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Mother Seton girls volleyball players pose with the 2025 NJSIAA Non-Public B state championship trophy they captured with a 3-0 win over MKA on Nov. 16 at Franklin High School in Somerset. The Setters established new school mark for wins in superb 26-3 season. (photos courtesy of Tom Moran/Mother Seton)
There's no doubt that the Mother Seton girls volleyball team was fully prepared to go up against Montclair Kimberley Academy when the Setters from Clark reached their first-ever state championship match. After all, Mother Seton played the No. 1 team in the state, Old Bridge, not once, but twice. "We had to re-set after playing them in the county final," Mother Seton head coach Tom Moran said. "You learn a lot playing a team like that twice." A storybook season saw the Setters reach 19 wins in the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament quarterfinals, passing last year's win total by one when Mother Seton finished 18-5. The ultimate victory, the win against Montclair Kimberley Academy in the Non-Public B state championship match at neutral site Franklin High School, had Mother Seton reach 26 victories, for the very first time. "Every milestone win was such a great experience for really a young team," said Moran, who has been the head coach at Mother Seton going back to the spring season of 1998. Girls volleyball moved to the fall in the fall of 1998. "We had never been to a state final," Moran said. "We had never won a state final. "We're grateful for every win we achieved. It was really exciting." After defeating fellow Union County school Roselle Catholic 3-0 and then Stuart Day of Princeton 3-1 in the South Jersey, Non-Public B quarterfinals and semifinals at home, Mother Seton then hosted Rutgers Prep in the South Jersey, Non-Public B sectional state championship match. The Setters were one win away from reaching a state final for the first time. Mother Seton was on its game once again vs. its Somerset County opponent as the Setters swept Rutgers Prep 25-18, 25-22 and 25-21 to advance farther than they ever had. "We won a sectional final in the spring of 2021, but the state didn't go any further since we were still in Covid-19 protocol," said Moran, who is a 1992 Matawan graduate who still resides in Matawan. That Mother Seton team went 12-0 and also defeated Rutgers Prep in the South Jersey, Non-Public B final, winning 2-0 by the scores of 25-18 and 25-21. That season was moved from the fall of 2020 to the spring of 2021 because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Competing in the Non-Public B state championship match for the first time Nov. 16, Mother Seton went up against North Jersey, Non-Public B sectional state champion Montclair Kimberley Academy, which defeated St. Mary's of Rutherford 3-1 in its sectional final to improve to 19-11. Mother Seton was pretty dominant in the first two games, winning both by the score of 25-16. On its way to winning the match 3-0, Mother Seton captured the third game by the score of 25-18. Mother Seton won 26 games for the first time and concluded a season to remember for a lifetime at 26-3. The victory over MKA was No. 351 for Moran in his 29 seasons at the helm of the Setters. "The girls were very determined," Moran said. "They seemed to be more focused the further we moved on." Mother Seton lost to only two teams: Old Bridge and Woodbridge. Following a 4-0 start the Setters were defeated at home by Old Bridge 2-0 on Sept. 11. Then with a record of 10-1 on Sept. 30 Mother Seton was halted at home by Woodbridge 2-1. The only other loss was Oct. 25 at top-seeded Old Bridge 2-0 in the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament final. Mother Seton closed with a six-match winning streak, beginning with a 3-1 win at Woodbridge on Oct. 28. Old Bridge was the only team Mother Seton played in 2025 that the Setters did not defeat. Old Bridge also went on to win the Group 4 state championship, finish 33-1, and end 2025 as New Jersey's top-ranked team. Here's a look at the prominent players who guided Mother Seton this fall: Madison Porter, junior, of Plainfield: This was Porter's first season on the varsity. She was a defensive specialist who stepped into the setter's role and, according to Moran, "learned the position on the fly." Porter set the school's single season record for assists with 747, with 33 of them coming in the state final against MKA. "She makes the team better when she touches the ball," Moran said. "She has good court intelligence." Faith Forenza, freshman, of Union: Forenza exceeded expectations for a freshman by setting the school's single season kills record with 290. Her season high of 19 came at the most appropriate time, vs. MKA. "She performed quite well in the biggest game," Moran said. Addyson Anderson, sophomore, of Roselle: The first freshman to start at middle blocker at Mother Seton last year, Anderson had 79 kills this year, including two blocks against MKA. Anderson and Forenza attended the same middle school. Annabelle Burns, junior, of Union: A starter since her freshman season, Burns is the school leader in career kills with 544, including 272 this year. Burns had 14 kills in the win over MKA. Burns also has 750 career digs and would be the first non-libero position player in school history to get to 1,000 if she achieves that lofty goal next year. Burns is looking to play collegiately. "She's such an excellent defensive player," Moran said. "Her name will be on our wall forever." Kiera Duffy, senior, of Union: This defensive specialist, spending her first year on the varsity, had a season-high 17 digs against MKA. "She was simply locked in that match," Moran said. Duffy was third-best on the team with 181 digs. lsabella Matias, senior, of Colonia: Matias surpassed 1,000 career digs by producing 35 in the win over MKA to give her a final total of 1,007. She had 42, 40 and 35 in Mother Seton's final three matches and finished with 622 this year. Sophomore middle blocker Hailey Paul of Union had two kills vs. MKA and senior opposite Jazmine Cardenas of Roselle added one kill and one block. A GOOD CAST IS WORTH REPEATING The players: The coaches: 2025 MOTHER SETON SETTERS (26-3) Follow JR Parachini on 'X' @parachini_jr
The Mother Seton of Clark girls volleyball team captured its first-ever state championship on Nov. 16 when the Setters defeated MKA, 3-0, in NJSIAA Non-Public B final played at Franklin High School in Somerset.
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