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It wasn't the ending that Delone Catholic wanted.
They were hoping for that one more win that would put them in the PIAA Class 2A girls volleyball final. District 12 champion Lansdale Catholic had other ideas on Tuesday night at Cocalico High School.
The Squirettes had a big lead late in the first set when the Crusaders mounted their comeback. Their offense started clicking and Delone's mistakes started to add up. Lansdale pulled out a 28-26 win in that set and went on to sweep the District 3 champs 25-19, 25-18.
"What we've had the last couple of weeks is that fight and staying locked in," Delone Catholic coach Carli Lehr said. "I think we just didn't have that. We just kind of ran out of a little magic tonight."
It was a wild postseason for the Squirettes. After finishing second in the YAIAA Division III, they lost in the first round of the league tournament to eventual champion South Western.
The District 3 run included a five-set win over defending state champ Trinity in the Shamrocks' gym and a five-set over Schuylkill Valley for their first title since 2018. Then came a five-set win to open the PIAA tournament and a sweep in the quarters.
That district title and run to the state semis are what Lehr wants her players to take with them. She doesn't want them to dwell on the loss to a "really good" Lansdale Catholic team.
"We said for some time that no one expected us to be here, and I think if we were quite honest with ourselves, we would say that we didn't expect us to be here," Lehr said. "We'd like to say that we knew we would be here, but I don't think we really did. We knew we could, but everything had to work out."
The Squirettes used tight defense, tough serving and just enough timely hitting to fuel their run. The Crusaders' took them out of their game with steady serving and accurate hitting that kept Delone on their heels. Ellie Carickhoff led the way with a dozen kills and Greta Swope added 10. Molly Callen had eight kills and four aces.
It seemed Delone couldn't get the lucky break when they needed it, but Lansdale didn't have that issue. Balls that appeared to be heading out clipped lines instead. The Crusaders managed to get a hand under balls that were destined for the floor.
"Looking back at th e last couple weeks is just pretty incredible," Lehr said. "We hope that that's what everyone will remember. We put Delone back on the map, where it belongs."
Lehr gave credit to the team's six seniors for their leadership as she made changes in her first year as head coach.
"The seniors did a great job dealing with change," Lehr said. "We asked a lot of them to lead through different situations and they did it so very well. And now I think that underclassmen understand the assignment for next year. They know what the expectation is now."
Her emphasis on defense that paid dividends as the postseason began. Especially when opposing teams put the clamps on the Squirettes' offense.
That's what happened in the semis. Reece Meckley finished with a team-high eight kills, but no one else had more than three. Kayden Bello had trouble getting good sets to her hitters because Lansdales hitters and servers kept Delone out of system.
"That first set, they were out of system a lot and we were successful," Lehr said. "Then we missed some serves and they were more in system. A team that has attackers like that can't be in system for us to win. They played very well and we were a little flat on defense."
Shelly Stallsmith covers York-Adams high school sports for GameTimePA and the USAToday Network. Connect with her by email [email protected] or on X, formerly Twitter, @ShelStallsmith.
This article originally appeared on Hanover Evening Sun: Lansdale Catholic sweeps Delone Catholic in PIAA Class 2A semifinal
Continue reading...
They were hoping for that one more win that would put them in the PIAA Class 2A girls volleyball final. District 12 champion Lansdale Catholic had other ideas on Tuesday night at Cocalico High School.
The Squirettes had a big lead late in the first set when the Crusaders mounted their comeback. Their offense started clicking and Delone's mistakes started to add up. Lansdale pulled out a 28-26 win in that set and went on to sweep the District 3 champs 25-19, 25-18.
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"What we've had the last couple of weeks is that fight and staying locked in," Delone Catholic coach Carli Lehr said. "I think we just didn't have that. We just kind of ran out of a little magic tonight."
It was a wild postseason for the Squirettes. After finishing second in the YAIAA Division III, they lost in the first round of the league tournament to eventual champion South Western.
The District 3 run included a five-set win over defending state champ Trinity in the Shamrocks' gym and a five-set over Schuylkill Valley for their first title since 2018. Then came a five-set win to open the PIAA tournament and a sweep in the quarters.
You must be registered for see images attach
That district title and run to the state semis are what Lehr wants her players to take with them. She doesn't want them to dwell on the loss to a "really good" Lansdale Catholic team.
"We said for some time that no one expected us to be here, and I think if we were quite honest with ourselves, we would say that we didn't expect us to be here," Lehr said. "We'd like to say that we knew we would be here, but I don't think we really did. We knew we could, but everything had to work out."
The Squirettes used tight defense, tough serving and just enough timely hitting to fuel their run. The Crusaders' took them out of their game with steady serving and accurate hitting that kept Delone on their heels. Ellie Carickhoff led the way with a dozen kills and Greta Swope added 10. Molly Callen had eight kills and four aces.
You must be registered for see images attach
It seemed Delone couldn't get the lucky break when they needed it, but Lansdale didn't have that issue. Balls that appeared to be heading out clipped lines instead. The Crusaders managed to get a hand under balls that were destined for the floor.
"Looking back at th e last couple weeks is just pretty incredible," Lehr said. "We hope that that's what everyone will remember. We put Delone back on the map, where it belongs."
Lehr gave credit to the team's six seniors for their leadership as she made changes in her first year as head coach.
"The seniors did a great job dealing with change," Lehr said. "We asked a lot of them to lead through different situations and they did it so very well. And now I think that underclassmen understand the assignment for next year. They know what the expectation is now."
Her emphasis on defense that paid dividends as the postseason began. Especially when opposing teams put the clamps on the Squirettes' offense.
That's what happened in the semis. Reece Meckley finished with a team-high eight kills, but no one else had more than three. Kayden Bello had trouble getting good sets to her hitters because Lansdales hitters and servers kept Delone out of system.
"That first set, they were out of system a lot and we were successful," Lehr said. "Then we missed some serves and they were more in system. A team that has attackers like that can't be in system for us to win. They played very well and we were a little flat on defense."
Shelly Stallsmith covers York-Adams high school sports for GameTimePA and the USAToday Network. Connect with her by email [email protected] or on X, formerly Twitter, @ShelStallsmith.
This article originally appeared on Hanover Evening Sun: Lansdale Catholic sweeps Delone Catholic in PIAA Class 2A semifinal
Continue reading...
