CB West won the championship at the annual Christopher Dock Volleyball Tournament Saturday.
By Mary Jane Souder
TOWAMENCIN - ‘What a week.’
In those three words, Central Bucks West junior Christian Rupert effectively summed up a week that might be tough to equal. The week began with the Bucks’ defeating defending conference and district champion Pennridge on Tuesday, a win that brought to an end of a 75-match winning streak for the Rams that began in 2008.
One day later, the Bucks upended a North Penn squad that had handed West its only league loss of the season. On Friday night, the Panthers downed Quakertown and then capped the week by capturing the title of the annual Christopher Dock Tournament, defeating two-time reigning tournament champion Council Rock North 2-0 in Saturday’s final (25-14, 25-15).
“We’re exhausted,” Rupert said. “We’re totally exhausted.”
Exhausted perhaps but happy to walk away with the title in a tournament that included 15 area squads.
“This means so much,” Rupert said. “It shows we have a lot of perseverance. We started a little bit sloppy. Maybe our fatigue was showing, but we totally put that aside, and we were playing the way we know how to play.”
Rupert was named tournament MVP while teammate Mike Fehrs also earned a spot on the all-tournament team, but according to Rupert, who was unstoppable in the middle of the net, this was a team effort by the Bucks.
“It starts with the defense,” he said. “We have Jeff Strasburg who was sick, and it was great to see him come back. We have a lot of defensive weapons. Our outsides are fantastic.
“Our front with Michael Fehrs, who is a great weapon on the outside, and we have a lot of new guys stepping up.”
Rock North also placed a pair of players on the all-tournament team – senior Jeremy Higgins and senior Christopher Richards. Coach Greg Marchetti elected to rest Higgins, who suffered a minor strain, in the playoffs.
“Throughout the day, we had ups and downs,” the Indians’ coach said. “I liked the fact that we bounced back when we were faced with adversity against several teams.
“We tried to turn it on the last match, but I think we were a little overmatched physically at times. I don’t think we played a very smart game – just made poor decisions at times. Volleyball is a sport where there’s a lot of mental aspects, and I think at times, we tried to rely on our physical ability, and after a 12-hour day, sometimes that doesn’t work.”
Both squads rolled to 7-1 records in pool play, and both had a bye in the opening round of playoffs that saw Neshaminy defeat Souderton and North Penn send Liberty packing. In the semifinals, Rock North downed North Penn 2-0 and West upended Neshaminy 2-1, setting the stage for the all-SOL title match that belonged to the Bucks.
“They just never cease to amaze me,” coach Todd Miller said. “Their energy for each other, their desire to see each other succeed – it continues to grow.
“To see a team have that along with the amount of talent and as well-rounded as we are – it’s a huge blessing. It really is. They just continue to desire to win. They work their tails off, and they accomplish great things. It was a wonderful week. It was one for the books. It’s a huge milestone for them as a team.”
In the opening set of Saturday’s title match, The Indians led 6-5 after a Josh Hinton kill only to watch the Bucks answer with a 7-0 run that began with a Fehrs kill and culminated with a Jackson Cox block. The Redskins would get no closer than five the rest of the way as the Bucks rolled to the win.
In the second set, the Bucks opened up a quick 6-2 lead after a Rupert kill. They stretched that lead to 10-4 after back-to-back service aces by Rupert, the second a laser serve that jolted the divider separating the two courts. The Bucks stretched that lead to double digits on their way to the big win.
“It just shows that we’re a team to be reckoned with,” Fehrs said. “We’re out to win, and we’re going to do it.
“We showed the energy, we showed the commitment to winning, and I think that was key.”
Fehrs admitted he had played enough volleyball for the week.
“My legs are sore, and I’m losing my voice,” he said. “I think I’m done for the week.”
Rupert (36 kills, 23 blocks, eight assists) and Fehrs (31 kills, 25 digs, eight aces) did it all for the Bucks, but they had an outstanding supporting cast. Setter Matthew Hennigan had 113 assists, 18 digs, 10 blocks and seven aces while Joel Klapper had 26 kills and 16 digs. Strasburg had 20 digs, and Dan Atkins had 19 while Keith Saunders added 15 kills and 13 blocks.
“I think the win over Pennridge took us from seeing we had potential to starting to realize it and letting other people know it,” Rupert said.
Chris Richards (36 kills, 25 digs, four blocks, two aces) had a huge day to lead the Indians. Tyler Burns (25 kills, 18 digs, 13 blocks), setter Dan Rafalovitch (89 assists, 29 digs, six blocks, 3 aces) and Andy Van Thuyne (53 digs, two aces) also made major contributions. Higgins (7 kills, 6 blocks, 3 aces, 6 digs), Devin McIntyre (9 kills, 5 blocks), Josh Hinton (12 kills, 31 digs, 4 blocks), Austin Fuglestad (6 kills, 4 blocks, 1 ace), Doug Devitt (11 digs, 1 ace), Nick Reich (12 blocks, 2 kills), Aiden LeClair (5 blocks, 5 kills), Matt Pine (6 kills) and Dalton Abrahamsen (14 assists, one ace) all had major contributions.
“This was our fourth year in a row in the final,” Marchetti said. “I would have liked to finish stronger than we did, but we’ll take away some positives.
“We try and say – always play your best volleyball in May. We have a match against Central Bucks West for the first time in a long time on May 3. It will be interesting to see what we do when we both have fresh legs.”
The Bucks and Indians will square off in a rematch at Council Rock North.
NOTES: Rupert is one of 19 players chosen by USA Volleyball to try out for the Junior National team in Colorado…Fehrs will be taking his talents to Stevenson next year…North Penn also had a big day on Saturday, rolling to a 7-1 record in pool play and advancing to the semifinals. Souderton (6-2) advanced to the opening round of the playoffs while Neshaminy (6-2) battled its way into the semifinals. Quakertown (2-6), Central Bucks South (2-6), William Tennent (2-6) and Council Rock South (0-8) also competed in the tournament.
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