Upper Merion defeated Hatboro-Horsham in a key SOL showdown. Check out the results of SOL teams in action on Tuesday. To view photos of the Pennsbury/Bensalem and Souderton/North Penn matches, please visit the Photo Gallery.
UPPER MERION 3, HATBORO-HORSHAM 0 (25-14, 25-17, 25-13)
With limited height on their roster and the loss of all-state setter Cassidy Koenig to graduation, the Vikings weren’t quite sure what the 2012 season held in store. They answered some of those questions on Tuesday night when they swept a Hatter squad intent on taking away an American Conference title the Vikings owned the past five seasons.
“We really didn’t expect to win by as much as we did,” junior Melanie Ingram said. “We thought this was the year we wouldn’t do so well, but we have Casey (Griffith), Natalie (O’Neil) and me, and we all come through for our team. I’m surprised, but I’m very satisfied with how we played.”
Ingram and Griffith combined for 27 kills with Ingram delivering 14 of those. Making that number even more impressive is that both measure in at 5-6, although Ingram insists she is 5-6 ½. Ingram also had a team-high 17 digs. O’Neil, meanwhile, proved to be a more than capable replacement for Koenig, handing out 31 assists.
“Melanie and Casey are going to carry us,” Viking coach Tony Funsten said. “They complement each other very nicely. They’re both great passers of serve, and that’s a key.
“You get a great serve and we end up getting a great attack on it, and you’re like, ‘Whoa, what the heck?’ That’s what we have to do this year. We have to be the ones at the net – not because we’re big but because we’re controlling the ball and getting good attacks – putting the other team on the heels, so they’re not getting their big people in good positions. I thought we did a real good job of that tonight.
“I’m sure Hatboro will beat people straight out on their serve because they can serve, especially Sam (Jones). She’s dangerous and has every type of serve there is. Fortunately, Melanie and Casey have seen every type of serve, but they’re going to serve people right off the court.”
For the Hatters, Lauren Laucella had five kills and two blocks. Caitlin Klotzbach and Candyce Riley led the defense with seven and six digs respectively.
Ingram pointed to the Vikings’ attacking style and tough serving as a key to the match. Her senior teammates pointed to defense as paramount.
“We communicated really well as a team,” O’Neil said. “There were moments when we were down, but it was good we were close on the court and could communicate.”
“We all work really well as a team,” Griffith added. “That helps us beat good teams like Hatboro, and our defense was solid.”
In the opening set, the Hatters sprinted to a quick 6-2 lead, but the Vikings answered with a 10-1 tear that culminated with an Emily Shannon service ace, prompting Hatter coach Kathy Tanner to call a quick timeout.
Laura Calvin delivered a winner out of the timeout, and Riley followed with a service winner to make it a 12-9 game, but it was only a temporary reprieve as the Vikings closed out the game with a 13-5 run for the decisive win.
“I knew they would be strong, but I really thought we would be able to compete,” Tanner said. “We just didn’t show up.”
In the second set, the Hatters turned an early 3-0 deficit into a 7-5 lead after a Riley kill. They still led 10-7 after a Viking hit out of play, but the Vikings knotted the score on an O’Neil winner and then went on top 11-10 after a Shannon ace.
The Hatters still led 13-12 after a Viking hit out of play, but an Ingram kill knotted the score. Back-to-back kills by Griffith and Ingram put the Vikings on top 19-16. Griffith closed out the set with an ace that fell between a pair of Hatters.
The Vikings owned the third set from start to finish, opening up a quick 6-3 lead and upping that lead to 10-5 after a vicious Ingram kill.
“I’ve gotten hit in the face a couple of times, and I can vouch for how hard she hits,” O’Neil said of Ingram. “It’s good to have her on our team.”
The Vikings led 15-7 after another Ingram kill, and a Griffith kill made it a 17-9 game. A block in the middle by sophomore Niki Carpenter gave the Vikings a double-digit lead, 19-9. Ingram put the finishing touches on the decisive win with a line kill for match point.
“We kind of owned the net,” Funsten said. “They didn’t really have a rhythm. Their passing was not predictable. They dug the ball, and the ball was going to come back over the net, but they didn’t have control of the ball, so their hitters were constantly hitting in compromising positions.
“We were then getting balls we could handle, and we were in good hitting position.”
The Vikings were coming off a 9-3 showing at the First Kill Tournament on Saturday.
“The competition was really strong,” Griffith said. “We played really tough teams, and that helped us prepare. I think that’s what made our defense ready for tonight’s game. It helped us learn how to work together.”
“It made us ready for everything,” O’Neil said.
The Vikings were certainly ready for the Hatters, delighting their fans with a sweep of their archrivals.
“Perfect,” Ingram said of the match. “It was amazing. This is probably the toughest competition in our conference.”
UPPER DUBLIN 3, CHELTENHAM 0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-18)
The Flying Cardinals used an all-around team effort to earn a sweep of the Lady Panthers.
“We were slow to start but eventually found our groove,” coach Meg Goettner said. “There were no huge standout players today, but it was nice to see us work together as a team.
“As we continue through the season, I have high hopes if we can keep the momentum moving forward. I expect us to do better. After the match, I told my team there was certainly room for improvement – which is a good thing this early in the season!”
