Five SOL girls’ volleyball teams advanced to Thursday’s second round of the District One AAA Tournament.
#6 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 3, #28 WILLIAM TENNENT 0 (25-23, 25-14, 25-13)
The Patriots got their playoff run off to a strong start with a sweep of the visiting Panthers.
“The game was a little slow at first, but we found a rhythm and never looked back,” coach Scott Geller said.
Leading the Patriots were Natalie Arm (12 kills, four aces, seven digs), Krista Helveston (five kills, 10 digs) and Jenn Krzeminski (eight kills). Setter Madie D’Angelo had 33 assists to go along with two aces and nine digs. Libero Erin Lane had nine digs. Kate Woolsey (five kills, five digs) and Devon Hall (one ace) also contributed.
Despite the outcome, coach Brian Bassler – whose team hung tough in the first set and found itself deadlocked 13-13 in the second – was pleased with the effort of his squad.
“We played really hard tonight and just didn’t have enough in the end,” he said. “I am extremely proud of how our girls represented our school this year.
“They gave East all they could handle in the first set and half the second when we kind of just lost our focus a bit. We really got a lot out of our team this year, and although it was hard watching the seniors play their final match, we as coaches are looking forward to working with the girls who will be coming back. Our team accomplished a lot of good things this year.”
Central Bucks East will face Avon Grove – an upset winner over Pennsbury – in Thursday’s second round.
#8 UPPER MERION 3, #25 SUN VALLEY 0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-23)
The Vikings found themselves in an unfamiliar position – playing in a first round district match for the first time in 12 years.
“The last seven years in Class AAA, we’ve either been one or two, so we always had a bye,” coach Tony Funsten said. “Four years, we were in AA, and we didn’t play this day.
“It was nice. We had Fan Appreciation Night.”
The Vikings treated their Toga Night crowd with a sweep of Sun Valley.
“The one thing about Sun Valley is you do have to be careful against them –they’ve had some big wins,” Funsten said. “They’re the type of team that will let you beat yourself if you want to beat yourself.
“They do enough good things. They serve aggressively, and they attack in unusual ways, and you have to really pay attention because they have a couple of lefties, so they’re a little bit awkward to play. I thought we adjusted to them pretty well.”
Emma Adraka collected another double-double with 10 kills and 17 digs to lead the defense. Five aces were included in her 11 service points.
“Emma might have had her best match of the year just in every aspect,” Funsten said. “We’re asking her to do more for serve lately, and she broke open the first game with an eight-point serving run. She’s getting much more confidence being aggressive with her serve, and that helped a lot.”
Carlye Odorisio had 29 assists to go along with 10 service points and eight kills.
“Carlye was her usual self,” Funsten said. “We had good balance in our hitting. (Carolyn) Helenski had 13 kills on 25 swings, which is what she usually does. For the year, she’s hitting .460, and Emma is hitting around .300.”
Freshman Tori Wright had seven kills and only one error. Micaela Ghanayem had 10 kills and also had two aces in her 13 service points.
#10 UPPER DUBLIN 3, #23 HAVERFORD 2 (25-24, 25-13, 16-25, 23-25, 16-14)
The Flying Cardinals survived a marathon battle against the visiting Fords, eking out a win in the first set and then winning the second only to watch the Fords win the next two, setting the stage for the pivotal winner-take-all third set.
“It was a very hard fought match till the very end,” coach Paul Choi said. “We were able to come back in the first set to steal set one and took set two convincingly.
“Sets three and four were a different story. I think our team became a little flat after the first two sets and were not prepared for sets three and four mentally. We started making errors we usually don't make, and it was too much of a deficit to come out on top. Haverford made some good adjustments in those two sets and we could not get a lead or hold a run. We started to play together as a team in the last set and fed our hot hitter as much as we could. The team fought hard to stay together in the stressful situation and we were able to come on top.”
Setter Bryn Stek had another monster performance, finishing with 62 assists to go along with six kills and 11 digs. Leading the defense were Maggie Weglos (14 digs) and Josie Barrett (three aces, 20 digs). Gabbi Johnson had another double-double with 17 kills and 17 digs to go along with two aces.
Jenny McAneney was all but unstoppable at the net, finishing with a season high 30 kills, 17 digs and two aces.
“Jenny McAneney had an amazing night,” Choi said. “She was definitely feeling it today, and we tried to get her in a good position to score, especially in the fifth set.
“Overall, I am happy that the team was able to come out with this tough win and will continue this run into Thursday.
“We battled through adversity and tough injuries coming down this stretch and I'm happy that the team stayed calm and collected and fought together to earn this victory.”
Upper Dublin will travel to seventh-seeded Downingtown West on Thursday.
#18 COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 3, #15 UNIONVILLE 2 (22-25, 25-14, 15-25, 26-24, 15-11)
The visiting Indians survived a two-plus hour bus trip – thanks to an accident on Route 1 – and then put on an impressive display of volleyball to earn the big road win.
“The girls stepped up – it didn’t seem to faze them much,” coach Mike Adams said of the road trip. “It was an interesting match – kind of like a roller coaster at times. To be honest, both teams were playing some pretty good competitive volleyball, so it was a fun match.
