District 1 Champions

This Week

Believe!

By DENNY DYROFF, Staff Writer

WEST NORRITON -- It was "Eagles Night" when Bishop Shanahan played Exeter in the opening round of the PIAA Class AAA volleyball tournament Tuesday night.

The Shanahan Eagles faced the Exeter Eagles at Norristown High -- where the teams are also nicknamed the Eagles. The court had an Eagle painted in the center circle and the teams had to turn on Eagle Drive to reach the gym. But, the aquiline evening could only be a success for one group of Eagles and that group was Shanahan.

The District 1 champions posted a 3-1 win to advance to the state tournament, which starts with quarterfinals pool play on Friday at Central York High. The

Eagles won the first game 25-21 and dropped the second 20-25. They rebounded with a 25-18 victory in the third game and then secured their berth at York by winning the fourth game 25-13.

"We came out strong in the first game," said Shanahan's powerful senior hitter Emily Carlin. "Our coaches did a great job of scouting. We knew where all their hitters were going to put the ball and we knew what their setter would do."

In the second game, the Eagles once again exhibited their annoying tendency of hitting a flat spot -- a tendency that frequently rears its ugly head in game two. With the score knotted at 17-17, Shanahan lost focus and that allowed Exeter to produce a 7-1 run that virtually put the game out of reach for ther locals.

"In the second game, our passing fell apart," said Carlin. "We were making our setter Katie Pisano run all over the place."

Pisano said, "We just couldn't get our passing going in the second game. In the third game, I felt sure we'd be able to pull it out. In the later part of the third game and in the fourth game, we were able to attack their lines. And, their middle back was playing really deep so Emily was able to get rolls and put the ball down."

The Eagles moved through a good chunk of the fourth game with their trademark "Shanahan Volleyball" still AWOL. Then, Carlin stepped up.

The senior leader set the pace with four kills down the stretch as Shanahan outscored its opponent from Berks County 10-5 to take a 2-1 advantage in games. Carlin continued to be a dominant force in the fourth game -- not only at the net but all over the court. She concluded the match with a five-point, two-ace service run.

"I was really pleased with the way Emily stepped up as a leader," said Shanahan coach Greg Ashman, whose team is now 21-1. "She just puts the team on her shoulders and says -- let's go. She was a leader by the way she played."

Exeter, the Berks County League Division I champion and fourth-place team from District 3, finished its season with a 17-7 record.

"I wouldn't be surprised if Shanahan went far in the state tournament," said Exeter coach Jason Grove. "They're the best team we played all year."

By DENNY DYROFF, Staff Writer

WEST NORRITON - In Thursday's match against Bishop Shanahan, Hatboro-Horsham's volleyball team made more digs than the team of archaeologists that swarmed to the Andes Mountains in Peru when the Incas' hidden city Machu Picchu was discovered.

The District 1 Class AAA semifinal at Norristown High was an interesting matchup that pitted the Eagles' powerful offense against the Hatters' stellar defense - one more example of irresistible force meeting an immovable object.

Hatboro-Horsham made it extremely difficult for Shanahan to put the ball on the floor. But, the Eagles added poise and patience to their power and the combination resulted in a 3-0 win and a berth in the district championship match.

Shanahan my have won all three games but it was hardly a sweep in the traditional sense. The Eagles had to fight hard to pull out a 25-20 win in the opener and fight even harder to get out of the second game with a 28-26 victory. The third game went down to the wire also with the Eagles logging another 25-20 win.

"This was the best defensive team we've played all year," said the Eagles' standout senior setter Katie Pisano. "We were getting so frustrated. They were getting everything up. The ball never hit the floor.

"The rallies were good. But, in the first game, we were hitting right to them so we made some adjustments like moving

our middles around. We had to hit more to the line. And, we hit the seams more. Once we started getting the ball down, it was fun. We had really good passing tonight."

