Pennridge and Upper Merion advanced to Thursday’s District One AAA semifinals. To view photos of the Upper Merion/Downingtown East and Pennridge/Downingtown West matches, please visit the Photo Gallery.
#1 PENNRIDGE 3, #8 DOWNINGTOWN WEST 1 (25-22, 18-25, 25-20, 25-15)
Meghan Keefe admits that the possibility of going to states never entered her mind during her early years with the program.
“We didn’t even know what it was,” the Lady Rams’ senior captain said.
With Tuesday night’s win, the Lady Rams did what might have been unthinkable in the recent past – they clinched a berth in the state tournament and advanced to the district semifinals where they will face fifth-seeded Bishop Shanahan.
“It really hasn’t hit yet,” Keefe said. “I don’t think it has for anyone. Now that we know we’re going to states it’s more real, but even with that, the whole thing is still unreal.”
Teammate Kelly Bergen – a transfer from Lansdale Catholic – has had a taste of states before with the Crusaders, but the feeling never gets old.
“It’s awesome,” she said. “We have been working our butts off, and we’re clicking and we’re doing great.”
The Lady Rams’ rapid turnaround coincides with the arrival of coach Zech States, himself a veteran of a boys’ program that is a perennial powerhouse.
“Two years ago, I wasn’t here, but we were 4-8 in the conference,” the Rams’ second-year coach said. “Pennridge wasn’t known to be a good team for girls’ volleyball in general.
“I came in last year, and I knew it was a good team and we could build on it. That’s what we did.”
Good chemistry, according to the players, has been a key to their success.
“We all get along so well,” Keefe said. “We’re all great friends, and that really helps everything because even if we give suggestions – they take them the right way.”
“A lot of us played middle school volleyball together,” Bergen added. “Coming in here, we all knew each other.
“Playing with each other before, we had that chemistry, so it’s not hard to get back. These girls are the nicest girls I’ve ever met. They’re so welcoming.”
The Lady Rams’ strong serving game once again played a significant role. All told, the Rams had 17 aces. Ana Vitantonio led the way with six aces and also had 12 digs. Sophomore Steph Judkins had four aces to go along with her 12 kills, and Keefe had two aces and 35 assists.
“We just have to serve as hard as we can, and if we don’t, they can get it up, and that leaves us in a vulnerable position,” Keefe said. “Once we serve hard, it gives us a better chance of getting that point.”
Lauren Drugotch had a big night in the middle of the net, contributing 15 kills and three blocks. Ariana Przybylowski added nine kills and five blocks. Bergen led the defense with 27 digs, and Nene Scanavacca had 13 digs.
“We have the hitters to put the ball away, but we lack on defense sometimes,” States said. “At times, it was sluggish, but for the most part, we had good team defense.
“Our serve receive can get better, but I’m happy with them.”
#2 UPPER MERION 3, #7 DOWNINGTOWN EAST 0 (25-19, 25-14, 25-17)
UPPER MERION—No one is quite sure who first coined the phrase “Familiarity breeds contempt”.
In the case of perennial District One volleyball powerhouses Upper Merion and Downingtown East, who have gotten to know each other quite well over the past four years, familiarity has also fostered an intensely competitive rivalry and mutual respect among the players and coaching staffs.
On Tuesday night, that rivalry was revisited, concluding with the Vikings posting a 3-0 victory in the 2014 chapter of what has been become almost an annual “Clash of the Titans.” With the win, the Vikings advanced to the PIAA District One semi finals against Garnet Valley and qualified for the state tournament.
“It's been pretty special actually to have such a fierce rivalry with such a good team,” said Vikings head coach Tony Funsten. “As sophomores, our girls remember them ending our season in the state semifinals. They knew what was at stake here tonight.”
Upper Merion got off to a solid start, putting together a run of seven straight points to snatch the momentum in game one. They built a 14-8 lead, forcing Downingtown East head coach Lex Ripper to call a timeout.
Back-to-back kills by junior Carolyn Helenski propelled the Vikings – who were also fueled by their vocal pack of fans in the south bleachers – to 25-19 game one win, and everything seemed to be going according to plan.
“We knew how important winning game one was,” said senior Emily Shannon. “If we lost tonight, our season was over, and we were just not ready for that to happen. We have such a tight group of seniors who have been here before, so we came in expecting to have to fight for every point against this team.”
Before the first substitution in the outset of the game two, the Vikings found themselves in a 7-0 hole against a team that knows how pounce when the opportunity presents itself, a position Upper Merion desperately needed to avoid if their playoff run was to continue.
Funsten – a veteran of the pressure cooker known as the PIAA playoffs – quickly called time out and regrouped the troops, stressing the importance of just playing their game.
“Actually all I told them was to relax and let the game come to them,” added Funsten. “It was after that timeout that Carlye (Odorisio), Carolyn (Helenski) and Niki Carpenter took over the game. Niki and Carolyn just blocked everything the rest of the night and Carlye got hot with her serves like she can.”
Led by sensational net play, as well, by senior Eryn Brady and freshman Emma Andraka, Upper Merion went on to win 25 of the next 31 points, cruising to a 25-14 win and putting the match in a stranglehold from which the Cougars would not escape.
“I got mad,” said Helenski, (4 blocks, 8 kills- career high). “I hate to lose, we all do. When we got down 7-0 and Niki started going up and blocking everything, I said to myself that I am going to do that too. We are not letting them win this game. We knew if we didn't win tonight we were done for the year and we weren't ready for that.”
The clinching third set became more of a formality than much of a battle as the Vikings jumped out to an 8-1 lead before East mounted a rebuttal challenge cutting the host's lead to 13-9. Upper Merion broke away for a 25-17 win, completing the sweep and returning a two-year-old favor by ending the Cougars’ season.
“It was strange seeing them so soon,” said Funsten. “We have seen them in states or district in three of the last four years, and East is always a tough team and at least they had all of their best players tonight. It means more to us knowing that we went against the best they had. We still have more work to do, a couple more goals to reach, so tomorrow it will back to work.”
In all, Upper Merion blocked 13 kill attempts with Carpenter racking up seven blocks and five kills of her own, while Odorisio, who recorded five aces in game two, finished the night with a total of seven.
“I am excited and relieved at the same time,” said senior Emily Shannon. “We have so much fun together as a team on and off the court. It’s great to win tonight and we will enjoy it today, but tomorrow we know we have to get ready for the semis and then the final. It is great to be back in states again, but we have to take one step at a time.”
“Our fans are amazing,” added Helenski. “I love coming to play here. It makes it impossible not to go out and give everything you have on every point with such great support. They are so loud and get us so fired up that I hope we can get a fan bus to come to the next round, because they are incredible.”
Extra points:Emily Shannon had three aces among her 12 service points while Micaela Ghanayem had 10 service points. Ashley Shannon anchored the defense with 20 digs followed by Emily with 16 and Emma Andraka with 15. Kailyn McNamee dished out 19 assists.
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