Check out Tuesday’s SOL volleyball results. To view photos of the CB West/North Penn match, please visit the Photo Gallery by clicking on the following link: http://photos.suburbanonesports.com/g/042412_cb_west_vs_north_penn_dl
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 3, NORTH PENN 1 (26-24, 23-25, 25-19, 25-14)
The Knights appeared poised to pick up an important win in the first set of Tuesday’s match, opening up an 18-10 lead. They still led 23-16 when junior Mike Fehrs stepped to the service line.
Things were never the same again for either team as Fehrs reeled off eight straight points, and the Bucks went on to earn a 26-24 win.
“It’s absolutely a lift,” West coach Todd Miller said of Fehrs’ service run. “Any time someone comes out and does well consistently, it uplifts the rest of the team.
“It becomes more energetic, the pressure is off, and they have a lot more fun together. They start to enjoy what they’re doing. They get excited.”
According to Fehrs, working hard and playing consistently were the keys to West’s comeback.
“I came in there nervous, but I knew if I focused on placing it - in seams and between players, it would keep them from getting a good set,” Fehrs said. “It just really helped that the team put up good blocks and was covering the ball really well.”
The Knights rallied to win the second set, but the Bucks won the pivotal third game, opening up a quick 6-2 lead after a block by sophomore Christian Rupert. The Knights rallied to make it an 8-7 game, but another Rupert block was followed by a Fehrs kill. A Fehrs tip for a winner put the Bucks on top 10-7.
“Before the game, we had information that they didn’t really cover tips,” Fehrs said. “We really tried to use that to get as many points as possible.
“Playing smart in volleyball is a key trait. Tipping isn’t as flashy, but if it gets you the win, that’s the most important thing.”
It was still a three-point game after a West hit sailed out of play (19-16), but Fehrs delivered a winner and followed that with an ace. A winner by Joel Klapper made it a 22-16 game, and after a Knight hitting error, Connor Logan delivered a kill. A kill by North Penn’s Dave Bisio interrupted the run, but the Bucks closed it out with Klapper delivering a kill for game point.
“I think the second game woke us up,” Fehrs said. “We started to play flat-footed, and losing that game really brought energy to the team to come back and win the next two.”
In game four, the Bucks opened up a 6-2 lead, but a kill by freshman Mark Elias made it a 6-4 game. West led 9-4 after a Fehrs kill and stretched that lead to 12-5 after a Ryan Keller kill. Rupert’s service ace stretched that lead to eight, and the Bucks led 17-5 after another Keller kill.
The Knights refused to go down quietly, rallying to make it a 22-14 game, but they would get not closer.
For the second straight day, the Knights – who were swept by Central Bucks East 24 hours earlier – were playing without senior standout Matt Elias. The Knights’ star setter/hitter is sidelined with an ankle injury that occurred in the Christopher Dock Tournament on Saturday.
“Matt gives us 16 points a game,” North Penn coach Tim Moyer said. “He’s an eight-kills a game, he’s four or five blocks, he’s a couple of aces a game, and he’s next to impossible to replace.
“We do need a couple of people to step up.”
Two of the players who have stepped up are junior Andy Willits and senior Scott Dickenson. Willits had a monster game, delivering 18 kills to go along with two aces and nine digs. Dickenson also had a big game, contributing eight kills, three solo blocks and three assisted blocks. Freshman setter Mark Elias had 25 assists and two aces.
“Andy Willits has done an absolutely amazing job offensively,” Moyer said. “Scott Dickenson – the same thing. Right now it’s those two.
“Our freshman setter, Mark Elias, has done a great job of stepping up, but we need one more. We’re kind of broken.”
Senior Dave Bisio, a middle hitter for the Knights, is playing injured.
“He played amazing tonight on all heart,” Moyer said. “He’s playing on one leg. I tried to pull him and rest him because I saw him hobbling, but he begged me to go back in. I put him in, and he did a great job.