The Hatters were scrappy and refused to go away. They were tenacious in all facets of the game -- especially on defense. In the first game, they fell behind 11-4 and came back to knot the score at 14-14. The score remained close until 19-19. Then, the Eagles broke away and finished with four consecutive points to end the game.

The second game was ultra-close from start to finish. The only time more than two points separated the teams was when the Eagles briefly held a three-point advantage at 22-19. The Hatters had three serves for game point but the Eagles held tough. A kill by Amanda Nickels brought the Eagles even at 26-26. A kill by Emily Carlin set up game point. On the final play, a ball hit long by the Hatters gave Shanahan the win.

"Our coach told us that they were a really good defensive team and that we shouldn't allow ourselves to get frustrated," said Nickels, one of the Eagles' powerful hitters. "They were amazing. They got everything up. But, we've been working on our mental game. So, we didn't get frustrated. Instead, we stayed focused."

The Hatters had a lot of life left in the third game as they streaked out to leads of 5-2, 9-4, 11-5, 13-7 and 15-9. The Eagles slowly chipped away at the lead and trailed by just a pair (17-15) when Pisano started her serve. The reliable veteran calmly served five straight points to put her team on top 20-17. A few plays later, a kill by Nickels brought the match to an end.

"Hatboro Horsham volleyball teams fight to the end," said the Hatters' coach Diane Lucas, whose team is now 18-3 and ranked 10th in the state by the Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association.

"We never lose without giving everything we have. Shanahan is strong. They get on top of the ball. We always play good defense and Shanahan offered more offense than we usually see. Still, we played tough volleyball and took them to the limit."

The top-seeded Eagles, who are now 19-1 and ranked second in the state, will face sixth-seeded Council Rock North in the District 1 Class AAA title match Saturday (tentatively scheduled for 5 p.m. at Wissahickon High).

"We've been looking forward to playing for the district championship since our freshman year," said Nickels.

Hatboro Horsham will play St. Basil's Academy in the consolation match. All four teams will open play in the opening round of the PIAA Class AAA tournament on Tuesday.

"Tonight's match was really good practice for us for next Tuesday - especially the way Hatboro Horsham played defense," said Pisano. "It made us smarter."

Pisano finished with 47 assists and 10 digs while Carlin had 12 digs and 17 kills. Maria Ficca also logged 17 kills and Nickels added 10 kills. The Eagles' defense was bolstered by a 12-dig effort from Julie Joyce.

By DENNY DYROFF, Staff Writer

DOWNINGTOWN – If Pennsbury’s volleyball coaches had scouting reports on Bishop Shanahan for their match Tuesday night, they knew the Falcons would have a lot to handle with Shanahan’s duo of state-caliber power hitters – Emily Carlin and Amanda Nickels. They probably didn’t know that they would also have Lotts to handle.

Allison Lott, who was filling in for ailing Susan Frick at outside hitter, and Nicole Lott, a freshman who has seen increasing playing time at middle blocker as the season has progressed, both turned in strong games at the net in the District 1 Class AAA quarterfinal match on the Eagles’ home court.

The talented sisters teamed with Maria Ficca, Carlin and Nickels to help the Eagles overpower their visitors from Bucks County. Top-seeded Shanahan won the first two games and finished with a 3-1 win over eighth-seeded Pennsbury.

With the victory, the Eagles assured themselves of at least three more matches. On Thursday, they will face fourth-seeded Hatboro-Horsham (a 3-0 winner over Unionville Tuesday) in the nightcap of a semifinal doubleheader at Norristown High. In the opener, 10th -seeded St. Basil Academy will play sixth-seeded Council Rock North.

The winners will face each other Saturday in the district title match and the losers will square off in a third-place consolation match. All four teams will advance to the opening round of the PIAA Class AAA tournament next Tuesday at neutral sites.

Shanahan, which won the district crown in 2006, took one step closer to another with its win against Pennsbury. The Eagles’ game scores were 25-23, 25-17, 21-25 and 25-12.

