VIDEO: Breakthrough season continues with state playoff victory for Cape May Tech girls volleyball program

Posted: November 2nd 2026

The Cape May Tech girls volleyball team has enjoyed a breakthrough season this fall, winning a conference title and a first-round state playoff match.

By BRIAN CUNNIFF

CapeAtlanticLive.com

The girls volleyball program at the Cape May County Technical High School began four seasons ago.

Over the first three seasons, the Hawks won just eight matches combined.

This fall, however, the program has emphatically erased those struggles.

A solid regular season resulted in a Cape-Atlantic United Conference title – just the second CAL division or conference championship in school history in any sport.

The team didn’t stop there. On Friday, the Hawks won their first-ever state playoff match, defeating Dayton, 3-1, in a first-round South Jersey Group I match at home, improving to 13-12 on the season with the win.

“We have the advantage of having the best community and to have a home playoff game and having our community there to support us, it was just electric,” Cape May Tech coach Emma Zurawski said. “The girls have put in so much work and it was great to see so many people there to witness it pay off.”

After winning the first game by just two points, Tech dropped the second game to Dayton by a 25-10 scoreline, creating some doubt about the Hawks’ chances. But the team responded by comfortably winning the next two games by scores of 25-17 and 25-19.

Four-year starter Emma Ortavits leads the Hawks. Moved to the setter position for the first time this season, she has posted more than 250 assists, a single-season program record.

“This season has really highlighted her as a person and a player and being the MVP of our team,” Zurawski said. “Setter is a very important position. She used it to become a real leader of our team. To move to a new position and be so successful at it is just outstanding.”

Senior Noelia Shaffer and sophomore Brianna Knights have been the team’s top offensive players. Both have posted more than 100 kills on the season.

Senior Ginger Radzieta has been a key player as well, leading the team in digs and serving points.

Seniors Maddie Nailon and Rachel Riess have also been solid contributors.

This is the first season CAL volleyball featured a three-conference format.

Winning the conference was “not something that was on the forefront of my mind since we’re still such a young program, but the girls were talking about this since last season,” Zurawski said. “The girls put in the work every single day. To see it snowball into this, it was a great honor for me to be a part of it. They had this goal in mind and I just had to help get them there. But they put in the work to do it.”

Cape May Tech travels to Bard on Monday for a second-round state playoff match. 

With so many seniors on the varsity team, Cape May Tech will see new players come forward next season. Zurawski is hopeful the productive work of the current seniors makes an impact on the younger players.

“I hope our younger girls take advantage of being able to look up to such a successful team,” Zurawski said. “It should help fuel their fire. They’ll have big shoes to step into but we have an outstanding group of ladies among our underclassmen and it’ll be their turn to take the role of being varsity players. Hopefully, they learn from what the girls ahead of them put into it this season. Sometimes it’s not about skill but more desire and the fire inside you to work and make it happen.”

(Video courtesy David Smith/Cape May Tech athletics)