SOL Girls' Volleyball Wrap (9-17-24)

Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ volleyball teams in action Tuesday. William TennentPennsbury photos courtesy of Jon Sklut. Check back for a gallery of photos.

SOL National Conference

PENNSBURY 3, WILLIAM TENNENT 0 (25-11, 25-21, 25-16)
The visiting Falcons earned a sweep of Tennent, but the Panthers also had reason to celebrate as Emmerson McElhinney reached the 500-kill milestone.

Leading the offensive charge for the Falcons was Annika Foundos with eight kills (0.389 hitting percentage). Adding to the attack was Brigitte Burns with eight kills and Madara Bungs with six kills. The middles (Rylie Mitchell, Reagan Perate, and Violet Rowbotham) also add six kills on a 0.353 hitting percentage.
Leading the Falcons’ defense was Madara Bungs and Sienna Sked with 12 digs and 11 digs. They also added six aces and four aces on long service runs.
“William Tennet was a very scrappy team that forced our defense to be on its toes in quick exchanges,” Pennsbury coach Bob Burns said. “Their relentless defense pushed our hitters to make some changes to force them off-balance. A great challenge for our team.
“Congratulations to Emmerson McElhinney for reaching 500 kills for the William Tennent program.”
McElhinney finished with eight kills for the Panthers.
“A highlight of our night was senior Emmerson McElhinney got her 500th kill of her career midway through the second set,” Tennent coach Brian Bassler said. “She is only the fifth player in William Tennent girls’ volleyball history to get to 500 kills.
“She has put a ton of work in over the past six years since middle school, and she deserves this moment. She has played through some injuries the past two seasons, but she just keeps going out there and competing. She is headed to Sarah Lawrence College in New York next year. We couldn’t be prouder of you Emmerson! Congratulations.”
Also contributing for the Panthers were Kristina Bentsionova (8 kills, 8 blocks), Ava Stracuzzi (6 kills and 2 very nice service runs), Margaux Kellum (14 digs) and Izzy Goebel (13 assists).
“We didn’t have our best night in serve receive or with our hitting efficiency, but we had spurts of really good volleyball and kept fighting all the way to the end,” Bassler said.
Pennsbury (7-2, 3-1 SOL) wil host Truman Thursday, and William Tennent (5-4, 2-3) will host Council Rock North Thursday.

COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 3, BENSALEM 0 (26-24, 25-17, 25-12)
The Golden Hawks picked up their third win without a loss in league play with their sweep of the Owls.
Leading the Hawks in assists and kills was sophomore Emelie Korn, and she was supported by kills from senior Cara Wright and junior Olivia DeSaro. Sophomore middle Toren Kotter contributed two blocks while junior middle Kristina Shumakov contributed three blocks.
For the Owls, Dene Howe led the defense with nine digs. Talia DiMichele dished out 21 assists. Jordan Domansky led the attack with nine kills and one block, and Evette Wesseh added seven kills.
Council Rock South (6-2, 3-0 SOL) will travel to Neshaminy on Friday, and Bensalem (3-6, 1-4) will be on the road at Neshaminy Thursday.

NESHAMINY 3, HARRY S TRUMAN 0

SOL Continental Conference

PENNRIDGE 3, QUAKERTOWN 1 (25-21, 21-25, 25-18, 25-11)
The Lady Rams fought through a slow start on their home court to secure a hard-fought 3-1 victory and maintain their undefeated season record (10-0).
The defensive star of the match was Shannon Leo (21 digs), while the offense was led by Caitlyn Kuntz (16 kills, 12 digs, 2 aces). Melissa Hinkson (13 kills, 11 digs, 3 aces), Bella Obiefuna (5 kills, 1 block), Delaney Schwind (25 assists, 13 digs, 3 aces), and Chloe Wint (4 kills, 2 blocks) also played critical roles in the match. Macey Najarian dominated at the service line, contributing eight aces to the Ram’s win.
Leading the Panthers were Ellie White (9 kills, 5 blocks, 1 ace, 3 digs), Krysalyn Juchno (6 kills, 3 aces, 3 digs), Bella Mooney (6 kills, 2 blocks) and Rachel White (6 kills, 4 digs). Setter Genevieve Clark contributed 24 assists to go along with one kill, one ace and five digs. Zoe Hartley led the defense with 16 digs, and Colleen Gallagher added six digs.
Pennridge (10-0, 5-0 SOL) will be on the road at Central Bucks South on Thursday, and Quakertown (3-5, 1-4) will host Souderton Thursday.

