Pennsbury and Central Bucks South squared off in a battle of SOL conference champions on Wednesday night, highlighting a short card of games. To view action photos of Wednesday’s Pennsbury/Central Bucks East match, visit the Photo Gallery by clicking on the following link: http://photos.suburbanonesports.com/
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 3, PENNSBURY 0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-20)
FAIRLESS HILLS – Giuli Frendak leaped in the air and then stopped as the Central Bucks South senior watched the Falcons dive and extend themselves to the limit, trying to bring the ball up.
It didn’t happen, and Frendak and her teammates could celebrate at last. The big win was in the books in a battle of SOL conference champions in front of a loud and enthusiastic crowd.
“We have never had this many people at one of our games, and it was exciting,” South senior Megan Kaminski said of the estimated crowd of 300. “I wish every game was like that.”
“This was definitely a fun place to be with all the kids cheering and stuff,” teammate Abby Mummert said of the Falcons’ large student section. It gave us a boost.”
Instead of being intimidated by the pro-Pennsbury crowd, the Titans opted to use it to their advantage.
“Coach Keer kept telling us before the game they were cheering for us,” Kaminski said of the raucous fans.
“It helped,” Mummert said. “That’s all we thought about – that’s for us.”
It was hard not to get caught up in the spirit of a match that pitted strength against strength at every position on the court, and even though the Falcons – who celebrated Senior Night - came up short, senior Lauren Pisauro acknowledged it was a special night.
“We usually have a good crowd but not this big, and it was just awesome,” she said. “Even though we lost, I had so much fun, and I gave it everything I could. We have more time until the end of the season – we still have the playoffs.”
Both teams hope to make some noise in the playoffs, and both showcased high-powered offenses. Kaminski had 10 kills to go along with 10 digs and one ace. Mummert had six kills and seven digs while Frendak had five kills and six digs. Jill Danyluk added five kills and four blocks. Jayne Mulhern led the defense with 15 digs, and freshman setter Kaitlyn Kushman had 29 assists, six digs and two aces.
“Coming into this gym – they have amazing fans, and he (coach Tim Paulson) has a tremendous program,” South coach Ulana Keer said. “I respect him tremendously, and I respect the athletes and the training they go through.
“This was a hard match for us to come in here and do what we did. I’m just amazing. My kids played amazing. Those are the most balanced number I have seen all season.”
The Falcons were led by Audrey Stringer with nine kills while Olivia Aizen added seven. Lauren Pisauro had six kills, 12 digs and two aces while Amanda Pace also had 12 kills. Jae Jackson had five kills and one block. Setter Paige Misawic had 22 assists before leaving the third set with an injury.
“They outhustled us,” Falcon coach Tim Paulson said of the Titans. “We did not have the hustle they had. They outhustled us and didn’t let balls die.
“When they got them up, they were much better offensively. When we were out of system, we gave them a free ball. When they were out of system, they got a swing.
“This (loss) can help us, but the question is – will it help us? It all depends how the girls respond to this adversity. 
It’s a wake-up call about what we have to do better, and it’s an example of how you’re supposed to play. Ulana has done a fabulous job with those girls running balls down. I knew they were good.”
The Titans established from the outset that they were a force to contend with, opening up a quick 7-4 lead in the first set after a Falcon passing error on a Mulhern serve. They still led 10-8 after a Kaminski kill, but the Falcons knotted the score after consecutive winners – the first on a tip by Stringer and the second on a Pisauro kill.
The two teams were still deadlocked 17-17 after a Mulhern service winner, and it was a 20-20 game after a Kaminski tip for a winner. Back-to-back Falcon miscues gave the Titans a 22-20 edge, and they led by three after a Kushman service ace. A Pisauro winner broke South’s mini-run but not for long. Mummert delivered a kill, and the Titans won it when a Falcon hit wound up in the net.
The second set was more of the same. The Titans opened up a 13-8 lead after a Mummert block and extended that lead to 17-10. The Falcons made a late run, trimming an 18-12 lead to one (18-17) after a Titan passing error. It was still a one-point game (19-18) after a Pisauro line kill, but the Titans answered with back-to-back kills from Frendak and Kaminski as well as a Mummert block to go on top 22-18. They won it on a Mummert tip.
