Check out Wednesday’ SOL volleyball results
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 3, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 1 (25-19, 25-16, 24-26, 25-19)
Rachel Baker and Jessica West are hardly an intimidating duo.
Until, that is, they step onto the volleyball court where the Central Bucks West senior captains prove that you don’t have to be tall to make an impact. Baker, generously listed as 5-6 in the team’s program, is 5-4 while West, who is listed at 5-5, is really 5-3.
Baker, the Bucks’ dangerous outside hitter, owned the net in Wednesday’s showdown, finishing the night with a game-high 19 kills to go along with six digs. West, the team’s savvy setter, was credited with 36 assists, and they weren’t the only players to come up big. Alicia West (13 kills, nine digs, two aces), Courtney King (five kills, 13 digs, 3.5 blocks, four aces), Maddie Klun (four kills, five aces, 3.5 blocks, five digs) and Rachel Farnin (17 digs) also made major contributions.
“Their hearts are for each other,” West coach Todd Miller said. “Because they want to see everyone around them succeed, they work that much harder for each other, and it’s so awesome to watch. It’s so exciting.
“Even when South put the pressure on, they settle in, they don’t waver, and they do a great job of just doing what they need to and not letting the other team press them, which is phenomenal. They are a seasoned team, and they act as a seasoned team, and it’s so much fun to watch. They make it even more exciting.”
For the Bucks, who remain undefeated (7-0, 5-0 SOL), the win over the defending Continental Conference champion Titans was a team effort.
“There’s never one person that really just blows it away,” West said. “We all come together. Everyone makes amazing plays. We lift each other up.”
As lethal as the Bucks were at the net, they were equally impressive defensively, repeatedly bringing balls up with improbable digs.
“Our defense is key,” West said. “We have a very solid offense, but when it comes to defense, we know we can beat any team with that. South has really good hitters, and we give them credit for that, but we were ready for them.
“We’ve been practicing – we were down low and ready to pass the ball.”
“We’re not one of the taller teams,” Baker added. “But on defense, we’re one of the better teams. We don’t let the ball hit the ground. We go after every point with 100 percent effort.”
The Titans, (2-3, 2-2 SOL) were led by the performances of Abby Mummert (eight aces, six kills, 20 digs), Jax Babezki (nine kills), Ally Horvath (five aces, six kills) and Madi Conroy (25 assists).
“They came out hungry to prove something, and we did not,” South coach Ulana Keer said. “They outplayed us in every aspect of the game. I had a couple of kids step up, but it wasn’t enough to overcome their level of momentum and desire. They played very good volleyball.
“We have really two high level experienced players (Mummert and Babezki), and the rest of the kids who don’t have (experience at) this kind of level. It’s a lot to overcome when you have a very equally balanced attack on the other side. They did some good things, and we did some good things. We have to learn to play at this kind of level and intensity.”
The Bucks seized early control of the match, opening up a quick 5-1 lead after a Maddie Klun kill in the first set. They went on top 17-8 after a Baker kill, and the diminutive outside hitter closed out the set with a service ace for the decisive win.
In the second set, the two teams were deadlocked 9-9 after a Babezki kill, but the Bucks went on to take a 17-11 lead. Baker put the finishing touches on the set with a kill to close it out.
In the third set, Mummert delivered an eight-point serving run that included four aces, giving the Titans an 18-13 lead. They still led 23-19 after a Babezki tip fell in for a winner, but the Bucks rallied to knot the score 24-24 on an Alicia West kill. The Titans responded with a Mummert kill and won it on a Jackie Haffey block.
In the fourth set, the Bucks opened up a 5-2 lead after a Baker kill and still led 12-9 after a Courtney King winner. The Titans pulled to within one (15-14) after a Haffey kill, and it was still a two-point game (20-18) after a serving miscue by the Bucks, but West closed it out with a 5-1 run to earn the big win.
The Bucks are alone atop the conference standings, but they are hardly satisfied.
“This is going to give us even more motivation to play North Penn on Friday,” West said. “We’re going to come out there knowing we can win.”
“Last year was our first time beating North Penn in four years,” Baker said. “This year we’re looking forward to that match even more. The coach – Bryan Yost – has coached half our team, so it’s always fun to play our coach’s team.”
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 3, QUAKERTOWN 0 (25-13, 25-21, 25-12)
The Patriots received double-digit kill efforts from four players in Wednesday’s big win – Courtney Kauffman (17), Lindsay Mcintosh (16), Rachel Clow (12) and Hannah Lunak (11). Clow and Macintosh also each had three service aces. Haley Echelmeier had a team high five aces while Victoria Spadafora had four.
The Panthers were led by the performances of Meghan Lopes (12 assists, 2 aces), Alyssa Moore (five blocks) and Lindsay Beck (three aces, 21 digs).
While the Panthers fell to 0-5 in the league (0-6 overall), the Patriots improved to 3-1 in the league (3-2 overall).
PENNRIDGE 3, SOUDERTON 0 (25-18, 25-8, 25-19)
Jen Spause led the Indians with five kills while Bekah Ford had three and Anna Moyer, two kills. Cori Watson had 11 assists, and Molly Thompson led the defense with nine digs. Spause added five digs. Grace Pinto had four aces.
Pennridge improved to 2-2 in league play while the Indians fell to 0-4 (1-5 overall).
UPPER MERION 3, ABINGTON 0 (25-12, 25-11, 25-11)
The Vikings improved to 5-0 in league play as a result of Wednesday’s win. Senior Natalie O’Neil had four aces and 25 assists while fellow senior Casey Griffith had 12 kills. Freshman Carlye Odorisio had 16 services points.
HATBORO-HORSHAM 3, CHELTENHAM 0 (25-14, 25-14, 25-22)
The Hatters used a total team effort to sweep the Lady Panthers. Defensively, Candyce Riley and Caitlin Klotzbach led the Hatters. Sam Jones served five aces, dished out eight assists and contributed seven kills. Klotzbach served for 15 points. Lauren Laucella was a force at the net with 10 kills and three blocks. Laura Calvin, Quinn O’Donnell and Lauren Hill also contributed to the success of the offense. Hannah Steiger added 12 assists for the Hatters, who improved to 4-1 in league play (6-1 overall). The Lady Panthers fell to 1-4 in the league (3-4 overall).
UPPER DUBLIN 3, WISSAHICKON 0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-13)
The Flying Cardinals used a strong serving game to earn a sweep of the Trojans. Bernice Leung led the way with six aces while Taylor D’Ginto added four aces to go along with six assists and two digs. Alyssa Rowely (three aces, three digs), Gabbi Johnson (one ace, one kill, three digs), Mary DeCamara (three aces, one kill), Melanie Phifer (three aces, one kill) and Taylor Stek (one ace, four kills, two digs) also contributed.
For the Trojans, Alev Erhan served well.
- Log in to post comments
