William Tennent rallied from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Council Rock North in five sets. Check out Thursday’s volleyball results for the SOL teams in action.
WILLIAM TENNENT 3, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 2 (17-25, 22-25, 25-20, 25-19, 15-13)
The Panthers entered the season with high expectations, and on Thursday, they confirmed that those expectations are realistic, rallying from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Indians on their homecourt in a key National Conference contest.
“It was just a matter of nerves the first game and then getting our regular lineup back together,” said coach Jim Creighton of his team’s early 2-0 hole. “Nick Gross hurt his shoulder in the first game, so we had to scramble a little bit to give him some time to rest. He started feeling a little bit better after he rested.”
Gross came back to lead the Panthers at the net with 16 kills while Kenny Rauchut added 11 kills. Justin Keeny led the defense with 14 digs while Mike Sweeney had 11 digs. Setter Mike Excell was credited with 35 assists.
“Mike Excell set really well,” Creighton said. “He distributed the ball fabulously throughout the entire match. He did a good job of making the right decisions, which is the hardest part of setting.”
The Panthers actually led 19-17 in the second game only to watch it slip away before rallying to win the next three. The last time Tennent won on Rock North’s home court was 2009.
“It’s a rivalry no matter where it is,” Creighton said. “We knew we were going to have to battle North, Neshaminy and Pennsbury for our league. We’re starting off in the right direction, but there are still 12 or 13 more games to go.”
NESHAMINY 3, ABINGTON 0 (25-17, 25-19, 25-21)
The Redskins responded to their season-opening loss to Council Rock North by sweeping the Ghosts.
“I was really happy with the way they played,” coach Kevin Roode said. “They are so young, and today was the first time they looked like they’re starting to jell as a team.
“We only have two seniors, so most of the guys were playing jayvee this time last year. There’s not a whole lot of varsity experience, but there are some guys starting to step into leadership roles, and today it made a big difference.”
Kevin Thomas led a balanced attack with eight kills while Ryan Jamison (seven kills), Tom Cotton (six kills), Kody Naylor (five kills) and Zach McGowan (18 assists) also made important contributions.
“Tom Cotton really stepped up his game and took a leadership role,” Roode said. “Even though he’s just a junior, he was the most vocal guy on the court today, and I think that made a big difference.
“It also helped having Kody Naylor back. He’s been out for a while, and he’s one of our two seniors, so having him back made a difference also.”
SOUDERTON 3, QUAKERTOWN 0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-9)
Chris Kluka had a big game at the net, contributing 15 kills and five blocks to go along with four aces. Gabe Clemmer had eight kills and two aces while Andrew Diesel added seven kills and two blocks. Greg Mazza led the defense with eight digs and Brett Rawa had six digs.
Ryan Mease led the Panthers with 12 kills. Casey Fosbenner (four kills), Nick Grossov (three kills), Mike Whittington (two kills) and Josh Morgan (two kills) also contributed at the net. Nate Stout handed out 19 assists.
While the Panthers fell to 1-2, the Indians improved to 2-0. Souderton will travel to eighth-ranked Emmaus on Friday night.
PENNRIDGE 3, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 0 (25-10, 25-15, 25-10)
Ryan Chinnici turned in a solid all-around performance to lead the Rams, contributing eight kills, eight digs and four aces. Kalin Nelson added seven kills and four aces while Erik Moyer had six kills Mike Bollinger chipped in with five kills and four blocks while Kolby Smith had four kills and three aces. Austin McVaugh was credited with 26 assists for the Rams, who improved to 2-0.
NORTH PENN 3, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 1 (18-25, 25-20, 25-23, 25-20)
Nick Bennett led the Patriots at the net with 13 kills while Michael Donovan led the defense with 10 digs. Kyle Dolf contributed 13 assists, five kills and three blocks.
PENNSBURY 3, BENSALEM 0
Sean Kropp had a team-high 12 kills (.313 efficiency) to go along with eight digs and one ace to lead the Falcons. Pat Merrick added nine kills (.333 efficiency), 19 assists, four digs and six blocks. Dalton Zimmerman contributed six kills (.625 efficiency), four blocks, two digs and one ace. Troy Pereira led the defense with 10 digs, and Jeff Yasalonis was credited with 16 assists and two digs.
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