It also proved that the Mounties, who are 6-7 with six matches remaining before the Oct. 22 State-tournament cutoff, have work to do in order to be over .500 by the qualifying date.

MHS starts its six-match stretch tomorrow against Eastside in Paterson at 4 p.m. Paterson Kennedy visits Montclair on Tuesday at 4 p.m.

"Winning those two matches will be vital to our chances of making the playoffs," Mountie coach Major Jennings said. "Two wins in those matches gets us back over .500 and in the driver’s seat. Following that, we have a very tough match against Paramus.

"Overall, I like how we are developing, and 4-2 certainly isn’t out of the question. If we play well, I like our chances."

MHS senior Jasmine Bowen’s block tied things at 3 in the first set against IHA, but the Blue Eagles went on a 10-3 run before finishing on a 12-3 run to close out the first set. Junior Catherine Cantine’s kill pulled Montclair to within 6-4 in the second set before Immaculate Heart rallied for a 12-0 run. The Blue Eagles then closed out the match with a 7-4 scoring advantage.

"IHA is clearly the class of the league and the entire state," said Jennings. "I think we can take some positives away from the match, though.

"This is Catherine Cantine’s first year playing volleyball. She’s clearly getting better with each match. Erin Casey is only a sophomore, and she’s improving, too. We are getting there."

Junior Sotiria Simeonidis, a three-year starter, led the Mounties with three kills and two aces against IHA.

"Sotiria is our most complete player," Jennings told The Times. "It’s important that she continues to play as well as she has for us all season as we push toward the playoffs."

Holy Angels, another tough parochial squad in the Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League, topped MHS, 25-9, 25-21, this past Monday. Simeonidis registered five kills and four aces in defeat.

"The NNJIL is an excellent league," Jennings said. "Holy Angels has the best player in the league, possibly in the state. With a few complimentary players, a team like that is hard to beat. But I thought we came back and played a nice second set."

Montclair faced Bloomfield in the Essex County Tournament as the 12th seed this past Saturday, and the fifth-seeded Bengals pulled out a 26-24, 25-15 victory in the quarters. Simeonidis again led the Mounties with 11 kills and four aces.