NORRISTOWN – Devyn Ingram wanted that final kill.
And it was appropriate that the Upper Merion senior slammed down a back row kill that fell just inside the end line for match point in Saturday’s District One Class AAA title game against Unionville.
“We did that on purpose,” junior setter Cassidy Koenig said.
“I was in the back row, and she set me three times,” Ingram said. “Every swing was getting dug, and then finally the last one went down.”
Upper Merion’s 3-1 win over second-seeded Unionville (25-23, 23-25, 25-22, 25-19) gave the Vikings their second district title in three years, and if any players represent this year’s Viking squad, it is the combination of Ingram and Koenig, both of whom were part of Upper Merion’s last district title in 2008.
“Cassidy is just like a Picasso, just moving the ball around,” Viking coach Tony Funsten said. “She orchestrates everything. Everything goes through her.
“She’s almost symbiotic with Devyn, if not verbally, mentally.”
Beyond the talent they bring to the court, the Ingram/Koenig combination – according to Shannon Phillips – sets the tone for a very special chemistry.
“I don’t think Devyn has ever played with any setter except Cassidy,” the Vikings’ senior libero said. “Annie Lawn is my best friend off the court, and our whole team has this overall chemistry.
“Devyn and Mel (Ingram) are sisters, and it’s just about the chemistry. If it wasn’t for those things, I don’t think we would be nearly as successful as we are.”
The Vikings aren’t the strongest team around, and they’re far from the tallest.
Ingram – who measures in at 5-8 – is the Vikings’ big gun on the outside. Cassidy is the Vikings’ 5-6 setter. They don’t exactly look intimidating, but don’t be fooled. They combined for 33 kills in Saturday’s title match against a much taller Unionville squad with Ingram collecting 21.Those numbers have been the norm in a season that saw the Vikings do nothing but win and win some more.
“All year long we’ve been dealing with the ‘Upper Merion – they’re not very good,’” Funsten said. “They’ve been rating people we have beaten ahead of us because they look at us and say, ‘They have a 5-5 right side, they have this, they have that.’
“We just win. That’s why they keep score. They don’t give style points – they count the score at the end of the game, and we just find ways to win.”
This year’s team has once again captured the imagination of the school community, and the players found themselves the center of a mob scene on the court not once but twice on Saturday – the first before the trophy presentation and the next after.
So it was hardly surprising that after the Vikings had posed for their traditional post-game trophy shot, Ingram asked if the fans could join them for some photos.
“It means so much to win this,” Ingram said, glancing down at the gold medal around her neck. “This is my second. I really wanted to go out with one.
“We knew after we lost three big hitters – especially our two left-handed hitters – people were going to say, ‘Oh, they lost all their players.’ But no, that’s not what happened. Everyone else picked it up, and that’s exactly what we needed to do, and we won districts.”
The Vikings won districts with a lineup whose tallest players are 5-9 in middle hitters Heather Krick and Annie Lawn.
“I think we just pretty much do all the little things, and we keep pushing if we’re down,” Lawn said. “Our serve receive is a major component of our team because that gives us a chance to kill balls.
“Winning this as a senior – it’s my first district championship at Upper Merion, and it’s a great feeling.”
While serve receive is a key part of the Vikings’ game, so is their tenacious no-ball-hits-the-court defense.
“We’re really good defensively, and it has to start there,” Funsten said. “The game we lost – our serve receive was not solid.”
Ingram and Phillips led the Vikings defensively – both players had 33 digs. Melanie Ingram had 22 digs while Koenig had 17 digs and Casey Griffith, 15 digs.
“I would really attribute it to the scouting reports,” Phillips said of the Vikings’ strong defensive effort. “Today we went into the gym, and we practiced an hour this morning.
“We knew Unionville had improved since we played them earlier in the season, and it comes down to listening to what he tells us. A couple of times when I would get caught in the wrong spot – the spot I was supposed to be in was exactly what Mr. Funsten said.”
The two teams split the first games by identical scores with the Vikings winning game one 25-23 and Unionville rallying from a 23-22 deficit after a Melanie Ingram kill to earn a 25-23 win in the second game.In game three, the Vikings led 4-0 after a Koenig push landed deep in the corner for a winner.
“I started doing that last year, and I would see it, and I would push it there,” Koenig said of a play that has become her trademark. “Now I know when they tip it, they’re probably not going to be there.”
The Vikings led 16-11 after a Lawn block, and they upped that lead to 18-11 after a Lawn kill. Unionville battled back to make it a 23-22 game, but a Melanie Ingram kill upped the Vikings’ lead to two.
“It’s a lot of fun because there’s just adrenalin I get from being a freshman,” said Melanie Ingram, who is regularly serenaded with chants of ‘She’s a freshman’ from the Viking student section.
“When Devyn won it as a sophomore, I was in the stands, and all I could think of was, ‘Oh my god, I want to be up there and be able to play with my older sister.’ I love playing with her.”
The Vikings won it on another Koenig push for a winner.
In game four, the Vikings opened up a 9-4 lead after a Casey Griffith service ace, and it was Griffith stepping to the service line with her team on top 20-15 and reeling off four straight points to make it a 24-15 game before Unionville was able to side out.
Unionville staged a mini-run, making it a 24-19 game before Devyn Ingram closed it out with a kill for match point.
“I wanted to serve it out so bad,” Griffith said. “But that happens. I’m so glad we pulled it out and won.
“I haven’t experienced anything like this before, and it feels great.”
While the Vikings won’t overwhelm you with their strength and won’t strike fear in you with their size, they will beat you. Again and again. Just ask their latest victim.
“There aren’t even words to describe this,” Phillips said. “You watch those commercials with the NFL players – ‘You won the Super Bowl. Now what are you going to do?’ and they’ll say, ‘I’m going to Disney World.’
“I know how they feel right now. It’s just the best feeling in the world. It means so much my senior year.”
NOTES: In addition to 12 kills and 17 digs, Koenig finished with 42 assists and five aces. Melanie Ingram had 14 kills while Griffith added eight kills and four aces. Griffth and Melanie Ingram are both just 5-5. “I just look for the open spots,” said Griffith, who had a career-high 17 kills in Upper Merion’s semifinal win over Avon Grove. “I can’t see over a lot of the blocks, so I look for open spaces on the court and try to place it there.”
- Log in to post comments
0
