Pennridge and Council Rock North both closed out the regular season with perfect records. The two SOL powers are seeded one-two in the District One Tournament.
Rams in Defense of District Crown
Matt Trumbower always believed his Pennridge volleyball team had a chance to succeed this year, so while some may have been surprised to see the Rams – despite the loss of a pair of all-state players to graduation - enter the post-season undefeated, the Rams’ senior setter was not in that number.
“I thought we could be this good,” Trumbower said. “We knew even without Zech (States) and Austin (Jacoby), we still had guys that played a lot last year.
“They weren’t seen as much as Zech and Austin. They were over-shadowed last year, but I knew we could be good.”
Trumbower was right. The Rams entered district play with a perfect 18-0 record, and they are once again the tournament’s top-seeded team.
“We put in a lot of time in the offseason,” Trumbower said. “Ryan Chinicci got us together for a lot of outdoor games in the summer, and we all played club together.
“Mike Shenk and Erik Moyer played for Lehigh, and that helped them. We talked to Dave (Childs) about getting as much gym time as we could. He did his best, and all the extra time we put in paid off.”
Although the Rams plugged new players into key spots, the transition was seamless – a fact that is underscored by the way Trumbower stepped into the starting setter’s role after playing jayvee last season.
“I have been waiting for my shot, and now that I got it, I’m doing the best I can to do my part,” he said. “I’m just excited because I’m actually part of it, and I’m doing my part and helping the team.
“Last year I didn’t do as much as I would have liked, so this year, coming back and doing it all over again is just awesome.”
The Rams are ranked eighth in the latest state poll – the lone District One team to be ranked in the top 10.
“At the beginning of the season, no one really expected us to go anywhere,” senior Jake Braun said. “After the Northeastern Tournament, we got ranked in the state again, and people were like, ‘Wow, Pennridge really is just good as they were last year.’
“That plays good for us sometimes and it’s not a good thing sometimes. It just seems as though since people expect us to win, we also expect to win, and then – I don’t want to say we get cocky, but we definitely don’t play up to our potential sometimes.”
The Rams – winners of the Dallastown Tournament – have shown flashes of brilliance, but Braun admits the team has also had its moments when it has struggled.
“We’re really an on-off team,” the senior libero said. “We play up to team’s levels, and we’re also capable of playing down to team’s levels.
“What we really need is something to excite us when we play. We have to really want it, and we have to have fun when we’re doing it.”
The Rams certainly raised their level of play in a pool play win over a Central York team that is ranked number one in the state at the Northeastern Tournament. There have also been games at the other end of the spectrum where the Rams have struggled against lesser teams.
On two occasions down the home stretch in the regular season, the Rams were extended to five games – first by North Penn and then by Souderton. They went on to win both matches.
“We definitely underestimate teams,” Braun said. “We lose games and take the match for granted, and we just go through the motions when really we need to be out there and we need to have fun and want to play volleyball.
“I think sometimes that’s a problem for us. When push comes to shove and we realize we’re about to lose, we really do pick it up, and we start to have fun, even though its nerveracking.”
Braun, like his teammates, knew that success would not just happen, and it would require serious work to return to the level last year’s state semifinalist squad attained.
“Even before the season started, I got together with some of the guys, and we knew we definitely had to step up, and we needed everybody to improve,” Braun said. “Definitely a lot of key players did step up, and they were able to take over the positions of Zech and Austin who were great leaders last year and also Cory (Chinicci).
“We had hitters who also stepped up, and I think we’re a more well-rounded team now.”
Childs echoed that sentiment.
“This year I think we’re more talented one through 12,” the Rams’ coach said. “That’s been the key. All season we have a steady rotation no matter who we play.
“We can rotate all three middles, we can rotate three or four outsides and Christian Lizano can libero a few games. I think that’s part of why we’re successful this year.”
The Rams rolled to a perfect 16-0 record in Continental Conference play.
“It was a goal from the beginning to win the league and to do it in that way,” Childs said. “I knew we had the talent, but it depends on how they put it together, how consistent we play and how strong the other teams are.
