Check out the results for SOL boys’ volleyball teams in action this week. To view photos of the CB West/North Penn match, please visit the Photo Gallery.
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 3, NORTH PENN 0 (25-12, 25-23, 25-20)
Joel Klapper might not stand out in a crowd on a West team that is tall in stature, but that’s just fine with the senior outside hitter.
“I’m 5-11, and I’m like the shortest guy on the team,” Klapper said. “We have four or five people who are 6-5, so it’s really nice going into these matches knowing you have large boys on your team.
“It’s super exciting. I’m really excited to see what the rest of the season looks like.”
Klapper’s excitement is well founded. Last weekend, the Bucks captured the championship of the highly regarded Black Knight Joust Tournament at Hempfield, edging Pennridge in the title match. Both teams served noticed that the SOL will be heard from this season.
“It’s amazing,” Klapper said. “We have Christian Rupert who’s going to a Division One school (BYU), and we have Matt (Hennigan) who was first team all-league last year. It’s fun, and it’s exciting to have a talented group of guys.
“Knowing we went far in states last year and we only graduated two seniors – we’re returning most of our people, so it’s a really good feeling. We have good chemistry, and chemistry definitely helps you play together as a team. I’ve been playing with Christian and Matt since freshman year, and it helps you connect a lot easier. You can read everyone else on the court.”
Rupert stole the spotlight in Tuesday’s SOL showdown, finishing with 20 kills and four blocks. Klapper added eight kills and five digs in a supporting role. Hennigan had five kills to go along with 43 assists. Freshman libero Ryan Alu had 12 digs to lead the defense.
“We started to click a little bit more tonight,” West coach Todd Miller said. “I think we started to use some different things to the point where we weren’t doing the same thing over and over again.
“To see them make those adjustments and do different things and to see them overcome adversity, some difficult points even when they were behind at the beginning, to keep fighting and to keep pushing on to the point where they keep themselves, get ahead by a point or two and stay ahead – that’s one of your hardest goals to set as a team. Now the next goal is to be able to accomplish that consistently.”
For the Knights, senior outside hitter Kyle Sucro led the way with 13 kills while senior opposite Gabe Stoler had eight kills and three blocks. Junior Eric Mellman also had eight kills, three blocks and two aces, and junior setter Mark Elias had 25 assists.
“Our guys just need to get on the same page a little bit more because really that’s what it was,” North Penn coach Tim Moyer said. “It was a lot of organizational things where they were one step ahead of us.
“There are times when offensively we can play with anybody, but defensively, our block let us down a little bit tonight. We worked on trying to close the seams on a block, and they never really did that tonight unfortunately, so they definitely racked up the kills on us.”
The Bucks were in complete command in the opening set of Tuesday’s match, rolling to a 25-12 win.
In the second set, the Knights showed their mettle by hanging tough. They led 5-3 after a Jake Walter block and still led 7-4 after a Stoler kill. The Bucks made it an 8-7 game after a Rupert tip fell in for a winner, and the two teams were deadlocked after a Knight hit out of play. Another Knight hitting miscue was followed by a Rupert block, giving the Bucks a 13-11 lead, but a Sucro kill made it a one-point game.
That trend continued for the remainder of the set. The two teams were deadlocked 17-17, but the Bucks opened up a 23-19 lead after a Klapper kill. The Knights refused to go down quietly, and it was a 23-22 game after a Nate Malecky service ace. A kill by Mellman knotted the score, prompting the Bucks to call a quick timeout. A Rupert kill out of the timeout was followed by a Hennigan winner for set point.
The third set was another tightly contested affair. The Bucks opened up a quick 4-2 lead, but the Knights – thanks to a Sucro kill and service ace – knotted the score. The Knights rallied to go on top 10-8 after a Stoler kill, but the Bucks came back to knot the score. A Stoler kill gave the Knights an 11-10 advantage, but this time Cox answered with a kill. Another kill by Klapper gave the Bucks a 12-11 lead.
The Knights still trailed by just one (17-16) after a Stoler kill, but a Knight service miscue was followed by a line kill from Cox and a Rupert block. Just like that, the Bucks led 20-16.
Mellman delivered a block for the Knights, and back-to-back Sucro kills pulled the Knights to within one (20-19). A Knight service error out of a West timeout brought Jeff Strasburg to the service line for the Bucks. He served for three straight points that include a Rupert kill and Klapper winner. The Bucks won it when a North Penn serve sailed over the end line.
“The first game we came out strong,” Klapper said. “The second game we really weren’t moving around our hits. They picked up defensively, and they got a lot of blocks.
“Even though they lost the first game, their momentum stayed up. They kept going strong. They have some good hitters that kept putting away kills, but we were able to hold them off.