“He definitely didn’t hurt us. He got a lot of good touches up front. Our seniors are really stepping up to the plate, and I couldn’t ask for anything more than that right now. I need some of the underclassmen to step up. We really don’t have anyone stepping into that opposite position. We’re still searching for our identity as a team. Without Matt, we need people to step up.”
Despite the outcome, Moyer was pleased with his team’s performance.
“This was a great effort - against CB East, we never showed up,” the Knights’ coach said. “We should have won game one tonight, but we let it slip away. In those spots, we look for Matt. Matt is one of our closers, but we didn’t have him at the end, and we left that game slip away.
“This could have very easily been a five-set match, and it could have gone either way. I was proud of our effort, and I think it will go a long way toward rebuilding. I know we were shell-shocked at the tournament with Matt going down, and I know that carried into yesterday. We came together as a team, the seniors talked tonight before we started, and it was a much better effort, for sure.”
For his part, Miller knew the Knights would come into Tuesday’s match ready to play.
“I knew they had something to prove and a chip on their shoulders,” the Bucks’ coach said. “If I’m a coach in their shoes or a player coming off that, I’m agitated, and I have more energy to play at that point.
“We knew there was a possibility they’d come in here with a lot more intensity and energy, so we knew we would have to work. We knew there would be ups and downs, but you can’t allow situations and circumstances to dictate the way it finishes out.”
The Bucks were led by the huge performances of Klapper (12 kills), Fehrs (12 kills, three aces) and Grupert (10 kills, five blocks). Sophomore setter Matt Hennigan had 41 assists in a strong outing.
“We’re still young,” Miller said. “These kids keep growing and getting more experience outside of here. It keeps me on my toes.”
While the Knights fell to 7-4, the Bucks improved to 9-2.
To read the complete game story posted on PhillyBurbs.com, please click on the following link: http://www.phillyburbs.com/my_town/doylestown/cb-west-plays-solidly-in-win-over-north-penn/article_b84568ea-ab5d-5d1e-9511-5058d2438839.html
PENNSBURY 3, NESHAMINY 2 (25-16, 25-22, 21-25, 22-25, 15-9)
The Falcons opened up a quick 2-0 lead only to watch the Redskins rally to extend the match to five games. Chris Spano (15 kills, eight digs) and Pat Merrick (16 kills, six digs, one block) led the Falcons. Setters Jeff Yasalonis had a big night, contributing three kills, 49 assists, two aces, four digs and one block. Neil Helsel had five kills and a hitting percentage of .714. Senior Dalton Zimmerman also had a big night, contributing seven kills, 14 digs and one block. Troy Pereira led the defense with 15 digs.
While the Redskins fell to 4-4, the Falcons improved to 7-1 in league play (8-1 overall).
QUAKERTOWN 3, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 0 (25-17, 25-20, 25-16)
The Panthers were led by the strong performances at the net of Josh Morgan (11 kills, two blocks) and Nick Grossov (10 kills, two blocks). Ryan Mease added seven kills while Casey Fosbenner had five. Setter Nate Stout had 27 assists to go along with three kills.
Aleck Mayhew and Kyle Zaluski led South with five kills and two blocks each while Stephen Huh also had five kills to go along with three aces. Matthew Ehlers had one ace.
The Panthers upped their record to 5-7 while the Titans fell to 0-10 in the league (0-12 overall).
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 3, ABINGTON 0 (25-16, 25-15, 25-16)
Rock North setter Dan Rafalovitch handed out 23 assists and also had eight digs. Tyler Burns (seven kills, four blocks) and Jeremy Higgins (seven kills, three blocks) led a balanced offense for the Indians. Christian Kiselica and Chris Richards both had five kills. Richards led the defense with 11 digs, and Doug Devitt had eight digs.
The Indians are 8-1 in league play, and the Ghosts are 1-6 (3-6 overall).
WILLIAM TENNENT 3, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 0 (25-12, 25-18, 25-14)
Tennent setter Mike Excell had 21 assists, and Justin Keeny led the defense with 14 digs. Steve Van Der Mooren had three service aces for Tennent, which upped its record to 4-3 in league play (5-3 overall). The Golden Hawks fell to 0-6 in the league (2-6 overall).
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