Upper Dublin captured the District 1 5A title Thursday with a win over top-seeded Gwynedd Mercy Academy. (Photo provided by UD volleyball)
District 1 5A final
#6 UPPER DUBLIN 3, #1 GWYNEDD MERCY 1 (25-14, 25-18, 17-25, 25-22)
The Flying Cardinals made history
Upper Dublin has put its name in the record books by capturing the program’s first ever district crown, and while there’s no overstating the significance of that accomplishment, it doesn’t begin to tell the story of the team’s improbable journey to the top.
“We hosted Penncrest in the first round, and then we had #3 Unionville, #2 Rustin and tonight #1 Gwynedd Mercy, so we kind of just went up the ranks,” UD coach Paul Choi said. “I really felt that we were battled tested and prepared for a big match like this because Unionville went to four (sets), Rustin went to five, and we played Gwynedd early in the season in September, and that went to five.”
The Cardinals – who won their third straight SOL title – set the tone for Thursday’s title match with impressive wins in their first two sets.
“Playing GMA earlier in the season – we knew that this was going to be definitely a hard, challenging game,” senior captain Izzy Driehuis said. “Honestly, I was really shocked we came out in the first two sets with great confidence, and we were playing super clean.
“And then when we kind of dropped in the third set, we came together as a team, and we knew that we had to dig deeper, and it really was our mindset. We brought each other up, we dug deep and found ourselves in the fourth set.”
They found themselves and earned a win that gave their program its first district crown, capping a remarkable journey that isn’t over yet.
“We lost half our team from last year,” Driehuis said. “It was a big loss, and our team’s very young this year.
“It wasn’t expected that we would even win the league, let alone the district. It feels pretty great, and I’m so proud of our girls because there’s been so much development and hard work that we’ve all put in, and it really has paid off.”
Ask Choi the key to the win, and he makes it sound almost simple.
“It was just following the game plan,” he said. “I know the stakes are a little bit higher with this game, but really just playing this like any other volleyball game.
“We played Gwynedd early in the season in September, and that went to five, so we were kind of familiar with each other. I just felt that we were really prepared for the match.”
By the numbers: Upper Dublin: Alisa Zeng (24 digs, 6 assists, 2 aces), Casey Calvano (11 kills, 11 digs), Isabelle Driehuis (8 kills, 3 digs, 2 assists), Kate DiMartile (18 kills, 12 digs, 5 aces), Parker Levin (20 assists, 14 digs), Ellie Cheifetz (7 digs), Evan Hutchman (10 assists)
Up next: Upper Dublin will face District 2’s second place team in Tuesday’s opening round of the PIAA 5A state tournament.
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