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HORSHAM – This was a match for the ages, pitting two teams playing their own special version of ‘Can you top that?’Bone-jarring kills were miraculously dug up by diving players with no regard for their bodies in a match that saw few balls touch the court before someone got at least a touch.
“This is what I play volleyball for,” Hatboro-Horsham’s Ashley Morgan said. “This is what all the girls live for. We love competition like this.”
“This is what we practice for,” Upper Merion’s Alex Galdi said. “This shows what we can do.”
Neither team deserved to lose Monday’s match pitting the American Conference’s top squads, and not surprisingly, it took five games to determine a winner.
But when the dust had settled, it was the defending district champion Vikings who were still standing as they eked out a 3-2 win (27-29, 25-18, 25-17, 21-25, 15-10) over the Hatters in the emotionally-charged match that kept fans on the edge of their seats from start to finish.
“This (match) is our season,” Viking senior Liz DiValerio said. “This is the game we always have to play our hardest and overcome.”
Fans and players alike had to be looking forward to the Oct. 8 rematch before they left the gym because matches like this one are few and far between in the regular season.
“Even though it’s frustrating that we lost and we’re disappointed – no matter what, we’re going to come back the next time we see them and play harder, work harder,” Morgan said.
Morgan – it turns out – was a focal point of the Vikings’ defense with Galdi assigned the task of containing the dangerous outside hitter.
“It’s fun to hear that someone thinks of me like that,” Morgan said. “But I never think of volleyball as an individual sport.
“When I get blocked, it gets me motivated to hit harder. It’s always fun to go up against someone that good.”
Morgan finished the night with eight kills and 10 digs. Many of those kills came early in the match, including game point in game one that sent the Hatter student section into a frenzy.
“It was rough in the beginning,” Galdi said. “I was trying to stay on the line because it’s rare she hits across her body. She gets her best hits hitting straight and that’s what we tried to take away.”
“I think we really controlled number one, who is their key offensive player,” Viking coach Tony Funsten said of Morgan. “Alex was a key to controlling her and then getting those kills at the end. I told Cassidy (Koenig) to go back to her – that’s where we have the advantage.”Galdi finished with 12 kills, 24 digs and three blocks with several of those coming down the stretch in game five. Teammate Devyn Ingram led the way with 16 kills and 32 digs while DiValerio had 10 kills, and setter Cassidy Koenig – 38 assists and 18 digs.
For the Hatters, Julie Harvey had 12 kills and five blocks. Carly Black had nine kills and nine digs, and setter Lauren Schmickle had 38 assists.
“We had good matchups,” Funsten said. “Every once in a while they beat our defense, but they made great plays to do it. They’re so athletic, but we sucked it up.”
Ask Hatter coach Diane Lucas the difference in the match, and she needs just one word.
“Confidence,” she said. “It’s a matter of recovery, being able to fight back after having a deficit.
“I feel as though both teams are equally skilled, both bring different things to the game. It’s a matter of faster recovery, especially in a short game like game five.”
Game five was as riveting as the four before it but with less margin for error. The Vikings led 4-1 after an Ingram kill, but the Hatters came clawing back, using a Harvey kill and then a block as well as an errant Viking pass to knot the score 4-4.
A kill by Annie Lawn put the Vikings on top, but Harvey answered with a kill for the Hatters. The Vikings led 6-5 after a Hatter net serve, but a Black kill evened the score. An Ingram tip gave the Vikings an 8-7 edge, but another Michael block knotted the score.
A Galdi kill was followed by an Ingram kill, and when Galdi delivered a tip that fell in for a winner, the Vikings led 11-8, prompting the Hatters to call a quick timeout.
Another Galdi kill out of the timeout gave the Vikings a four-point lead. The Hatters trimmed a point off that lead, thanks to a Viking net serve, but Lawn got that back with a kill at the middle of the net. A Morgan kill was followed by a monster kill from Ingram, and a DiValerio tip closed out the match.
The Vikings had won round one of this heavyweight battle.
“They’re mentally tough,” Funsten said of his players. “Hatboro is a really, really, really good team, and to come here and beat them – it did take us five games, but they’re terrific, and so are we.”In game one, the Hatters sprinted to a quick 6-3 lead, and they led by four (24-20) after a Kathryn Lucca winner, but the Vikings came roaring back. The run was ignited by a Galdi kill, and then DiValerio served for five straight points as the Vikings went on top 25-24 after a Hatter hit out of play.
Back-to-back Morgan kills put the Hatters back on top, but a Brianna Alvarez winner knotted the score. The Hatters won it, thanks to a Black tip and Morgan following that tip with a resounding kill for match point.
“That game showed even if we get down, we can come back, take it one (point) at a time,” Galdi said. “We always try to stay calm, no matter what. Even if we’re down, we try to stay calm, and once we get in system, it’s hard to get us out.”
The Vikings were ‘in system’ quite a bit on Monday night, but so were the Hatters.
“I’m pleased with how aggressive we were, how we ran down balls,” Lucas said. “I’m pleased with the tip coverage. We’re going to work on our confidence.”
The Vikings won games two and three, but the resilient Hatters won game four to set up the dramatic fifth game.
“The key to winning this game was serve receive,” DiValerio said. “They have really good servers. The first game was a little rough, but we were very solid the rest of the game. That’s how you control a game – serve receive.”
Throw in a relentless defense, and it all added up to a win for the Vikings.
“Mr. Funsten always tells us that defense wins games,” DiValerio said. “Whenever we miss a dig or a serve, we just say – the next one, and we know we don’t have to worry because we can get the next one.”
Fans from both sides got their money’s worth on Monday.
“We hyped this game up a lot because this is a really important game for our season,” Morgan said of a match that attracted a large Hatter student second. “They all came out, and it was great support. Hopefully they’ll come back again.”
The Hatters, according to Morgan, walked off the court with few regrets.
“There’s always little tweaks – like better serve receive passing,” she said. “Maybe a ball dropped that shouldn’t have, but no matter what, we played our best, we worked hard, and that’s what matters.”
Stayed tuned. The rematch is less than a month away. 
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