The championship match is set.
Berks I champ Wilson and Berks II champ Berks Catholic will face off in the BCIAA girls volleyball championship match on Tuesday, thanks to a pair of narrow wins in the semifinals on Saturday. The Bulldogs defeated Exeter 3-2 at West Lawn, while the Saints beat Twin Valley 3-2 at Wolf Gymnasium.
The final will be Tuesday at Wilson at 7 p.m.
Meeting for the third time this season, the Bulldogs and the Eagles played a very even match. However, the result was the same, as Wilson on its third straight over Exeter this season.
“(It) was just a scratch-and-claw kind of match,” Wilson coach Dennis Werner said. “We were a little off at times, but the girls found a way to win.”
The defending champion Bulldogs had control throughout the first set, leading 17-10 before winning 25-16. The Eagles responded in the second set, winning 25-18.
The third set began 10-10, before Wilson grabbed a late lead and won 25-19. Trailing 2-1, Exeter bounced back again, putting together a strong performance in the fourth set.
The two sides traded blocks and spikes, but the Eagles’ front row propelled them to a 25-20 win. The Bulldogs were trailing by just a few points several times in the set, but could not tie it.
Wilson relied on several key blocks in the fifth set to get ahead early and hang on for a decisive 15-10 victory. The Bulldogs are 3-0 in five-set matches this season.
“They fight and scratch and claw and gut out wins,” Werner said about his players. “I’m proud of them.”
For Wilson (16-1), Kassidy Means had 17 kills and eight digs, Cameryn Niedrowski had 38 assists, Rachel Etim had 14 kills and Airyanna Kline had eight kills and five blocks.
For Exeter (11-6), Madeleine Forry had 16 kills, 12 digs and three aces, Riley Mack had 22 kills and two aces, and Jenna Gehris had 45 assists and seven digs.
At Berks Catholic, the Saints defeated the Raiders in another tightly-contested affair. Three of the five sets were decided by three points or less.
“I’m incredibly proud of them, words can’t describe how happy I am for them,” Berks Catholic coach Lexi Leddy said about her players. “I think they played the best volleyball game they have played the whole season today.”
The Saints were red hot in the first set, starting on a 9-0 run before winning 25-10. Twin Valley was caught out of position several times, especially early in the set.
The Raiders rebounded in the second set, taking advantage of Berks Catholic’s mistakes. The two sides were tied 11-11 before Twin Valley won 25-22.
The Raiders began the third set on a 10-3 run before extending their lead to 19-10. The Saints tried to mount a comeback, but Twin Valley closed out a 25-22 victory with several timely spikes.
“After the first game, we had such a big lead, we got too comfortable,” Leddy said about her team’s performance in the second and third sets. “We just woke up and we just responded.”
The fourth set began 10-10, but Berks Catholic quickly pulled away on a 15-6 run, completing a 25-16 win. The two sides remained tied deep into the final set, but the Saints scored the final two points to earn the 15-13 match victory.
“They really deserve it,” Leddy said about her players. “I just love the fight in them.”
For Berks Catholic (18-1), Jill Avadanian had 35 digs, four assists and four aces,
Caroline Reedy had 18 kills and two blocks, Delaney Jack had 10 kills, five blocks, two aces and nine digs, and Maggie McFadden had five kills and six blocks.
For Twin Valley (16-5), Alyssa Green had 33 assists and eight digs, Emma Lessick had 21 digs and eight kills, Laura Beigel had 14 digs, and Mikayla Riehl had 12 kills and four digs.
Source: Berkshire mont
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