Council Rock North made history with its win in the opening round of the PIAA Class 3A Tournament. Central Bucks East was also a winner. Check the recaps.
#1-1 COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 3, #3-4 LOWER DAUPHIN 0 (25-17, 25-21, 25-20)
The Indians made history with their sweep of the Falcons in an opening round state playoff match Tuesday.
“Tonight was a historic night for our program,” coach Greg Marchetti said. “The 2018 team now holds the record for most match wins in a season (20) and is the first team to reach the PIAA Elite Eight since the single elimination format was added.”
A key to the straight set win, according to the Indians’ coach, was the team’s ability to limit Lower Dauphin’s service runs.
“Lower Dauphin is a very good team,” Marchetti said. “District 3 teams play the best volleyball in the State of Pennsylvania.
“Our goal was to sideout quickly and try to separate early. This helped our team feel more comfortable in such a big match.”
Setter Nick Baniewicz - who had 18 assists, three aces, one dig and one kill - spread the ball around. Harry Wyatt (nine kills, four digs, one ace), Jack Gunshenan (seven kills, three digs, 3.5 blocks, one ace one assist) and Keven D’Arcy (seven kills, 2.5 blocks, one dig) led the Indians’ balanced attack. Eddie Mancinelli led the defense with 13 digs and two assists. Justin Burns added eight assists, five kills and one block, and Sean D’Arcy had four kills and .5 blocks. Will Hewitt had .5 blocks and Justin Walton had two digs.
“Our biggest strength all season has been our balance,” Marchetti said. “Tonight we received four or more kills from five different players. That is very hard to accomplish in a three-set match. Our team remains very unselfish, and the positive attitudes both on and off the court are carrying us throughout these big matches.
“The most important thing about tonight was that we were able to extend our season. We now get to enjoy a few days of practice and prepare for another match against a very strong opponent in Emmaus High School. The opportunity to continue competing is very special at this point of the season and we feel very lucky to have that opportunity.”
Rock North will face District 11 champion Emmaus in a second round match on Saturday.
#1-2 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 3, #12-1 LA SALLE 2 (23-25, 21-25, 25-23, 25-18, 16-14)
The Patriots found themselves staring at a 2-0 deficit after two sets but rallied to win the next three to advance to the Elite Eight.
The Patriots’ defense was buoyed by Jacob LaBouliere, who picked up 14 digs and added four assists. At the net, East was spearheaded by Carter Haban with 24 kills, two assists and 10 digs, and Dylan Colbert, who added 23 kills, three assists, one ace and 13 digs. Andrew Bennett had eight kills, four digs and three aces, and Christian Wolf was a key player in the middle, tallying seven kills, two digs and a block. Jack Miller added a kill and two blocks. Directing the East offense was setter Steve Storm, who amassed 56 assists, two kills and five digs. Before going down with an injury, Thomas Gallagher-Teske had a couple of blocks and a dig.
Central Bucks East will face District 3 champion Hempfield in Saturday’s second round.
#3-1 HEMPFIELD 3, #1-3 PENNSBURY 0 (25-17, 25-14, 25-16)
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