Sophomore Taylor Stek led the Flying Cardinals at the net with eight kills to go along with four digs and one ace. Senior Bernice Leung had four aces and five digs while freshman Gabbi Johnson had eight digs, four aces and three kills.
“I was very happy to see senior KC Bruch making smart decisions in the front row as she attacked the ball as well as our co-captain Alyssa Rowley taking charge vocally on the court,” Goettner said. “Our rookie freshman, Gabbi Johnson, did an excellent job digging and serving for us today.
“I told my team going into the third set that I would like to see us distance ourselves from Cheltenham and work harder to keep the lead. They stepped up to the challenge, and I could sit back a little – just a little – in my seat.”
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 3, WISSAHICKON 0 (25-12, 25-9, 25-19)
The Colonials were propelled to the sweep of the Trojans by their dazzling serving game. Tori Biggins had a monster night for the Colonials, contributing 14 aces to go along with 11 assists and two kills. Teammate Riley Hellings was right behind, delivering 10 aces to go along with nine assists. Emily Houck added six aces and six kills. Defensively, the Colonials were led by the defensive backcourt of senior Cindy Ly and junior Ryan Haney.
Continental Conference
NORTH PENN 3, SOUDERTON 0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-17)
Senior Stephanie Elechko had a big night for the Maidens, contributing 14 kills, four aces, four blocks and eight digs. Senior Alyssa Chiodo led the Maidens defensively with 12 digs while senior Isabelle Kerr added seven kills, seven digs and four aces. Sophomore Devon Markus had six kills and two blocks.
The Indians were led by the performance of Alexa Kluka, who contributed six kills and two blocks from the middle. Anna Moyer added three kills and one block and Jen Spause, two kills. Cori Watson had 11 assists while Anna Dudzinski and Moyer led the defense with five digs each. Grace Pinto and Kluka each had four digs. Pinto also had four aces.
“The girls may have lost, but those numbers do not reflect the scrappy defense and hustle shown on the court,” Souderton coach Marlena Musselman said. “Overall, the girls proved that they will definitely put up a fight this season.”
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 3, QUAKERTOWN 0 (25-15, 25-11, 25-13)
Courtney King led the Bucks to a sweep of the Panthers, contributing 11 aces, seven kills and seven digs. Alicia West added six kills, six digs and three aces, and Rachel Baker had six kills, seven digs and two aces. Maddie Klun had eight kills, three digs and one ace, and Jess West had 25 assists and five digs. Rachel Farnin added five digs.
For the Panthers, Lindsay Beck (10 digs) and Autumn Bolton (seven digs) led the way defensively.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 3, PENNRIDGE 1 (25—16, 25-15, 17-25, 26-24)
The Titans won a tightly contested match against the Rams.
“The team played well on its first night out,” coach Ulana Keer said. “We are trying some different lineups, and my goal is to get all the kids in and give them exposure to high level volleyball.
“Sometimes we are successful, and sometimes we might lose games - hopefully not matches.”
The Titans’ strong serving game was led by Ally Horvath (five aces), Jax Babezski (four aces), Jess Barton (four aces), Madi Conroy (three aces) and Abby Mummert (two aces). Mummert led the offense with 15 kills while Babezski had 10 kills. Jackie Haffey had five kills and Lauren Wise, two kills. The Titans’ serve receive game and defense was led by Jess Berton, Heather Kobrzynski, Horvath, Mummert and Conroy.
“Madi did a nice job moving the ball to different hitters for a well-rounded offense,” Keer said. “We have a lot of work to do to get to the next level, and we are keeping ourselves on our toes and wanting to improve every time we get in the gym.”
METHACTON 3, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 1 (26-24, 19-25, 23-25, 20-25)
The Patriots won the first set but were edged in the next three. Outside hitter Hannah Lunak led the attack with 12 kills while teammate Courtney Kauffman added seven and Lindsay McIntosh, Victoria Spadafora and Rachel Clow had four each. Setter Caroline Davis was credited with 24 assists and also shared the team lead with teammates Spadafora and Kauffman with four service aces. Clow had a team-high 14 digs while Spadafora and Laura Kennedy each had 10 digs. Lunak added eight digs.
National Conference
NESHAMINY 3, HARRY S TRUMAN 0 (25-23, 25-12, 25-11)
The Tigers hung tough in the first set of Tuesday’s SOL match, but the Redskins – led by the performances of their four seniors - rolled to decisive wins in the second and third sets. Senior Morgan Oberholtzer had a solid all-around game with 10 kills, 17 digs and five aces. Senior Jen Harasim had a big night at the net, contributing 14 kills and two blocks. Senior Kirsten Borsos had a huge serving game, contributing 11 aces to go along with eight digs. Senior setter Julia Staub had 26 assists. Junior Molly MacDonald also played well defensively, contributing nine digs to go along with four aces.
PENNSBURY 3, BENSALEM 0 (25-6, 25-10, 25-3)
Cara Reilly led the Falcons' attack with 10 kills while setter Paige Misawic was credited with 15 assists. Kelsey Ongradi had five services aces, and Taylor McCartney had four.
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