Upper Merion defeated Bishop Shanahan to capture the District One AAA title. To view photos of the match, please visit the Photo Gallery.
By DENNY DYROFF
Year after year, Upper Merion’s volleyball teams are merciless. Opponents quickly find out that the Vikings are unforgiving. Make a mistake when playing Upper Merion and, more often than not, you’ll pay the price.
Obviously, the key to having success against the Vikings is to play error-free ball.
That’s just what Bishop Shanahan did in the opening set of Saturday’s District 1 Class AAA Championship match against Upper Merion at Abington High. The Eagles played virtually flawlessly as they rolled to an 11-point win over the Vikings in the opening set.
In the second set, it was just the opposite. The Shanahan girls began making miscues and Upper Merion’s players pounced on them like turkey buzzards descending on fresh road kill. The top-seeded Vikings logged a 16-point win in the second set on their way to a 3-1 win (14-25, 25-9, 25-23 and 25-21) over fifth-seeded Shanahan to capture the district crown.
“In the first set, you could count their faults on three fingers — if that many,” said Upper Merion coach Tony Funsten, whose team is now 20-2. “They are a good team. You don’t crush Pennridge they way they did if you’re not a very good team.
“We raised our level of play at the end of the first set. We stopped giving them stuff. You can’t give them stuff. In the second set, we slowed the game down with our blocking and then executed well. Our serving was much better. We served some aces and took them out of system. They weren’t getting the same plays over and over like they did in the first set.”
Upper Merion took four of the last six points in the first set and 14 of the first 17 in the second. By then, the top-seeded Vikings were ahead 14-3 and well on their way to a 25-9 win.
“In the second set, our youth caught up with us,” said Shanahan coach Greg Ashman, whose team is now 18-5. “We played a little panicked. We played a little panicked in the fourth set too. When we stayed in system, they couldn’t touch us.
“Then, they figured it out. They put the ball to our setter and, after that, we didn’t have a setter. It definitely took us out of system. They made the adjustments in the second set and we didn’t adjust.”
Once Upper Merion got its game in gear, the pressure was lifted for the Vikings.
“In the first set, we were nervous,” said junior Carolyn Helenski, whose parents are both in the Upper Merion High Athletic Hall of Fame (Sue Bieber Helenski and Ed Helenski). “We were being super careful. We focused so much on defense that our offense was a little weak.”
In the final three sets, Upper Merion’s offense kicked into high gear — especially with sustained strong play at the net by Niki Carpenter, who finished with eight blocks and eight kills against a tall Eagles' squad.
“By the end of the first set, we got our momentum back,” said Carpenter. “It seemed like we needed the first game to wake up. At a certain point in the game, your body takes over. I knew where they were hitting. I just wanted to get as many touches as I could to help the team.”
Emily Shannon led the Vikings with 16 kills while setters Kailyn McNamee and Carlye Odorisio shared 22 assists. McNamee also had 15 services points, which included six aces, and Odorisio had 13 service points with one ace.
The Vikings once again threw some serious defense at their opponents. Ashley Shannon led the way with 34 digs followed by Emma Andraka with 26 and Emily Shannon with 19 digs.
Saturday afternoon’s match was a showdown between the only programs that have won Class AAA district titles in the last five years. The Vikings have back-to-back titles (2013/2014 and 2010/2011) sandwiched around Shanahan’s district championship season in 2012.
“We were the top-seeded team and we were expected to win,” said Funsten. “We kept our poise today. Our experience really showed. We’ve now won four of the last five Class AAA district championships and five of the last seven.”
Upper Merion will open competition in the PIAA Class AAA tournament on Tuesday against the third-place team from District 3 — either Exeter (18-1) or Elizabethtown (19-3). Also on Tuesday, Bishop Shanahan will face the District 12 champion Cardinal O’Hara (18-7).
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