“You could see that in the fourth set when both teams were on their game just going after it. They tied it up at 24-24, and we pulled it up from there.
“The biggest difference was we were definitely serving tough, and the blocking and defense was taking them out of their typical game. Some of their key hitters were struggling. Our girls stepped up to the challenge and made some great plays.”
Senior captain Aly Kuiken played a key role, contributing more than her stat line of eight kills, three digs and one block would suggest.
“She was swinging away and getting us some big kills,” Adams said. “The number of kills doesn’t show how many points she got. The ball couldn’t make it back over, and even though she didn’t get the kill, she got us the point.
“Our middles contributed with a bunch of kills, and both outsides were putting the ball away, especially Katie, our other senior captain. She stepped it up and really put the ball away for us. Like Alex, she had 15 kills, but she probably had 25 or 30 points because she got set a ton, and she was getting us points. It just ricocheted off two people, so you don’t get the kills.
Rentz led the team with 15 kills, two aces, five digs and a block. Birdie Ligos had nine kills, three aces and 13 digs, and Danae Barkley added eight kills, three blocks and one dig. Hadley Grundman had three kills, four blocks and four digs. Setter Johanna Batterton had 36 assists, two aces, seven digs and one kill. Defensive contributors were Maddy Moore (12 digs, two aces), Grace Schweizer (seven digs, two aces) and Carrie Kuiken (five digs, one ace).
“I had Carrie Kuiken come in the back row in the second and third sets, and she really balanced out our defense and our serve receive on those three rotations she’s in,” Adams said. “It made a difference, and her serving was great. It was neat to get contributions from some players who might not get as much playing time as some of the others but stepped up. It was a great team effort.”
Council Rock North will travel to second-seeded Great Valley for a second round match on Thursday.
#22 ABINGTON 3, #11 RIDLEY 2 (25-22, 20-25, 25-22, 19-25, 15-12)
Leah Simmons – soon to sign with Canisius College – looked every bit the part of a Division One recruit and was all but unstoppable in Tuesday’s district opener, slamming down 26 kills to go along with three blocks, four digs and two aces.
“Did I not tell you at the beginning of the season – watch out for this girl,” coach Jea Lee said. “She’s averaging almost 20 kills a match.
“The sets were there. We knew that she was the go-to person, and we’re going to live and die by her. It’s amazing. She just did not want to lose. None of my players wanted to lose.”
Setter Emma Garg handed out 43 assists and also had four aces and five digs.
“One of the most important players on our team is Emma, and she said to the girls, ‘We are not losing,’ and the girls were determined,” Lee said. “You have no idea how hard we were preparing for this match. I’m still on cloud nine right now. I just couldn’t believe it. I had a lot of coaches around the league helping me prepare for this match. This is the biggest win in our school history.”
For Lee, it also was the perfect birthday present – the ‘W’ promised by the players before the match.
“That gave me so much confidence,” he said. “I really thought we were going to beat them in three. That’s how confident I was.”
Lee might have been concerned when his team let a lead slip away in the fourth set.
“We were up and had seven or eight missed serves,” he said. “In the fifth set, we just wanted to get the ball in and rely on our defense.
“They have two great middle players, and we did our research. I adjusted my personnel, and I adjusted the way we played defense, and we cranked it up. It’s a step. We just need to get on a roll. If we get on a roll, we’re a tough team to beat because not too many teams have the personnel to stop Leah.”
Lee credited his sophomore middles – Grace Whitney (six kills, five blocks) and Hannah Dalton (three kills, two blocks).
“This is the first time we’ve had two good middles and two great outside hitters with Claire Gassman and Leah,” he said. “We’re a very well rounded team, and it’s just fun watching them.”
Gassman finished with nine kills, one ace and three digs, and Jamie Kidd had 15 digs, two aces and four assists in the big win.
“We got there late – around 6:45 due to traffic, and once we stepped in the building and we heard all this loud noise – several hundred people were there and loud music,” Lee said. “The coaching staff and I had a really strong game plan. We did not want their middles to beat us, and we adjusted. It worked great.”
Abington will be on the Road at sixth-seeded Penncrest on Thursday.
#14 MOUNT ST. JOSEPH 3, #19 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 0 (28-26, 25-17, 25-18)
The Colonials were led by the double-double effort of Danielle Rippert, who finished with 17 kills and 13 digs. Lauren Coscia added eight kills. Olivia Carbo paced the defense with 24 digs.
#21 AVON GROVE 3, #12 PENNSBURY 1 (22-25, 25-21, 25-23, 25-17)
The Falcons won the opening set but then watched Avon Grove win the next three.
Sophomore Julia Vreeswyk led the Falcons with 13 kills to go along with two aces and seven digs. Kayla Haddad added eight kills, and Elle Patterson, six kills, five digs and one ace. Senior setter Kate Foley had five kills, 28 assists and six digs. Senior Dagny Gould led the defense with 14 digs. Senior Ali Zinnen had three kills, eight digs and three service aces.
#4 PERKIOMEN VALLEY 3, PENNRIDGE 0 (25-15, 25-10, 25-20)
#20 WEST CHESTER RUSTIN 3, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 0
#6 PENNCREST 3, #27 CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 0
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