SOUDERTON 3, NORTH PENN 2 (26-24, 24-26, 25-20, 22-25, 15-9)
The Indians survived a grueling five-set match that began with back-to-back 26-24 sets with the Indians winning the first and the Knights winning the second.
The Indians were led at the net by Kylie O’keefe with 11 kills and Lauren Vince, who had 10 kills, one block, nine digs and one ace. Zoe Falk led the defense with 17 digs and two assists. Stella Powers (17 assists, 2 aces, 8 kills, 1 block) and Caroline Bache (16 assists, 2 aces, 4 digs) shared setting duties. Lily Self had six kills, nine digs, two blocks and three aces. Also contributing were Emma Conklin (1 ace, 2 kills, 1 block, 3 digs) and Ella Rothenberger (1 kill, 1 assist).
Souderton (5-3, 2-3 SOL) will travel to Quakertown Thursday, and North Penn (4-5, 3-3) will be on the road at Boyertown for a non-league match Thursday.

CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 3, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 2

The Lady Patriots earned a hard fought five-set victory against their neighboring rivals at CB South. The match went back and forth, with East taking the first two sets, only for CB South to come back and take the next two sets. The fifth and deciding set was close early on, but then the Lady Patriots took control and won 15-8.
Senior Regina Mathur delivered an amazing performance at the service line with 10 aces to go along with her 13 digs, six kills and four blocks. Senior Mia Mettille and sophomore Brynne Vonder Schmalz shared the setting duties (each of them registered 17 assists), with Mia adding five services aces, three digs and two kills and Brynne chipping in 10 digs and four service aces. The back line of senior Arya Haridas and sophomore Carmyn O'Brien delivered some incredible digs, with Arya racking up 25 digs and Carmyn contributing 13 digs to go along with three service aces. The twin towers of sophomore Ali Minacci (12 kills and 7 blocks) and junior Reese Coxey (2 kills and 2 blocks) kept South from generating consistent offense. Senior Sophia Schwartz (9 kills, 14 digs and 4 blocks) and sophomore Summer Darling (5 kills, 6 digs and 1 block) played key roles in both offense and defense.
Central Bucks East (3-6, 2-3 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks West Thursday, and Central Bucks South (4-6, 2-3) will host Pennridge on Thursday.

SOL American Conference

CHELTENHAM 3, SPRINGFIELD TWP 0
The Lady Panthers earned a sweep of the Spartans for their first win of the season.
“The whole varsity team contributed to today’s 3-0 victory with outstanding communication, effective hitting and serving,” Cheltenham coach Marlene Jackson said.
“Captain/opposite Helen Dugan had a wonderful game, going on a 15-point serving run during set two. Outside hitter Makenzie Stevenson also went on a seven-point serving run in set one. Outstanding job varsity.”
Cheltenham (1-7, 1-5) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham Thursday, and Springfield Twp (0-7, 0-6) will be on the road at Upper Dublin Thursday.

ABINGTON 3, HATBORO-HORSHAM 1 (25-18, 23-25, 25-17, 25-14)
The Ghosts defeated the visiting Hatters in four sets.
Setter Mary Carter dished out 29 assists to go along with five kills. Sofie Heininger led the Ghosts with 18 kills while Sasha Moody added nine and Maddie Peltzer had eight.
Abington (6-2, 5-1 SOL) will travel to New Hope-Solebury Thursday, and Hatboro-Horsham will host Cheltenham Thursday.