In the opening game, Shanahan ran its offense well and held a seemingly-comfortable 20-13 advantage. Pennsbury’s Sydney Aizen responded with a four-point service run. Jen Matuza followed with three points on her serve to cut Shanahan’s lead to two.

Then, a hitting error by the Eagles sliced their margin to just one point (24-23). The Falcons had the serve – and the chance to push the game to extra play – but a kill by Nickels dashed their hopes.

Shanahan really asserted its dominance in game two. A 7-2 edge quickly morphed into a 17-7 lead. The Falcons tried to regroup but the Eagles were simply too strong at the net. Pennsbury was never able to draw any closer to seven and finished eight points down.

“They were pretty scrappy,” said Allison Lott, a junior. “We tried to hit it deep to take them out of their defense.”

Lott never really had time to get too nervous before her first starting assignment of the season.

“I just found out today that Susan (Frick) was sick and wouldn’t be playing,” said Lott. “I wasn’t really nervous. I just knew that I had to go in and do my job.”

Shanahan coach Greg Ashman, whose team is now 18-1, said, “I just found out this morning that Susan (Frick) wasn’t in school – that she was home with a stomach virus. Ali Lott stepped in and did a great job.”

In the third game, Shanahan jumped out to a 6-1 lead and appeared headed for a sweep. Then, the Eagles went flat. Pennsbury scrapped its way back to knot the score at 11-11 and then went ahead. The Eagles never regained the lead and soon found themselves in a crucial fourth game.

The Falcons were pumped for game four and stayed with their powerful hosts – at least in the early stages. With the game tied 6-6, the Eagles took off. Julie Joyce served four points. Ficca served a pair and so did Allison Lott.

By that time, Shanahan was ahead 17-8 and Pennsbury’s hope for a match victory was on life support. Katie Pisano pushed it close to the finish line with a four-point service run. The match ended with a block by Nicole Lott.

“In the first game, we really wanted it,” said Carlin. “In the second game, we were on fire. Then, the pressure was off in the third game and we didn’t play the way we should. But, we came back strong in the last game.

“Our coaches did a really good job of scouting them. So, we knew where their holes were. I was just trying to hit the corners. Our coach told me they were going to be covering the lines. He told me exactly where to hit – and I listened.”

By DENNY DYROFF, Staff Writer

Staff photo by Amy Dragoo Bishop Shanahan's Katie Pisano skies for the ball during the Eagles' Ches-Mont championship win.

KENNETT SQUARE — In the world of art in Italy in the 13th century, the name Pisano immediately brought to mind master sculptors - classic artists such as Nicolo Pisano, Andrea Pisano and Giovanni Pisano.

In the world of volleyball in Chester County in 2009, the name Pisano brings to mind another artist - one who has the ability to sculpt masterpiece volleyball matches. That would be Katie Pisano, the ultra-talented setter of Bishop Shanahan's powerful volleyball team.

On Wednesday evening at Kennet High's gym, Pisano and her Eagle teammates produced another work of art when they stormed to a 3-0 win over Unionville in the 2009 Ches-Mont League championship match. Shanahan opened with a 25-11 win, took the second game 25-18 and finished it off with a 25-17 victory.

"Katie Pisano played a really smart game tonight," said Shanahan coach Greg Ashman, whose team is now 16-1. "She ran our offense really well. She passes so well and her sets are where they should be. She is the key to our offense."

Pisano said, "I think our hitters were just finding the court. Unionville was playing more to the line so we went to the middle. Our hitters were hitting really smart."

Shanahan finished atop the standings in the Ches-Mont League's large school division - the National Division - with a perfect slate. Unionville arrived as the champion of the American Division with just one loss in division play.

"Our goal tonight was to eliminate mental mistakes," said Ashman. 'We wanted to get back to good Shanahan volleyball - good serving, good passing and running the offense the way it should be run."