“I think we have a very strong league this year. I think it does make it a little bit nicer.”
In Tuesday’s district opener, the Rams rolled to a no-doubt-about-it 3-0 win over William Tennent. Only a win over Haverford separates the Rams from a trip to the state semifinals and a berth in states.
“There’s some pressure,” Trumbower said. “I think we know we’re the team to beat. We just have to bring it.”
“We’re the number one seed, but Council Rock is right there with us,” Childs added. “We just have to go out and play and not worry about pressure or seed or rank. If we play the way we’re capable of, we’ll do well.”
Indians Make History
It’s been a decade since Council Rock last earned a championship in volleyball. When this year’s squad clinched the title and rolled to an undefeated record, the Indians became the first Rock North squad to earn that distinction.
“It means so much to our team and to everyone because it’s a reminder that we can do what we set out to accomplish,” senior John Whitman said. “I think that’s a really good morale booster right now, especially at this point in the season.
“It kind of puts a name on our team, and we hope to improve that and put our name down in Council Rock history.”
Susan Kim was a new face at the helm this season, but the Indians made the transition to a new coach and a new system look easy.
“We were really fortunate to get Susan Kim,” senior Hunter Stevens said. “She’s a really great coach. She had a great rep at Archbishop Wood, and when she came in, she laid down what she expected from us.
“We had a team meeting with her, and we talked about our expectations for the season, and we all came together pretty nicely and kept it going.”
The team’s goals, according to Stevens, were pretty simple.
“Our first goal was really to just get used to all the new stuff,” the senior middle hitter said. “Our first goal of the season was to win a league championship. Obviously, we got there. Also, beating Pennsbury and taking them off the top of the ranks because Pennsbury has a great program and is still a great program.
“Our next two goals are to win districts and hopefully go on to states.”
Interestingly, the Indians will have to defeat the Falcons for a third time if they hope to accomplish either of their next goals.
“That will be tough, but we are very excited and thankful for the opportunity to be in districts playoffs,” Kim said. “We know we have to work hard and cannot take anything for granted.”
Looking back at the Indians’ conference title run, the players point to their come-from-behind win on April 19 over Neshaminy in a match that saw them rally from an 0-2 deficit on the Redskins’ home court to earn a 3-2 win.
“It was that moment that was truly testing our team,” Whitman said. “We could have easily given up and lost that game, but we decided that – no, we didn’t want to lose.
“We wanted to win, we wanted to go undefeated, and I think from that point on, we said, ‘If we can come back (from) 2-0 against the second best team, we should be able to beat everyone.’ We went out and did that. That was our turning point.”
Stevens echoed those sentiments, acknowledging the Neshaminy win topped even the Indians’ historic win over Pennsbury.
“When we played Pennsbury the first time, we obviously were excited to beat them because that was the first time we beat Pennsbury in my entire career at North, and that was exciting,” the George Mason-bound senior said. “At Neshaminy, we went down 2-0 and then we came back and won that match. That was really big for us and really gave us more momentum going forward in the season.
“That’s when we started to pick it up.”
Winning the conference crown was especially significant to the team’s seniors.
“It’s awesome,” Stevens said. “Coming into the program – obviously, there have been great players, and to go through the program and see how it’s evolved and how each player has gotten better and to have the championship my senior year is awesome, and I feel proud to be part of the program.”
The Indians – who compiled a perfect 12-0 record in league play – were awarded the second seed behind Pennridge in the District One AAA Tournament.
“Having the two seed is even better for us,” Stevens said. “Nobody expects us to win the entire thing. Everybody expects Pennridge to be the top team, so I think that takes some of the pressure off us.
“Being the two seed, we’ll be the underdog throughout the district tournament. I’m just so blessed right now, and going off to Mason next year – it’s the top of the iceburg and it feels so great.”
In Tuesday’s opening round, the Indians, playing without senior outside hitter Ryan Garven (injured), downed Abington 3-1.
“We’re really excited,” Whitman said. “We got our things together. Everyone knows what they have to do, and everybody is working hard, doing their thing. We’re in our groove right now. We’re exactly where we want to be.”
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