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NEWTOWN – Andrew Hinton is an intimidating presence at the net.Council Rock North’s dangerous outside hitter can put it down with the best of them, but during one of those long volleys that can swing the momentum of a game, William Tennent’s relentless defense kept digging up one Hinton kill attempt after another – some after touches at the net, some without.
Finally, it was Tennent winning the point and, more importantly, gaining momentum when Mike Bowler finished off the point with a dramatic kill midway through game four of Thursday night’s SOL showdown.
“I personally hate it when people get my hits up,” Hinton said. “I want every one to go down. When it doesn’t, it’s a little disappointing, especially late in the game when everyone is tired, and you’re not getting kills.”
It was one of those volleys that perhaps defined Thursday night’s SOL showdown, and after dropping the first two games, the Panthers rallied to win the next three, earning an exhilarating 3-2 win (15-25, 21-25, 25-19, 25-22, 15-13).
When Matt Hartman delivered a block at the middle for match point, the Panthers converged for a jubilant celebration.
“This is honestly the first match and game this year that I actually put a smile on,” Bowler said. “I really never do that because I always try to keep the same attitude, but I couldn’t help it tonight.
“I haven’t felt this good probably since last year at Souderton when we beat them for the first time since I was on the team.”Bowler led the Panthers at the net with an impressive 16-kill, four-block effort. Hartman had 10 kills and three blocks while Kyle Sussman added seven kills and 15 digs to lead the defense. Shane Cooney had 12 digs and Ruvim Volosevich had seven digs.
For the Indians, Hinton turned in a brilliant 29-kill effort. He also had five blocks.
“Any time Andrew goes up, it looks like he’s going to put it down,” Bowler said. “He’s one of the best players in the league.”
Hunter Stevens and Johnny Goedecke each added six kills. Stevens also had six blocks in the middle, but in Thursday’s match, it was Tennent’s defense that had the upper hand.
“Really, you just have to be in the right spot at the right time,” said Cooney, Tennent’s defensive libero. “Sometimes you just have to get lucky.
“Andrew’s the kind of hitter who’s going to pound the ball – you have to guess, you have to dive for it and get that ball. I don’t care how it gets up. You have to get balls up you’re not supposed to get up. That’s how you win games. That’s how we won. We brought balls up we shouldn’t have.”
According to coach Jim Creighton, defense has been a point of emphasis.
“Defense can make a difference,” the Tennent coach said. “With their lineup, they’re able to switch guys around, and it took us two games to figure it out basically.
“They still have options up front, so any team that plays them is still going to have a tough time matching up with them up front.”
Early on, there was absolutely nothing to suggest that the Panthers would extend the Indians to five games, much less win the match.
So what changed?
“We lost a lot of the energy we started with, and they picked it up a lot,” Hinton said. “We didn’t have an answer for them.”
Cooney credited his team’s grueling practices.
“Our practices go from as soon as we get out of school until 5:30 each day,” he said. “I know some teams that get out maybe 4:30 or 5 on Fridays, but we work hard every single day at practice.
“Against teams like this, you have to have energy at the end. That’s how your beat teams.”
In the beginning, it was the Indians that seemed to have all the energy.
Behind the strong serving run of Jeff Sarafinas, Rock North jumped out to an 8-0 lead. Included in that impressive run were a pair of Hinton kills, a Hinton block and a Goedecke kill.
The Panthers trimmed the lead to six after a Volosevich tip (11-5), but they would get no closer, and Hinton put an exclamation point on the win when he delivered an ace for game point.
Game two was more competitive, and when Rock North’s Ross Denkin served up an ace, the score was deadlocked 7-7, representing the sixth tie. Tennent went on top 10-7, but a Hinton kill sparked a 4-0 Indians run that was capped by a Hinton winner to put the Indians on top 11-10.
Hinton broke a 12-12 tie with a tip, and the Indians led 14-12 after sophomore setter John Whitman dumped the ball over the net for a winner, prompting the Panthers to call a quick timeout.
They trimmed the lead to one, but a Stevens block sparked a 6-0 Rock North run that all but put the game out of reach. The Indians went on to earn a 25-21 win.
“By the end of the second game, I felt pretty confident,” Whitman said. “If we kept up our energy, we would win.”
The Indians led 11-9 in game three after Hinton delivered a kill and block on back-to-back points. They extended that lead to 13-9, but the Panthers came roaring back. A Bowler kill knotted the score 14-14, and when Hartman followed with a kill, the Panthers had a lead they would not lose.
The Panthers extended their lead to 20-16 after an Indian passing error, and Rock North would get no closer the rest of the way.
“We kind of went into everybody trying to get their own little highlight for themselves and didn’t realize we just needed one more game,” Whitman said.
In game four, Hartman delivered a kill to break a 9-9 tie, and that was followed by a Bowler tip for a winner. Then came the point that featured one spectacular defensive play after another on Hinton kill attempts, and the Panthers led 12-9.
“I think we just started trusting each other on defense,” Bowler said. “Defense has been our huge weakness. We have a good serve receive, but our defense needs a lot of work.
“We just started trusting each other and really working. One defensive play can turn around a game and even a match.”
Rock North rallied to knot the score 13-13 and took a 15-14 lead, but Bowler answered with a winner to knot the score. Sussman broke a 17-17 tie with a winner. A Volosevich kill gave the Panthers the 25-22 win, setting the stage for the winner-take-all fifth game.
“We kind of went into everybody wanting to get their own little highlight for themselves and didn’t realize we just needed one more game,” Whitman said.
The Indians led 6-5 after a Stevens winner, but the Panthers came back to take an 8-7 lead after a Bowler winner. The Indians led 11-10 after back-to-back Hinton kills, but a Rock North serving error knotted the score. Again, Hinton delivered a kill to put the Indians on top, but Sussman answered for the Panthers. A Goedecke kill gave Rock North a 13-12 edge, but Hartman delivered a kill and back-to-back blocks in the middle – the second with an assist from Bowler - to earn the dramatic win.
“We have only played in one five-game match ever, and some of these guys just started playing varsity,” Hinton said. “Playing five games took its toll. The difference between the first two and the last three games was blocking. In the last game, I don’t think we had a single block for a kill.”
Rock North coach Mike Flaherty acknowledged that his team may have lost its legs late in the match.
“It looked like it really did affect them,” he said. “We condition at practice. We really work on it, but game conditioning – you have to actually live it, and they’re starting to live it.
“This loss – that’s (on) me. I have to do some things to change it and give us a chance to win. I was trying to let the seniors that have been working so hard have a chance, but they were getting tired. They showed a lot of heart. The credit to Tennent. They’re a very well-coached team.”
EXTRA POINTS: The Indians were without middle hitter Colin Garven (injury)…Thursday was Breast Cancer Awareness Night – just as it was when the two teams met at Tennent earlier this season. The night included both teams wearing specially designed shirts, raffles and a whole lot of pink with proceeds to be donated to the Breast Cancer Association.
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