Ten SOL teams earned berths in the District One AAA Tournament, including the district’s top seed and defending district champion Upper Merion.
#1 UPPER MERION (Bye)
The Vikings, the American Conference champions, enter the postseason with a perfect 18-0 record in match play, and this is the third time in four years they are the number one seed. The year they were not seeded first, the Vikings were seeded second to eventual state champion Bishop Shanahan. The Vikings will face the winner of the William Tennent/West Chester Henderson match in Thursday’s second round.
Coach Tony Funsten says: “It’s not a coincidence that Cassidy Koenig has been setting for us the past four seasons. Melanie Ingram (a sophomore) has been outstanding lately, and our libero, Casey Griffith, has been terrific all season. Keep an eye out for Carolyn Yvellez, a sophomore, who has been improving steadily throughout the season.”
#25 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST at #8 CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH
Central Bucks South
The Titans captured the Continental Conference crown, compiling an 11-1 mark in league play and a 14-2 record overall. Their only loss in league play came at the hands of North Penn in the final match of the season after they had already clinched the title. They closed out the regular season with a sweep of Pennsbury in a spirited non-league match.
Players to watch: Megan Kaminski (Sr., Middle), Katelyn Kushman (Fr., Setter), Abby Mummert (Jr., Outside)
Coach Ulana Keer says: “We are excited to play to the best of our abilities and to play smart and hard. Our seniors want to play with heart since this is their last run at it. We have a tough road ahead of us. They put the top Suburban One teams in one part of the bracket – CB South, Pennsbury and Upper Merion. Interesting that all the other lower seeds are in the other parts of the bracket. This is life!”
Central Bucks East
The Patriots finished fourth in the Continental Conference standings with a record of 6-6 and an overall mark of 8-8. They completed the trifecta by earning the tournament’s 25th seed as all three Central Bucks schools earned a spot in this year’s tournament.
Coach Margie Arm says: “We played a strong schedule, challenged our strong opponents, and we reached the playoffs in each of our three tournaments, finishing as quarterfinalists, silver medalists and losing to CB South in the semifinals at Quakertown. Our success has been very much a team effort this year, our ‘stat leaders’ each night usually include six or more players. We have good depth at every position and good senior leadership. We are excited to be competing in districts, and we are anxious for our fourth shot at playing CB South. One of our preseason goals was to make it past the first round of districts. We have met many of our other goals, and we are ready to work hard and make adjustments in order to succeed.”
#24 GWYNEDD-MERCY at #9 PENNSBURY
The Falcons rolled to a perfect 12-0 record en route to a National Conference title. They were 14-2 overall, falling to St. Basil and Central Bucks South in non-league play. Gwynedd-Mercy competes in the tough Catholic Academies League.
#21 CENTRAL BUCKS WEST at #12 HATBORO-HORSHAM
Central Bucks West
The Bucks turned things around under first-year coach Todd Miller, finishing third in the Continental Conference with a 9-3 mark and compiling a 13-4 record overall.
Hatboro-Horsham
The Hatters finished second to Upper Merion in the American Conference standings with a 12-2 record in league play (their only two losses were at the hands of the Vikings) and a 21-6 mark overall. The Hatters captured the silver medal at the Penncrest Invitational Tournament.
Players to watch: Carly Black (Outside Hitter – 175 kills, 45% attack, 12 kills per match, 218 service points), Kathryn Lucca (Outside Hitter – 155 kills, 42% attack, 10 kills per match, 255 service points), Lauren Laucella (Middle Blocker – 108 kills, 43% attack, 7 kills per match, 85 blocks), Quinn O’Donnell (41 blocks), Caitlin Klotzback (317 total passes and 176 digs, 2.34 passing rate on a scale of 0-3), Candice Riley (2.34 passing rate on scale of 0-3, 180 service points). Sam Jones (Setter – 487 assists, 28 per match, 46 aces)
Coach Kathy Tanner says: “As the Hatters enter the playoffs, we are feeling confident about our position in our bracket. Our two starting freshmen have established themselves as solid players and are prepared to take on the challenge. The Hatters are shooting for three more consecutive wins during the playoffs to take them to states! Go Hatters!”
#18 UNIONVILLE at #15 NORTH PENN
The Maidens finished second to CB South in the Continental Conference standings with a record of 10-2. They closed their record season with a 13-3 mark and captured a pair of tournament titles. Unionville won the Ches-Mont League’s American Division title with a record of 9-5.
#17 WILLIAM TENNENT at #16 WEST CHESTER HENDERSON
The Panthers finished second to Pennsbury in the National Conference standings, compiling an overall record of 12-4. They will face a Henderson squad the finished fourth in the Ches-Mont League’s National Conference, behind Bishop Shanahan, Downingtown East and Avon Grove with a record of 10-4
Players to watch: Michele Felix (Sr., Middle Hitter, led the team in kills), Maria Jose Alanis (Jr., Middle Hitter, second on team in kills, first in blocks), Cecelia Weir (Soph., Libero, led team in digs), Hannah Washam (Jr., Setter, led the team in assists), Emily O’Donnell (Sr., Right Side, led the team in aces)
Coach Brian Bassler says: “This is the second best seed we have ever received in school history, and we have never won a playoff match. We have taken great strides as a program, and this is the sixth time in eight seasons we have made the playoffs. We actually played down in Henderson in 2006 and lost 3-1 as the 24th seed. We believe this is going to be a great match with a great team in Henderson. They play in arguably the toughest league and are really well coached. It should be a lot of fun, and it is a great opportunity for all of our underclassmen to be a part of.”
#22 COUNCIL ROCK NORTH at #11 VILLA MARIA ACADEMY
The Indians are the third place team out of the National Conference, compiling a 9-3 mark in conference play. They will take on a Villa Maria squad that has been a perennial power in district and state play.
#29 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH at #4 STRATH HAVEN
The Colonials were the final team earning a berth in the tournament. PW is third in the American Conference behind Upper Merion and Hatboro-Horsham, finishing the league season with a 10-4 record and a 10-5 mark overall.
Players to watch: Anna Waltz (Sr., Outside Hitter), Giovanna Jenkins(Sr., Outside Hitter), Monica McLenigan (Sr., Libero), Elizabeth Keefer (Sr., Middle Hitter), Cara Sweeney (Fr., Middle Hitter), Riley Hellings (Jr., Setter), Tori Biggins (Soph., Setter), Emily Houck (Soph., Opposite), Michele Taunton (Jr., Opposite)
Coach Michale Nguyen says: “Anna Waltz and Giovanna Jenkins make a formidable duo and are the offensive and defensive leaders of the team. The defense is lifted with the scrappy play of our libero, Monica McLenigan. The middle of the court is patrolled by Elizabeth Keefer, who brings solid serving, critical blocks and timely kills, and freshman Cara Sweeney. We have our work cut out for ourselves. The scouting report on Strath Haven is that they are a tall team with dominating hitters. We need to play some great defense and have a great serving night to upset the four seed.”
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