UPPER DUBLIN 3, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 0
The Flying Cardinals remained perfect in SOL play, sweeping the Colonials to notch their sixth win without a loss.
Brooke Kinsley led the Cards with 11 kills, 12 digs, one ace and one assist. Also contributing at the net were Madison Small (9 kills, 2 aces, 1 assist, 3 digs, 1 block), Reese Fidler (8 kills, 2 digs) and Isabell Driehuis (6 kills, 1 block). Setter Kaitlyn Small handed out 24 assists and also had nine digs, three kills and one block. Alisa Zeng led UD’s defense with 21 digs, five assists, one ace and one kill. Janis Andrulonis added four digs, one ace and one block.
Upper Dublin (9-1, 6-0 SOL) will host Springfield Twp Thursday, and Plymouth Whitemarsh (7-2, 4-2) will host Wissahickon Thursday.

NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 3, WISSAHICKON 0
(Submitted by Wissahickon VB)
The Wissahickon Lady Trojans welcomed the Lions of New Hope Solebury for a conference match on Tuesday evening. The Lady Trojans fell behind 21-16 in the first set but battled back to tie the score at 24-24 before falling 26-24.
The Lady Trojans were led by junior Anyah Carter who played tough defense at the net, picking up numerous tips and making great sets. Sophomore Nicole Niesborella had her best match of the season making some key kills and serves. Kaitlyn Lang continues to develop as the team's Libero and is embracing the opportunity. Senior Jadyn Kamara has been a steady presence on defense and has provided an upbeat attitude. Freshwoman Kahlan Degnan got her first start for the Lady Trojans and did an excellent job making some key blocks and kills. Unfortunately, the Lady Trojans fell behind in set number two and despite a valiant effort weren't able to overcome the deficit. Credit to the Lady Lions who played a very scrappy match. The Lady Trojans look forward to a rematch later in the season.
Next up for the Trojans (2-6, 2-3 SOL) is a tough match against the PW Colonials on Thursday.
New Hope Solebury (8-3, 4-3) will host Abington on Thursday.

Non-league
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 3, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 1 (25-18, 25-19, 20-25, 25-20)

Council Rock North was led by Olivia Szymkiewicz with 12 kills and five aces, Sloane Jordan with 12 kills and Addison Zarillo pitched in six kills.  Freshman setter Kinley Adams had a season high 28 assists.
(Article submitted by CB West volleyball)
Central Bucks West travelled to Council Rock North on Tuesday. After a slow start in the match with CB West falling behind 0-2, the Bucks began to build momentum late in game two. They came roaring back with a commanding win in game three, defeating Council Rock North 25-20 with the Bucks leading throughout the set. This victory pushed the match to a fourth game. Both teams showcased impressive defensive plays in game four, but North managed to edge ahead in the final moments, ultimately securing the match with a 25-20 win in the fourth set.
CB West’s defense was anchored by the tenacious efforts of Ava Streibig and Emily Ferrese, who consistently made key plays to keep the team in the match. On offense, Kya Lynch was a clear leader for the Bucks, delivering strong performances across the sets. Elisa Kremser contributed all-around, excelling in front-row blocking, back-line serving, and finding ways to open up the hitters. Ashlyn Kear and Erinn McCusker also made significant contributions at critical points in the match.
Special mention goes to middles Jane Foster and Keeley Fialkowski, who worked together tirelessly throughout the match, displaying tenacity and covering the court.
Game stats:
Kya Lynch: Aces: 3 Kills: 24 Solo Blocks: 1 Blocking Assists: 2 Digs: 13
Elisa Kremser: Kills: 3 Assists: 17 Solo Blocks: 1 Blocking Assists: 2 Digs: 13
Erinn McCusker: Aces: 1 Kills: 2 Assists: 4 Digs: 6
Emily Febrese: Assists: 3 Digs: 9
Ava Streibig: Kills: 1 Solo Blocks: 1 Digs: 6
Keeley Fialkowski: Kills: 3 Blocking Assists: 3

 

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