After falling to Twin Valley in five sets in September, the Wilson girls volleyball team got the revenge it was looking for as the Bulldogs defeated the Raiders 3-0 on Thursday night at West Lawn to clinch the Berks Girls Volleyball League Division II title for the third straight year.
“I’m really excited,” Wilson junior Kassidy Means said. “We definitely showed up tonight and got our revenge back for losing the first time. We showed up and it really showed that in all three games.
“I’m really proud of our team and how we keep pushing through, even through difficult challenges, we overcome those challenges and come out better as a team.”
The Bulldogs (11-1, 15-3) controlled the scoring from the first set and limited Twin Valley’s momentum throughout the match as the Raiders (9-2, 12-3) never had more than a three-point lead in any game.
Wilson opened up to an 8-2 lead in the first set and won 25-12. In the second set, the Raiders had their largest lead at 12-9 before falling 25-21. The Bulldogs won 25-14 in the third set.
“They caught us and played really well the last time we played them at their place,” Wilson coach Dennis Werner said. “This was for the division title and the No. 1 seed in the county playoffs. So it was a big match for us. I thought we were prepared. We learned some things from the last match, scouted that up and we were very prepared for this match. And that was what proved to be the case tonight.
“They served really tough, and we needed to be prepared for that. We just did, defensively, a couple of different things that were helpful.”
Means finished with 14 kills, nine digs and three aces, while Cameryn Niedrowski had 34 assists, five aces and one block and Airyanna Kline had seven kills and two blocks for the Bulldogs.
In 2021, Wilson defeated Berks Catholic 3-1 in the BCIAA final before falling to Cumberland Valley 3-1 in the District 3 Class 3A semifinals. Werner said he believes having the top seed in the county playoffs will give his side the confidence to ride its momentum to another deep playoff run.
“I think we just played with more confidence; we play really well at home,” Werner said. “And so to win at home and then be ready for the playoffs, knowing that we’re going to be at home the whole time was huge for us. We’ve only lost one match (at home) in two years.”
For the Raiders, Addison Hertzog had 17 assists, four digs and two kills, Casey Levan had seven kills, six digs and two aces, and Emma Lessick had eight kills, seven digs and one ace.
“They’re (Twin Valley) our best competition in the county,” Means said. “So we definitely needed to bring more energy. And I think we actually did that tonight and kept ourselves up instead of getting down.”
With the No. 1 seed locked up and plenty of veteran leadership, Werner said he believes staying consistent will be the key to the Bulldogs’ continued success in the postseason.
“(For) many of the girls now, this is their second or third year starting,” Werner said. “So I think they’re not wavering under pressure because they’ve been here many times now. And I think, along with a lot of talent, it is proving to be a successful formula.
“If we’re consistent, we’re as good as anybody. You know, we had some injuries early on in the season, which led to some losses, which is why our seed in districts is a little lower than what we had hoped. But we certainly can overcome that by being consistent defensively.”
Means shared her coaches thoughts on consistency as she said she believed her team’s performance on Thursday could be a sign of Wilson’s potential.
“Honestly, we just need to stay consistent, like we were in this game throughout the whole match,” she said. “And like all our games, just stay as consistent as we were there, keep the energy up, and we’ll make it as far as we can.”
Source: Berkshire mont
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