“We were all really fired up,” Mummert said. “We didn’t know what to expect – we were expecting a good game, but we definitely stepped it up and had a good game.”
The Falcons once again kept things interesting in the third set. The Titans led 12-10 after a Mummert kill, but the Falcons knotted the score 12-12 on a Titan net violation.
The Titans capitalized on a Falcon serving error to go on top by one, and after Kaminski dug up a monster kill attempt by Pennsbury, the Falcons were whistled for a double hit, and the Titans led 14-12.
“They pursue every ball so hard,” Pisauro said. “Balls that you think are impossible to get – they’ll get, and that’s one of our weaknesses right now.
“We’re really not used to people digging up all our great hits like that, but they were really good on defense. Their hits were good too, and they blocked us a lot. We have a lot to work on before districts.”
Kills by Stringer and Kelsey Moulton knotted the score 14-14, but another South tip for a winner gave the Titans a lead they would not lose.
The key to the match, according to Kaminski, was staying focused.
“We never let messed up points get to our heads,” she said. “Losing to North Penn (on Monday) was definitely a learning experience. We’re now learning to get over mess-ups and come back stronger the next time.”
Both teams will advance to next week’s district tournament. The seeding meeting is on Thursday night.
“We can definitely learn from this,” Pisauro said. “We know what our mistakes are and where we need to get better – we all do.
“We do goal sheets before every game and then we reflect on them after, and we talk about what we need to improve on at the next practice. This is a wake-up call. It definitely is.
“The SOL wasn’t that competitive this year until our last game against (Council Rock) North. The games are good, but last year we had more competition. We’re realizing teams are better than us, and we really have to step up when it comes to districts.”
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 3, WISSAHICKON 1 (22-25, 25-11, 25-19, 25-13)
The Bucks dropped the first game of Wednesday’s non-league Senior Night match but then won the next three. Appropriately, West’s seniors – Caroline Hauck (nine kills, 12 digs, one ace), Sarah Hall (seven kills, eight digs) and Taylor Hodge (18 digs, two aces) led the way in the win. Rachel Baker had five aces while Alicia West had four. Jess West finished the night with 23 assists. The win caps a remarkable turnaround for the Bucks, who finished the season with a 13-4 record after going 5-10 one short year ago.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 3, NORRISTOWN 0 (25-19, 25-10, 25-11)
The Colonials celebrated Senior Night with a sweep of their neighboring rival. PW’s seniors came up big in the match with Monica McLenigan (six digs, three aces, one kill), Giovanna Jenkins (eight kills, three digs, two aces, one block), Anna Waltz (six kills, six aces, seven assists, five digs) and Elizabeth Keefer (six aces, five kills, three digs, one block, one assist) all contributing. Others who also made contributions were Emily Houck (two aces, four kills, one dig), Tori Biggins (one ace, nine assists, one dig), Ryan Haney (two digs, one ace), Riley Hellings (one ace, two assists, one dig) and Cara Sweeney (two kills, one dig).
PERKIOMEN VALLEY 3, NESHAMINY 1 (25-7, 25-22, 24-26, 25-13)
Seniors Amy Paulits, Kelly Mason and M.E. Easton finished strong for the Redskins. Paulits had 16 kills, 13 digs and one ace. Mason had 17 digs and two aces and Easton had eight digs, five kills and one ace. Julia Staub had 22 assists, and Jen Harasim had four blocks and three kills.
CHRISTOPHER DOCK 3, SOUDERTON 2 (25-21, 22-25, 17-25, 25-20, 16-14)
Alexa Kluka had 14 kills to lead the Indians while Miram Doepner had six and Jen Spause, five kills. Hayley Sparks had 27 assists. Senior libero Megan Miller had 17 digs while Kluka added nine and Sparks seven. Kluka and Doepner each had three blocks. Sparks led the Indians’ service game with four aces while Kluka and Bekah Ford each had a pair of aces.
“The girls played with a lot of heart, and the statistics show a great game played all around,” coach Marlena Musselman said of a match she described as the most intense of the year.
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