The Eagles had all facets of their game running smoothly. They passed intelligently and effectively. They flexed their muscles at the net with smart and forceful hitting from Maria Ficca, Emily Carlin, Susan Frick, Amanda Nickels and Nicole Lott. With libero Julie Joyce leading the way, they played their trademark style of rugged defense.

"We knew Unionville had a good season so we expected a tough match," said Joyce. "We knew we had to come out strong. They gave us a run for our money. We struggled a little at the beginning with our serve receive but then we settled down. We all played well tonight."

Unionville got more competitive as the match moved along. In the second game, the Indians trailed by just two points late in the game at 19-17 before a three-point service run by Joyce sent the Eagles on their way to the win,

The third game was even closer - for awhile. Midway through, Shanahan held a slim 14-13 lead. Kills by Ficca and Frick and four straight service points by Frick moved Shanahan close to match point before a tip for a point and a pair of kills by Carlin sealed the win.

"Shanahan is a team you need to play a couple times to catch up to their speed and athleticism," said Unionville coach Rob Conti-D'Antonio. "Even with a good scouting report, it's tough to go against them. This is one of the best teams from this area in a long time and, for whatever reason, we didn't come out and execute against them. I do think we competed very hard against them in the third game."

NOTES: Bishop Shanahan capped a perfect division season Tuesday with a 3-1 win over Downingtown East. ... Playing at home on Senior Night, the Eagles were paced by senior Clare Keating with nine kills, two aces and five digs. … Shanahan joined the Ches-Mont League in 2004 and has won a title every year since. … The Eagles started with four consecutive league titles and four straight undefeated seasons … Last year, they lost one division match and then defeated Avon Grove in a special playoff for the National Division title. ... Both Unionville and Shanahan will compete in the District 1 Class AAA playoffs starting next week.

By DENNY DYROFF, Staff Writer

UNIONVILLE/KENNETT SQUARE — When Bishop Shanahan was named as an 11th-hour addition to the lineup for this year's Crosstown Invitational Volleyball Tournament, the path to the team title for the other nine teams changed dramatically. It went from being "very competitive" to "highly challenging."

Shanahan arrived for Saturday's tournament with a 12-1 record. The Eagles have been ranked either first or second in the PVCA Class AAA poll every week this season and are currently second behind Mount Lebanon .

The tournament, which was played at both Kennett High and Unionville High, featured an all Ches-Mont final with Shanahan facing Kennett on the Blue Demons' home court. At 7:29 p.m., Shanahan's Nicki Ruszkay served the final point of the championship game.

The play ended when the Demons hit the ball out of play. A full 11 hours after starting pool play (an 8:30 a.m. match against West Chester East), the Eagles capped a perfect day with a 2-0 win over Kennett. Shanahan won the opening game of the best-of-three final 25-10 and then finished it off with a 25-20 victory.

"Focus was a little bit of an issue - 11 hours of volleyball will do that -- but we've been able to bring it back well," said Shanahan's hard-hitting Maria Ficca. "Other teams pushed us at times but we stayed in control. We were most into our game in the match against Garnet Valley. We did really well in that match."

The Eagles knocked off Garnet Valley 2-0 in the semifinals with a 25-18 win in the first game and a 25-9 decision in the second.

"We were just digging in and getting loose," said Shanahan's standout freshman hitter Nicole Lott. "It (the Garnet Valley match) was definitely a fun game. We had a great time."

Garnet Valley coach Jen Shrader said, "I thought we came out and played pretty well in the first game. In the second game, our defense let us down. Shanahan has a really good team so I was happy with the way we played them."

In the other semifinal, Kennett defeated Mount St. Joseph Academy 3-2 (26-24, 13-25, 15-12).

"I'm very proud of how everybody played," said Kennett coach Molly Szychulski, who played collegiate volleyball at Shippensburg University. "I hope we proved ourselves today - that we showed we deserve a seed in the district (District 1 Class AAA) playoffs."

