Quakertown captured the title of the Christopher Dock Volleyball Tournament on Saturday.
It’s been a season of firsts for the Quakertown volleyball team.
On Saturday, the Panthers captured the title of the Christopher Dock Tournament, a feat they had never accomplished before. Earlier this season, they won the title at the Easton Red Rover Tournament.
The Panthers defeated Fort LeBoeuf out of Erie in a hard fought title match 2-0 (27-25, 25-21).
“We were short a few players, so we were happy to come away with the tournament win,” coach Andy Snyder said. “This is a first for our guys. We’ve always come up just a little bit short at tournaments, whether we would lose players to go to proms or something else. We would always seem to make it to the playoffs, but in the first or second round, we had difficulty. Both tournaments this year we’ve pushed through all the way to the end.
“A lot of that goes towards the senior leadership – the seniors who have been playing varsity for three years now have stepped up, and they have really held their composure in these tough matches. We’ve played from behind, we’ve taken leads, and they’ve stayed even keeled the whole way, which has really shown a lot of composure and maturity from them.”
In the semifinals, the Panthers defeated North Penn 2-0 (25-17, 25-22). Earlier, the Panthers were undefeated in pool play with 3-0 wins over Central Bucks South and Christopher Dock. They were seeded second to Fort LeBoeuf based on point differential.
The Panthers defeated Souderton 25-16 in a one-game playoff and then took on North Penn in the semis.
“We played well all day long,” Snyder said. “Everybody contributed, and we used the whole bench.”
Senior Dylan Flor – who had 41 kills, five aces, two blocks and 12 digs – was named MVP of the tournament.
“Dylan is our big gun,” Snyder said. “We don’t completely rely on him, but we know if we go to him, we can count on him being there.
“The other guys feel a little less pressure when he can take the ball, but they also answer the call when the ball comes to them.”
Xavier Villanueva also earned a spot on the all-tournament team. The senior setter finished the tournament with 95 assists, three aces and two blocks.
“He gets the sets off all of our passes, no matter whether they’re good or bad, and he makes something out of it,” Snyder said. “He did a real good job today of spreading the ball around – front row, back row, left side, middle, right side.”
Although only two players could earn spots on the all tournament team, everyone – according to Snyder – contributed significantly to the team’s success.
Senior middle Lucas Schan had 21 kills, four aces and three blocks, and senior middle Coulton Terry added 22 kills, seven aces and seven blocks. Junior outside Mike Dierolf had 29 kills, six aces, one block and nine digs. Zach Dierolf added six kills and two blocks. Senior libero Nick Wesley led the Panthers defensively with 48 digs.
Knights Advance to Semifinals at Dock
Using the tournament as an opportunity to try different lineups, the Knights reached the semifinals, defeating Council Rock South, Northampton and Roman Catholic. In the semifinals, the Knights were unable to find consistency with their passing and serve receive game. The end result was a Knights' loss to a solid Quakertown team that went on to win the tournament title.
Mark Elias, who was named to the all-tournament team, led the Knights with 79 assists, eight blocks and 10 digs. On the receiving end of the majority of the sets were Jake Walter (31 kills, 14 digs) and Connor Sloan (28 kills, 14 digs).
Tim Dickinson (21 digs, 11 kills) and Mannan Patel (16 digs) led the way defensively. Also contributing were Steven Landes (nine kills) and Harsh Boghara (six kills).
North Penn returns to action on Wednesday when the Knights will host Central Bucks South.
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