Several weeks ago, after the Pinelands Regional girls volleyball squad’s three-game victory over division rival Barnegat, senior hitter Jill Becker was adamant that the Wildcats were good enough to challenge for the Shore Conference Tournament title.

The key element was going to be whether she and her teammates could put pressure on their opponents.

“We need to keep pushing and not have any letups,” she said. “We can come back when we’re down in matches, but we shouldn’t put ourselves in those…