“I would rather come into a season with these tough matches that really test us and test our strength than an easy one. It definitely helps you get started for the season. We really look forward to it. These big wins – you put that on your back and run with it the rest of the season.”
Miller had no complaints after his team’s sweep.
“You have to set short-term goals,” the Bucks’ coach said. “You can’t look at the end picture.
“For these guys to set short-term goals and work hard point to point – even if they give up a few points, the end goal is basically to get ahead, even if you’re only ahead by one, to the point where you get that strike at the end and you finish out. Or you put that pressure on the other team and you let them make the mistake. They had some key mistakes at the end, we set some good blocks, and then that last serve went out and that was the game.”
While the Bucks improved to 2-0, the Knights are 1-1 on the young season.
“Our conference is tough,” Moyer said. “We have West again. We have Pennridge coming up next week, we have CB East on Friday.
“Our team is a very athletic team. We’re still working on some team building things. We have some guys who haven’t been here. West is a team that has gone to states, and we’re still struggling to find our identity. They’re also a team that is probably in midseason form already, and it’s still early in the season for us.”
SOUDERTON 3, QUAKERTOWN 0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-15)
Souderton received big performances from several players in Tuesday’s win. Evan Miller led the way with 11 kills, five blocks and four aces. Alex Androkites (eight kills, nine digs) and Micah Godshall (eight kills, three aces) also made important contributions. Mitch Yerk added four kills and four blocks.
For the Panthers, Josh Morgan led the way with 10 kills, three blocks and five digs. Dylan Flor added four kills, three blocks and one dig. Coulton Terry had six blocks, and setter Xavier Villanueva had 15 assists.
Souderton (1-1, 1-0 SOL) will travel to Upper Dublin on Friday while the Panthers (0-1 SOL) will host Central Bucks West on Friday.
PENNRIDGE 3, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 1 (25-10, 25-19, 22-25, 25-19)
Sam Handy led a balanced Ram attack at the net with eight kills and three blocks. Ben Chinnici had six kills, four blocks and four aces. Setter Brad Nase was credited with 34 assists to go with four kills. Steve Braun led the defense with 16 digs.
East's attack was led by sophomore Chris Woolslayer and Pierce Budson with seven and six kills, respectively. Henry Mallison dished out 17 assists and added three kills. The defense was led by Brian Damone (19 digs) and Jarred Minschwaner (15 digs). Minschwaner added two aces and three kills while Shawn Malone and Chris Dunn had three kills each.
The Rams are 1-0 in the SOL on the young season while the Patriots are 0-1 in the SOL.
CHELTENHAM 3, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 0
Setter Mike Lee had a big night for the Panthers, handing out 40 assists. Brett Mayne benefited from more than a few of those sets with a big night at the net, delivering 18 kills to go along with two aces. Chris Myarick added nine kills and Kevin Alfred, five kills. Eric Taing led the defense with 15 digs, Kenny Tea added 11 digs and Anthony Lim, eight digs.
Tuesday, March 25
NESHAMINY 3, WILLIAM TENNENT 0
Redskin setter Chase Fullen had 32 assists, five kills and two aces. Ryan Jamison had a big night with 11 kills, six aces, two blocks and seven digs. Mike Gulla added eight kills and two blocks, and Stephen Compton had six kills and five digs. Bailey Jones contributed four kills, and Jake Murray contributed six kills and three blocks to a balanced attack. JP Fay had six digs.
Monday, March 24
CHELTENHAM 3, ABINGTON 2
Abington setter Tim Seydel was credited with 25 assists, three blocks and four aces while Joe Wiley led the defense with 19 digs to go along with five aces. Saubach also had a big night defensively for the Ghosts, contributing 12 digs and four blocks.
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 3, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 0 (25-21, 25-15, 25-16)
Christian Rupert led the Bucks with 13 kills and five blocks, and Joel Klapper added nine kills. Setter Matt Hennigan had 33 assists and two aces, and freshman libero Ryan Alu had 11 digs.
For the Indians, Andy Van Thuyne led the defense with 11 digs to go along with four assists and one ace. Josh Hinton added five kills and seven digs, and Austin Fuglestad had four kills and three blocks. Nick Reich contributed four blocks and three kills. Dalton Abrahamsen had nine assists and eight digs, and Logan Fulgestad had eight assists and five digs. Will Stollsteimer had four kills. Aidan LeClair had two blocks and one kill, and Matt Pine had two blocks.
EMMAUS 3, SOUDERTON 0 (25-22, 25-23, 25-23)
The Indians lost a tightly contested non-league match on Monday. Alex Androkites had a big night to lead the Indians, contributing 13 kills, six digs and two blocks. Evan Miller added nine kills and three blocks, and Micah Godshall had eight kills, five digs and two blocks. Mitch Yerk had three kills, five digs and three aces.
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