Four SOL girls’ volleyball teams earned wins in Tuesday’s opening round of the District One AAA Tournament.
#11 PENNSBURY 3, #22 DOWNINGTOWN WEST 1 (25-22, 22-25, 25-23, 27-25)
It wasn’t easy, but the Falcons earned a 3-1 first round win over the Whippets.
“They were a big team, and they played really well,” coach Michael Falter said. “In our fashion that we’ve done all year, we weren’t consistent throughout games.
“The first game was back and forth the whole game, but we pulled it out. In the second game, we were up 10-1, and then we kind of took a little bit of a break and let them back in it and ended up dropping the second game. The third game was close too.
“We lose focus at points in the match and give up three or four points, and then we turn it on again and earn them back.”
The Falcons’ coach went on to credit Downingtown West.
“They were a very good team,” Falter said. “They had girls who could hit the ball well. They were a very good blocking team.
“They have a libero that - I don’t want to say she’s as good as William Tennent’s libero (CC Weir), but she plays that back six position very, very well and covers a lot of court. For some reason, every team we play that has a libero that plays that spot gives us a lot of trouble.
“They were very good team, and they were very similar to us in the fact that they don’t go away. Even though they’re down, the match or the game is not out of reach.”
Cara Reilly had a big night both offensively and defensively with 24 kills and 22 digs. Ava Patterson added 13 kills and 10 digs. Setter Kelsey Ongradi also had 13 digs to go along with 49 assists.
“She really set a great game,” Falter said of Ongradi. “She struggled at times this year with her consistency, but tonight she gave our hitters hittable balls, and that’s all we’ve asked from her all year.
“We don’t need her to set a perfect ball every time because there’s too much pressure. Put up a nice hittable ball, and let our athletes go up and take care of business. She really did a great job of mixing it up because our passing was not good tonight. We passed very poorly, and she was running all over the court, but she bettered the ball, which is what we’ve been asking her to do. She stood out more than anybody with her hustle.”
The Falcons will travel to sixth-seeded Garnet Valley for a second round match. The Jaguars defeated Perkiomen Valley 3-1.
#12 WILLIAM TENNENT 3, #21 CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 0 (25-11, 25-12, 25-18)
The Panthers picked up their 19th straight win – a new school record - on Tuesday night in front of an enthusiastic home crowd, and they did it in convincing fashion.
“At Tennent, our fans are really important,” senior Cecelia Weir said. “It’s something we really cherish. They always help us.
“I think they’re a good team. We were just really on tonight, and that brought them down.”
The Panthers’ impressive winning streak began after they were 1-2 out of the gate, dropping a pair of gut-wrenching five-set matches to Pennsbury and Council Rock North.
“We really stepped it up – those first two losses were a reality check,” Weir said. “We started coming together as a team and playing the way we really could.”
“We didn’t like the feeling of losing,” senior Chelsea Gallagher added. “So we worked harder in practice. We practiced hitting our key spots more often, and our defense is our winning item.”
Weir’s 13 digs led the Panthers’ defense while Gallagher had 10 digs to go along with nine kills. Sophomore setter Alex Koppany also had 13 digs to go along with 29 assists. Jaime Bonner led the Panthers at the net with 14 kills as well as seven digs. Maddie Richard had three aces, and Amber Wood chipped in five kills as the Panthers picked up their second win of the season over the Bucks.
In the initial meeting between the two teams, the Panthers won game won 25-10 but trailed in both the second and third games before rallying for 25-22, 25-23 wins,
“We talked about that a lot – when we had them down, we had to keep them down,” Tennent coach Brian Bassler said. “I think our girls felt like they played poorly at times tonight too because it was a little bit out of rhythm, but our defense was very good. That’s been our bread and butter. If you play good defense and you don’t let the ball hit the floor, it’s tough to lose.
“That’s what we try to do – serve hard and play good defense.”
In Thursday’s second round, the Panthers will square off against a West Chester Henderson team that uses that same formula. Henderson swept the Panthers in an August 30 match.
“It’s no easy task, that’s for sure,” Bassler said of facing Henderson a second time. “To be honest, it’s two very similar teams. I would love to get a big offensive team to play on Thursday, but we (are facing) a clone of ourselves.
“We said that is where our season started, and we’d rather not end it there. We’d like to keep going because we feel we have a good shot a little later in the bracket against teams that like to hit hard because our forte is our defense. It’s going to be a great match.”
The players say they are looking forward to Thursday’s rematch.
“It’s going to be a completely different game,” Weir said.
“We’ve improved so much,” Gallagher added. “They had really great defense. We have to step up our offense.”
#18 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 3, #15 HAVERFORD 0 (25-19, 31-29, 27-25)
The Patriots sent the host Fords packing with a gutsy 3-0 win that was a war for three sets.
“It was an amazing first round performance,” coach Scott Geller said. “We came ready to play and never looked back.”
The Patriots received double-digit kill efforts from Bridget Terrel (11) and Rachel Clow. Clow also led the defense with a team-high 17 digs to go along with six service aces in a standout all-around performance. Terrel added 15 digs in a superb effort of her own. Hannah Lunak contributed eight kills and nine digs, and Lindsay McIntosh had five kills and five digs.
Setter Lauren Helveston had a huge night, contributing 39 assists, six service aces and seven digs. Erin Lane added seven digs while Lindsay McIntosh had five. Kelly Guillen had four kills and three digs in a win that was a team effort.
The Patriots will travel to Downingtown East on Thursday night to take on the second-seeded Cougars, who had an opening round bye.
HATBORO-HORSHAM 3, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 2 (25-23, 21-25, 25-18, 18-25, 15-5
The Lady Hatters were not going to be denied on their own court, rally from deficits at critical times to earn the big win.
“Their mental toughness made all the difference,” coach Kathy Tanner said.
Big contributors on Tuesday night were juniors Sam Jones on offense and Candyce Riley on defense. Jones was unstoppable with 31 kills. Sophomore Jaimee Stoczko had 10 kills and added three blocks, and sophomore Cassidy Quattro had seven kills. Junior Dymond Black dominated at the net with five blocks. Riley led the defense with 12 digs and high passing scores. Jones also had 10 digs on defense, and junior Rachel DeMarco added eight. Stoczko served four aces and eighteen total points. Seniors Katie McKay and Hannah Steiger dished out 20 assists each. The Hatters will take on Upper Merion on Thursday in the next round of playoffs.
#7 AVON GROVE 3, #26 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-14)
#14 PENNCREST 3, #19 CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 0
Jax Babezki led the Titans with five kills, three blocks and one ace, and Jackie Haffey had two kills and two blocks. Madi Conroy had five assists, and Lindsey Edling had three. Larissa Keer had five digs and one ace, and Cecilia Miller had four kills and two digs. Taylor Danilowicz had three kills. Cait McCrory had one ace.
"We did not play our best in games one and two but played much better in game three," coach Ulana Keer said.
#13 SUN VALLEY 3, #20 PENNRIDGE 0
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