CONAU LAKE — Multiple Crawford County volleyball teams competed in the PIAA District 10 quarterfinal round at Conneaut Lake Middle School on Saturday. Sagertown, Meadville, Conneaut, Cochranton and Cambridge Springs all participated.
Sagertown wins over Mercyhurst Prep
Second-seeded Saegertown faced seventh-seeded Mercyhurst Prep in the first game of the day. The Panthers defeated the Lakers 3-0 (25-17, 25-16, 25-16) to advance to the semifinals.
Sagertown quickly took control of the game and never let go. The Panthers quickly showed their strengths en route to the win.
“We played well,” Saegertown head coach Justin Johnson said. “I thought our ball control wasn’t at the level I wanted, but we played with a lot of enthusiasm and excitement and it was nice to see that.”
Colin Jones, Cody Hewson and Grant Anthony led the Panthers' offense. Jones led the team with nine kills. Hewson was right behind him with eight points. Anthony had five assists and Jackson Scott led the team with 30 assists.
The Panthers played a balanced game and played well defensively. Points weren't easy to come by, and kills were hard to find for the Lakers. Even if Mercyhurst Prep did score a few points, it didn't last long enough as the Panthers built an early lead and were able to escape with more offensive play late in the game.
Sagertown also served well, controlling the pace of the match and preventing Mercyhurst Prep from gaining enough momentum to change the course of each set.
“I had a good serve today,” Johnson said. “We've had some guys jump serve and we're slowly incorporating it into their repertoire. Offensively, we were really clicking. We got kills from everyone today. Really balanced. I think that will help me in the future.”
Defensively, Hewson and Scott led the team with both totaling five blocks.
Sagertown advances to the semifinals on Wednesday, time and location to be announced. The Panthers will play third-seeded Cochranton.
Meadville continues success in regular season
Meadville defeated Rocky Grove 3-0 (25-17, 25-14, 25-12). The Bulldogs continued to maintain their dominance and showed no mercy against the Orioles, playing with the same fast, relentless offense they had all year.
Max Decker, Tymir Phillips and Kellen Ball led Meadville's offense. Decker led the team with 11 kills, Phillips had 10 kills and Ball had seven points. Jack Brown played as a setup man and totaled 34 assists.
“I thought we took care of business,” Meadville head coach Nick Bancroft said. “We passed the ball a lot better than we had the ball and we did what we needed to do to win. That's all we can ask for.”
Meadville supported a strong attack with solid defense and controlled the pace of the game. The Bulldogs also made some important serves, thwarting the Orioles' attempts to fight back with easy sets.
“We have to continue to serve tough,” Bancroft said. “We did a good job of keeping them out of their system and limiting their mistakes. We have to focus on that and keeping our passes clean throughout the playoffs.”
The Bulldogs are undefeated in the regular season and are the No. 1 seed in this tournament. In sports, it is not uncommon for top seeds or the so-called strongest teams to get ahead of themselves and underestimate their opponents. But Meadville isn't taking anyone lightly.
“We've had that goal on our back for the last four or five years,” Bancroft said. “We just come in and work hard and play every game like it's our last night. That's how we've been all year.”
The win advances Meadville to the semifinals, where it will play fourth-seeded Fort LeBoeuf on Wednesday. The time and location of the match have not been announced.
Conneaut loses to Fort LeBoeuf in a close game.
Conneaut lost to Fort LeBoeuf 3-2 (25-16, 22-25, 14-25, 25-13, 11-15) in a close game that day. In a back-and-forth game, the Eagles were solid on defense and showed solid play on offense, but the Bison got hot at the right time and Conneaut was unable to fight back.
The match started well for Conneau, who took a solid first set. However, he landed strangely after one of the Eagles players went for a kill and unfortunately sustained an injury. However, the Eagles were able to overcome that and play a solid game.
“I thought we played well,” Conneau assistant coach Jennifer Klink said. “There were some things that I wish could have gone a little differently, but I think our guys played well. We don't have a lot of playoff experience, but we showed that we can compete.”
Then came the battle against the Eagles. The Eagles' defense played a strong game, making difficult serves and kills to start the attack, get possession of the ball, and control the pace of the match.
Tristan Sheratz, Charles Woods and Carson Alsdorf led the Eagles' offense. Sheratz swung hard from the outside and had 16 kills. Woods had eight kills and Alsdorf matched Nicolas Garcia with five points. Brevin Klink led the team with 38 assists.
Sheratz also led the team in digs, totaling 14. Robert Gowecki was second to him with his ninth.
“They keep getting stronger every game,” Klink said. “We've been battling some injuries, including tonight's injury, and it definitely hurt us, but just having a team come together and recover says a lot about where the program is going. ”
Conneau fought bravely, but it was not enough to advance to the semi-finals. However, there is no reason for the players to hang their heads.
“The boys pulled themselves out of there. They came together and said they were going to play hard, and I think they did that,” Klink said.
Cochranton defeats Cambridge Springs
On Saturday, Cochranton defeated Cambridge Springs 3-1 (25-13, 19-25, 25-19, 25-21).
Cambridge Springs played hard against the Cardinals in a game that was closer than the final score indicated.
“It was a battle,” Cambridge Springs head coach John Turner said. “We just told the players before the game that they have the ability to play with Cochranton. They (Cochranton) are well-coached and play rough. But we came out there and played well. Did.”
Cambridge's offense heated up throughout the game, with Cochranton making mental mistakes that the Blue Devils took advantage of.
“Cambridge played a good game today,” Cochranton head coach Rob Czerniakoski said. “They really pushed us hard today. It was a good game.”
The first set was the best for Cochranton. The Cardinals' offense moved quickly, racking up kill after kill and overwhelming the Blue Devils' defense. But as the night wore on, Cambridge Springs found the rhythm it was looking for and played a tight defensive match to take the second set.
However, the Cardinals bounced back and regained their offensive structure, increasing their offensive tempo throughout to close out the final two sets.
“I think Dawson (Carroll) has really stepped up,” Cherniakoski said. “So were the other guys. But in my opinion, Dawson was an all-state player and really controlled the match in the third and fourth sets.”
Carroll, Noah Cummings and Brady Lind led the Cardinals' offense. Carroll led the team with 45 assists, along with six kills and five aces. Cummings led the team with 21 kills, and Lind was right behind with 18 kills.
Parker Schmidt, Darin Peterson and Isiah Simpson led the Blue Devils' offense. Schmidt led the team with 17 kills, Simpson had nine kills and Peterson led the team with 28 assists.
Ian Anderson led Cambridge's strong defense and led the team in digs with 11.
“The ball goes this way, the ball goes that way, it’s still Game 5,” Turner said. “I'm not embarrassed at all. It's great to see them compete like this. Everyone thought this game was going to be three wins or more, but the team really came back and won the second game. We showed Cochranton that we can play together.”
Cochranton advances to the semifinals and will play the second-seeded Saegertown Panthers on Wednesday. Time and location will be announced later.