The Demons definitely boosted their "cred" with a win over the Mount, a perennial District 1 powerhouse, and a respectable performance against Shanahan, a team that has won five consecutive titles in the Ches-Mont League.

In pool play, Shanahan topped Pool "B" with an 8-0 record while Kennett was runnerup at 5-3. The Demons posted 2-0 wins over West Chester East (27-25, 25-13) and St. Pius X (25-21, 25-18), split with Villa Maria Academy (25-27, 27-25) and were swept by Shanahan (18-25, 18-25).

Shanahan did not lose a game all day. The Eagles' other pool play sweeps were against West Chester East (25-17, 25-12), St. Pius X (25-13, 25-22) and Villa Maria (25-13, 25-22).

In Pool "A", which was played at Unionville, Mount St. Joe's took first with an 8-0 record while Downingtown East and Garnet Valley tied for second at 3-5. In a special playoff for second place - and a berth in the semifinals - Garnet Valley prevailed 15-9. "I think we played tough but we were playing some very good teams," said Downingtown East's talented freshman hitter Tori Wakelee. "This was a good tournament for us. It will help get us ready for districts."

By DENNY DYROFF, Staff Writer

Staff photo by Amy Dragoo Bishop Shanahan's Emily Carlin (44) and Summer Jaros (18) watch the ball fly past during Wednesday's five-set loss to powerhouse Merion Mercy.

DOWNINGTOWN — The epic volleyball showdown between Merion Mercy Academy and host Bishop Shanahan Wednesday night pitted the top-ranked Class AA team in the state (Mercy) against a team that is ranked second in the state in the Class AAA poll.

The match was everything everyone expected - and more. The five-game marathon, which was an all-out war, was easily the "Match of the Year" and maybe even the best area match in the last decade.

The non-league battle of friendly rivals, which Merion won 3-2 (20-25, 26-24, 25-20, 26-28, 15-12), featured a wealth of talent, a mega-dose of intensity and a level of talent usually found only in state semifinal or final matches.

"What a match - probably the best match I've ever been involved in as a coach," said Mercy's veteran coach Rich Johnson. "It was up-and-down and back-and-forth with both teams never giving up. In the fourth game, we had four match points and couldn't put it away. They blocked our best blockers. Both of these teams should go far in states."

The competition, which was the centerpiece of Shanahan's Dig Pink 2009 breast cancer benefit evening, also featured one of the best individual performances by an area player in maybe a decade.

Shanahan's Emily Carlin had been a force throughout the first three games and well into the fourth. In the closing stages of the fourth game with her team trailing 2-1 in games, she took it to a whole other level.

The Bears had a 24-21 lead with Kalen Backe serving for match point, A point on a block by Carlin kept the Eagles alive. Then, Shanahan knotted the score at 24-24 on a kill and another block by Carlin.

Merion Mercy regained the serve. But, instead of getting match point, the Bears got victimized by another Carlin kill. A bit of déejé'vu was next as the Bears got the serve back only to have the Eagles answer with a kill by Carlin.

With the score tied at 26-26, the Eagles took the lead on a point that started with a Carlin serve and ended with a kill by Susan Frick. The next play followed the exact same script and sent the match into a fifth game.

"I told myself - we're not going to lose this game - that we were at least going to five," said Carlin. "We could have used some recovery time before the fifth game. We came out and gave them five points. You can't do that in a 15-point game. That's one-third of the points."

The Eagles fell behind 7-1 in the fifth game and appeared headed for a quick exit. With fierce determination, they fought their way back. They closed to within one point at 13-12 but a pair of kills by the Bears brought the match to an end.

"I don't look at this as a loss," said Shanahan coach Greg Ashman, whose team is now 12-1. "I'm real happy with us being able to play at this level - especially after being off five days. With Shanahan closing because of the flu, we haven't had a practice since a week ago Monday."

Shanahan volleyball is on the USA Volleyball website!

http://usavolleyball.org/news/article/15974

 2009 PVCA Top Ten Girls Poll

Believe!

