corners.
Montgomery goalkeepers Phoebe Rounds and Virginia Herring were kept busy throughout the game and combined for 13 saves. Rounds recorded eight saves, while Herring added five.
Shawnee’s balanced attack featured eight different goal scorers. Harper Little led the way with two goals, while Brooklyn Tomlinson recorded a goal and two assists.
Despite the final margin, Montgomery’s two fourth-quarter goals provided a positive finish against a Shawnee team that entered the contest undefeated.
Photo Credit: Nick Mistretta/headlinenewsmontgomry.com