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FAIRLESS HILLS – The set by senior Ryan Burns was custom-made for a monster kill, and Joe Yasalonis did not disappoint. Pennsbury’s gifted senior slammed down a kill that landed just in front of the outstretched arms of a Council Rock North player for match point, giving the Falcons a 3-0 sweep of the Indians in a spirited SOL match on Wednesday night (25-19, 25-15, 25-21).
It was appropriate that Yasalonis had the final kill as he spent the night putting down one ball after another, 17 all told, to go along with six digs and three aces.
“It’s just awesome having Joe,” said Burns, the Falcons' senior setter. “It really takes the pressure off of all of our players.
“I can set anywhere on the court, and I’m confident that they’ll put the ball away. Having Joe back there makes it all that much better. We have a well-rounded team, and I think that’s what makes us one of the top contenders in the state right now.”
The Falcons are not just one of the top contenders – they are the number one ranked team in the state in the latest PVCA volleyball rankings, but the Indians did not back down.
“This has probably been our toughest match so far this season,” Yasalonis said. “We didn’t play that well against Neshaminy, and I still think this team was a little more solid.
“We have a few injuries, but we pulled out a few players from the DL list just for this game.”
In addition to Yasalonis, the Falcons received seven kills from both Jeremy Rhoads and Dom Trioche. Mike Mamzic led the defense with nine digs while Trioche had three blocks. Burns and Nate Hall both had a pair of blocks.
“We’re a really well-rounded team,” Yasalonis said. “We have (strong) players in every single position, and really, this year our blocking is a pretty big part of it.”
For the Indians, Niall Hannagen had six kills and eight blocks. Hunter Stevens added five kills and three blocks. Ross Denkin led the defense with 11 digs while John Whitman had 18 assists.What exactly separates the Falcons from the rest of the SOL?
“Justin Fee does a really outstanding job with the whole program,” Rock North coach Mike Flaherty said of his counterpart. “They have a sense of maturity. There’s a sense of ‘We have been here before, everybody wants to try and beat us, and we know we have to pace ourselves.’
“They don’t seem to have super highs and real lows. Our team is maturing. We just had a little talk about that in the locker room – how to keep your adrenalin in check.”
There were stretches when the Indians matched the Falcons point for point, but when push came to shove, the Falcons prevailed.
Late in the third and final game, the Falcons were clinging to a 17-16 lead, but an Indian serving miscue was followed by remarkable volley that included one dazzling play after another as the two teams engaged in their own version of ‘Can you top that?’ The winner of this one figured to stand a pretty good chance to win the game – it was that kind of point.
Finally, it was Trioche delivering a kill to end a rally that drew appreciative applause from fans on both sides but prompted Flaherty to call a timeout.
Yasalonis hit a service ace into the near corner out of the timeout, and then it was Trioche delivering a block. A Rock North net serve put the Falcons on top 22-16.
They went on to take a 24-18 lead after a Yasalonis kill before Rock North – or more specifically Hannagen – delivered back-to-back-to-back blocks.
“It’s frustrating when we aren’t playing where we know we should be playing and we’re not picking up balls we know we should pick up,” Burns said. “We have been working on at practice, and it’s just frustrating when a player is out of position.”
The Falcons weren’t out of position very often on Wednesday night as they rolled to the big win.
“It’s so much fun,” Burns said. “We have been playing so much lately. We have had two good tournaments the last two weeks.
“Playing in games like this – you can feel you have momentum, and you get to see where you stand in the league and it also helps you get better.”
Earlier in the match, the Falcons opened up a 20-14 lead in game one after a Trioche service ace. A Hannagen kill was followed by Burns dumping it over the net for a point to put the Falcons on top 21-15. They led 23-15 after an Indian net serve on their way to the convincing win.
“We know teams are going to be coming out to get us,” Yasalonis said. “We just play our game. I know that personally I just go out there and play.
“There’s a big difference between cockiness and confidence. If you’re going to be a good team, you need to be confident, but you can’t be cocky.”
In game two, the Indians opened up a 7-4 lead after a Trioche kill, and they still led by three (9-6) after a Rhoads kill. A block by Burns was followed by a Hannagen block on the other side of the net.
The Falcons led 17-9 after a Nate Hall service ace and never looked back.
“I was a little nervous going into this,” Falcon coach Justin Fee said. “Every year I seem to be nervous going against these guys.
“They’re strong competition every year, and history is they always win game one, and at least the last couple of years, we were able to come back and win. I planted that seed in these guys’ heads before the game.“I was pleased with the effort. After the two tournaments and an offseason of playing club, everyone is starting to feel the aches. We’re restructuring practice to go back to more individual skill work with less jumping.”
The Indians, meanwhile, are working to recapture their chemistry after a week without their seniors, who were on a class trip.
“I never look for excuses,” Flaherty said. “We just have to find a way to play competitively every night.
“I’m very proud of our kids. They wanted to compete. There were moments when they looked like they were in a lull, but it was so exciting because they knew they were playing their rival, and for Pennsbury to be ranked so high right now kind of adds to it.”
NOTE: The Falcons were without Jim Zaluski, who is recuperating from an injury. Adam Flick is suffering from tendinitis and only saw action in two of the games.
William Tennent 3, Bensalem 0 (25-15, 25-17, 25-19)
Kyle Sussman led the Panthers with 19 kills while Logan Clark added five kills. Jeff Milnazik contributed 31 assists while Nick Ciarlante led the defense with nine digs.
Souderton 3, Upper Dublin 0 (25-19, 25-11, 25-12)
Souderton upped its record to 5-2 on the season with its win over the Flying Cardinals. Jeff Bishop led the Indians with 10 kills and four aces. Jake Shoemaker added four kills, three blocks and two aces.
The Indians will take on cross-town rival Christopher Dock on Friday in a 7 p.m. contest.
Pennridge 3, Cheltenham 0 (25-11, 25-12, 25-10)
Zech States led the Rams with 11 kills while Erik Moyer added seven kills. Austin Jacoby and Derek Kemmerer each had five kills. Jacoby also had five aces, and Kemmerer had three. Will Jager handed out 25 assists. Jake Braun had six digs and three aces for the Rams, who improved to 8-0.
Pennridge will travel to North Penn on Thursday night.
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