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Bishop Shanahan Eagles
Greg Ashman
220 Woodbine Road
Downingtown, Pennsylvania
19335
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 My Site News: Shanahan Reaches State Semifinals; Villa Maria Ousted |
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Monday, November 13
Shanahan Reaches State Semifinals; Villa Maria Ousted
By: DENNY DYROFF Staff Writer
11/11/2006
YORK -- Two Chester County teams headed to York on Friday to compete in the quarterfinals of the PIAA Class AAA girls volleyball championships -- Bishop Shanahan and Villa Maria Academy.
Only one earned the right to compete again today.
Shanahan, the top seed from District 1, began Friday's pool play with a 2-1 win over District 1's third seed, Hatboro-Horsham -- 25-22, 20-25, 25-23. The Eagles then posted a 2-1 win over Moon -- 25-22, 22-25, 25-21 -- to secure a berth in today's semifinals, which also will be contested at Central York High.
The Ches-Mont League champions faced Allentown Central Catholic, the top-ranked team in the state, in the last match of the quarterfinals -- with both squads having already qualified for the semis.
The Eagles dropped a 3-0 decision to the Vikettes, 25-20, 25-17, 25-16.
Villa Maria, on the other hand, never was able to get its game in gear. The Hurricanes opened with a 3-0 loss to fourth-ranked State College -- 25-11, 25-15, 25-10. It didn't get any better for the Villa Maria girls in the second match, as Hempfield, the No. 3 team in the state, logged a 3-0 sweep over the 'Canes -- 25-17, 25-13, 25-11.
Villa Maria finished with a 2-1 loss to Penn-Trafford, 25-23, 25-17, 20-25.
This morning's semifinal round features Shananan, the second-place team from Pool A, versus Hempfield, the No. 1 team from Pool B. In the other match, Allentown Central Catholic (A-1) will square off against State College (B-2).
The crucial contest of the day for Shanahan (25-2) was the third game of the second match. A loss to Moon would have forced the Eagles into a win-or-go-home scenario against the top-ranked team in the state. Moon and Shanahan hung right with each other for almost the entire game.
A kill by the Tigers' Jessica Pattyn brought Moon to within one point at 22-21. The Eagles responded with three consecutive points -- kills by Courtney Smith, Ali Huss and Kristen Hughes -- to win the match and secure a berth in the final four.
"In the last part of the third game, we knew we had to come out on top," said Shanahan's hard-hitting middle, Cayleigh Ashman, a senior who will head to Temple University on a volleyball scholarship next year. "I think we just like to put ourselves in tight positions to keep it interesting."
When the Eagles met Hatboro-Horsham, they faced a team they had defeated twice -- once during the regular season, once in the District 1 Class AAA semifinals.
"Against Hatboro-Horsham, we definitely knew their holes," said Smith, a junior setter. "We knew where to put the ball on the court. Moon was a little intimidating with their height. Their outside hitter (Lindsay Kresch) is a great player. Shutting her down was the key to the game."
Villa Maria also had to deal with a team that had intimidating height -- Hempfield, the highly-touted District 3 champion. After losing three straight games to State College in a morning match, the Hurricanes dropped their first game against Hempfield in the matinee.
With their backs to the wall, the Villa Maria players hung tough early and trailed by just five at 13-8 as the game approached its midway point. Suddenly, the Black Knights' tall, powerful hitters took control at the net and the Hurricanes had no answer.
"In the first match, I don't think we were ready yet," said Villa Maria senior Colleen O'Hara. "Our defense wasn't there. And, against a team like that, you can't give away free balls."
With Friday's losses, Villa Maria concluded its season with a 16-8 overall mark.
"It's really frustrating to come here and lose six games like this," said Catie Brady, Villa Maria's senior defensive specialist. "But we're just happy that we got this far. At least we made it to states.
"Today, I think, everyone just had a bad day all at once. We were playing good teams, but we should have played better than we did. Things just weren't in synch."
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