Several weeks ago, when the Pinelands Regional girls volleyball squad defeated nearby rival Barnegat in a barnburner type of match, senior Madison Wilbert made a statement afterward that may have been partly prophetic.

“Once we really settle in, I believe we’re going to have a lot of success this season,” she said. “I believe we can have a similar season to the one we had last year, because we’re pretty much the same team except for our setters.”

Heading into October last year, Pinelands already had two of its four losses and was near the top of the standings in…