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#13 Hatboro-Horsham 3, North Penn 0 (25-21, 25-19, 25-21)
Kathryn Lucca always knew she loved volleyball, but the Hatboro-Horsham junior didn’t realize how much until she was sidelined with a broken ankle early in the season.
“It really made me realize how much I missed the sport,” the junior outside hitter said. “Coming back was awesome. I’m finally starting to gain confidence and playing how I used to.
“It was hard to sit on the bench – it was terrible to watch a ball drop, and you’re thinking, ‘I just want to go out there.’ You realize how much you love the sport and how much you loved playing.”
So it was a welcome sight for fans of Hatboro volleyball to see Lucca sky for a laser kill that landed just inside the end line for game point in the second game of Tuesday night’s match.
“It was sad when she got hurt,” senior setter Kelsey Baranek said. “It’s not like Lauren carries the team because we all do the job, but she definitely helps a lot.
“Having her out was tough, especially in the beginning. When she broke her ankle, we both looked at each other, and I thought my senior year of volleyball was done, but we really picked it up and became better.”
On Tuesday night, the Hatters – with a full arsenal of weapons – brought an end to a successful season for the Maidens.
“They were more consistent than we were,” Maiden senior Devon Redilla said. “They have a really good middle, and they set her and used her.”
That really good middle – Julie Harvey – was once again the catalyst for the Hatters, and while her stats were not available, Harvey was once again dominant.
Redilla certainly did her part to keep the Maidens in the game, finishing the night with 18 kills, five digs and three blocks.
“You could see she really carried them – not just physically but mentally she did a really good job of staying in the game for the rest of the team,” Hatboro coach Kathy Tanner said of Redilla. “That’s very hard to do by yourself.
“I just thought North Penn did a really great job. I’m really impressed with what they had. It was nice to have such a competitive match.”
Midway through game one, the Maidens trailed 13-11 only to watch the Hatters open up an 18-12 lead after a Harvey kill. The Hatters extended that lead to 20-13 after a Maiden net serve. The Maidens fought back gamely and made it a 22-18 game after a Juliana Collins service ace.
It was still a four-point game after a Nicole Kratz kill (24-20), but the Hatters won it when a Maiden hit sailed out of play.
In game two, the Hatters sprinted to an 8-3 lead after a Maiden hit out of play. The Maidens made things interesting when Redilla delivered three straight kills to trim the Hatters’ lead to 12-11. Harvey answered with a block and then a kill on first contact to extend the Hatters lead to three.
It was still a 14-14 game after back-to-back kills by Maiden sophomore Stephanie Elechko, who had a big night at the net – finishing with nine kills and six blocks in just two games.
The Hatters answered with a run of their own, opening up a 19-14 lead. The Maidens made it a 20-18 game after a Megan Gallagher winner, but the Hatters closed it out with a 5-1 run with Lucca delivering the kill for game point.
In game three, the Maidens opened up a quick 6-2 lead after a Redilla block, and they still led 7-3 after a Kratz winner. The Hatters pulled to within one after a Maiden miscue (8-7), but Redilla delivered a back row kill to put the Maidens on top 9-7. Baranek’s dump pulled the Hatters to within one, but Isabelle Kerr answered with a kill for the Maidens.
The Maidens led 13-8 after a Hatter hit out of play. It was still a 15-11 game after an Elechko block, but a Kiersten Collette winner sparked a 5-1 Hatter run. The teams were deadlocked 16-16 after a block by Hatboro’s Lauren Laucella.
The Maidens led 19-17 after a Collins service winner, but Lucca answered with a line kill. It was still a 20-20 game after a Hatter net serve, but a Maiden hitting miscue gave the Hatters a lead they would not lose. They won it when Collette delivered a kill for match point.
“We came close,” Maiden coach Bryan Yost said. “We fought every game and got closer at the end of each game.
“That’s been the case all season. When we get in those tight matches and it gets down to the wire, we buckle a little bit.
“I thought pound for pound we would give them a little tougher match. Hatboro played well. They really played well.”
The Hatters will face fourth-seeded Avon Grove in Thursday night’s second round.
“I always love games like that,” Baranek said. “I have always loved the big games when you’re not sure going in who you’re going against.”
“We’re so excited to play them,” Lucca said. “Being the underdog, we just want to win that much more.”
The Maidens closed out a successful season with a 13-4 record.
“There were some ups and downs but more ups than downs,” Redilla said of the season. “For the most part, we played really well this season.”
#11 Plymouth Whitemarsh 3, #22 Sun Valley 0 (25-13, 25-16, 25-22)
Devon Maugle dominated play at the net, contributing 17 kills to go along with two aces and 15 digs. Alex Griffin added seven kills, six digs and five blocks in a solid supporting role while Dana Wisniewski had four kills and 1.5 blocks, and Meghan Lawrence had four kills, five digs, 1.5 blocks and two aces. Anna Waltz led the defense with 16 digs. Setter Sally Kijak had 32 assists, four digs and 2.5 blocks. Gigi Jenkins added two kills, 2.5 blocks, one dig and one ace.
The win sets up a date with Council Rock North on Thursday night.
#15 Ridley 3, #18 Central Bucks South 1 (26-24, 15-25, 25-23, 25-23)
The Titans lost a hard-fought match to the Green Raiders, showing their mettle in game four when they rallied from deficits of 16-7 and 20-11 to knot the score 23-23.
“I thought we had an opportunity to win, but unfortunately, we made two errors and lost the game 25-23,” coach Ulana Keer said. “But the girls played with heart. They played an incredible game.
“With the loss tonight, the girls are learning what they need to do to win matches against kids who play lots of volleyball.”
Meghan Kaminski led the attack with 23 kills to go along with 32 digs and 15 solo blocks. She also had three aces in a standout effort.
Giuli Frendak had 13 kills, 18 digs and three aces while Abby Mummert had 12 kills, three aces and 10 solo blocks. Jayne Mulhern had 22 digs. Catherine Fayer had seven digs and Ally Horvath, eight digs.
#8 St. Basil Academy 3, Abington 0 (25-9, 25-11, 25-16)
The Ghosts left the court to a standing ovation after Tuesday night’s opening round match against neighboring St. Basil.
“It was an awesome atmosphere,” coach Dan Marsh said. “There were a lot of people there.
“Our girls never quit, and they earned all 75 points. They might be the best team in the district. Everybody on their team can hit the ball. They’re good, they’re really good.”
Marsh pointed to Basil’s tough serving game as a key.
“They are known as the best serving team in District One, and they proved it tonight,” the Ghosts’ coach said. “All I told the girls tonight was ‘Go out and be aggressive.’ They really went after it. They were just better than we are, a lot better.
“That’s the difference between a team that has eight or nine girls that play club and a team that has one or two, but I was super proud of the girls. They went out and battled every point.”
#12 Pennsbury 3, #21 Radnor 0 (25-21, 25-11, 25-18)
Sparked by the nine-kill efforts of Jae Jackson and Lauren Pisauro, the Falcons rolled to a sweep of Radnor. Pisauro also had three service aces. Audrey Stringer added six kills and Kelsey Moulton, four kills. Jen Matusa led the defense with 12 digs while Katrina Ballerini had 11 digs. Matusa had six digs and Stringer five digs.
#5 Strath Haven 3, #28 Quakertown 0 (25-13, 25-13, 25-23)
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