COACHES 2009 WEEK 8 RANKINGS

FOR GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL

   The opinions of 26 high school coaches in the two districts are solicited in hopes of gaining a broad consensus. This poll is submitted to the Pa. Volleyball Coaches Association for their evaluations when arriving at their state wide rankings.

Shanahan
impressive
in victory over Warriors

Thursday, September 10, 2009

By DENNY DYROFF, Staff Writer

Dig Pink - National Breast Cancer Awareness Rally.

This fall, hundreds of teams from around the country will be participating in the Dig Pink National Breast Cancer Awareness Rally.High School and College teams will be promoting Breast health education in the community as well as raising funds to help eradicate Breast Cancer.Dig Pink attendees will watch the girls compete on the court while contributing to breast health awareness by making a statement and wearing something PINK in the stands. The proceeds from all donations will benefit the Side-Out Foundation, a national 501(c)(3) located in the Washington DC Metropolitan Area. 

The Bishop Shanahan High Volleyball team is one of hundreds of high school and college volleyball teams participating in the "Dig Pink National Breast Cancer Awareness Rally". On Wednesday, October 14th, Shanahan played Merion Mercy Academy (Two time AA State Champion) at homein front of a crowd of 500 people. The proceeds from all donations benefit the Side-Out Foundation. Bishop’s Shanahan thanks the community for enabling the team to surpassing their fundraising goal by raising more than $1600 for the Side-Out Foundation.   Donations can still be made though www.shanahan.org under Athletics -Volleyball – click on Dig Pink.

Keep track of our alumni in their new careers in college volleyball!

2007 Alumni

Kellie Conahan - Millersville University

Ali Huss - Millersville University

Erin Ficca - Washington College 

Kristen Hughes - Denison University

2006 Alumni

Jess Lynch - Immaculata University

2005 Alumni

Kate Conahan - Cabrini

Natalie Amodei - Philadelphia University

Season Wrap-up
Bishop Shanahan finishes their unforgettable season as one of the best teams in the state. The Eagles posted a 25-3 overall record, winning their third straight undefeated Ches-Mont League Title (15-0), their first District 1 Title (22-1) and making it all the way to the semi-finals of the PIAA State AAA Championships, finishing tied for third in the State. Along the way the Eagles finished second at the "Ford Tough Challenge" losing to Hempfield in the Finals. (Hempfield also beat Shanahan in the Semi-Finals of the PIAA Tournament and went on to win the state championship) Shanahan won the Cumberland Valley "Rally in the Valley" Tournament, one that Hempfield lost in the semi-finals to Spring-Grove HS. Shanahan beat Spring-Grove in the Finals 2-1. Along this fantastic season Shanahan ended the regular season with a win over Villa Maria, a team that they have never beaten before giving the Eagles a regular season record of 18-1. The Eagles then make a run at their first district title and along the way met Villa in the finals. The Eagles did the impossible. After being down 2 games to none, the Eagles came roaring back to win the next 2 to tie the match at 2 games a piece. Starting game 5 the Eagles found themselves down early 8-1. With out giving up and settling for the second place medals, they pulled out the spectacular victory and won the match by 16-14! Along the journey Shanahan met another very tough opponent, not once, twice or even three times... Hatboro-Horsham is a young team that has only had a program for three seasons. The Eagles won all four times, including the Semi-finals of the district and in the quarter-finals in the State tournament.
Shanahan girl's volleyball was also chosen to host a match with a team that traveled a long, long distance. China's Zibo #10 HS from Shandong Province put on an exhibition match with the Eagles. The Eagles played some phenomenal Volleyball to compete with them.
This season was extraordinary! The JV Team was nothing short of amazing too! They went undefeated in their regular season only losing one single game in their way to an 18-0 record. The two tournaments they entered, they came home with third place finishes. With the young talent that the JV possesses the future of Shanahan volleyball looks very bright.