The Knoch High School girls volleyball team celebrated a third consecutive WPIAL Class 3A title Saturday with its 3-1 win against Thomas Jefferson. The Knights received more good news on Monday when senior middle hitter Kennedy Christy was cleared to play in the PIAA tournament, which began Tuesday. Christy had been in concussion protocol since Knoch’s regular season finale, a non-section match against Shaler Oct. 18.
“We got the news midway through Monday’s practice,” said Knoch coach Diane Geist, when Christy returned with a clearance to play after an appointment from her doctor. “The girls were so happy to hear the news.”
Christy, a two-time PVCA All-Star, got in a short workout with her teammates Monday then played in the second and third sets of Knoch’s opening-round sweep of WPIAL fourth-place finisher South Fayette Tuesday.
“I left it up to Kennedy and she wanted to play,” Geist said. “I’m glad she got some playing time before Saturday’s quarterfinal match [against District 3 champion Palmyra].”
Knoch’s three-peat is even more impressive when you consider the Knights began the playoffs without their top two hitters.
Christy missed all four WPIAL playoff matches. Her teammate Hannah Rowe, a senior outside hitter who is also a two-time PVCA all-star, missed the first two matches against Woodland Hills and West Allegheny with a back injury. Rowe returned to lead the Knights in kills in the semifinals and title match.
“It shows just how much talent we have on this team and how determined the girls were to win another title,” Geist said. “It’s a tribute to our overall depth.”
Rowe was hoping that Christy would be cleared for the state tournament.
“It would mean a lot to us to have Kennedy back,” said Rowe, after accepting her third WPIAL gold medal. “We won a state title as sophomores and would like to win another as seniors.”
Bishop Canevin
Bishop Canevin’s third consecutive WPIAL title completed a third undefeated season in a row against WPIAL Class 1A competition. The Crusaders have won 50 consecutive matches since losing to Greensburg Central Catholic in the 2016 WPIAL title match.
Alexa Malloy, Maddie Maziarz and Hanna DeLisio were freshmen on the 2016 squad.
“We had a lot of freshmen and sophomores on that team,” Malloy said. “We made a deal with each other after losing to Greensburg Central to play for each other every single game from that point on. We saw what it took to win a WPIAL title and set that as our goal. It’s amazing that we were able to win three titles.”
Bishop Canevin was making its ninth title match appearance in 10 years and claimed its fifth title, but winning a third consecutive title is something coach Kevin Walters found tough to grasp.
“[To three-peat] is something I never expected for our program,” Walters said. “It’s a great accomplishment. The girls have worked so hard to reach this goal. I am so proud of them.”
DeLisio reached a milestone during the title match, as she recorded her 1,000th career dig. She’s the fifth Crusader to reach that milestone.
One milestone that Bishop Canevin's seniors did not reach was to win a PIAA title. In fact, the Crusaders lost in the first round four consecutive years, including Tuesday’s 3-1 loss to District 6 runner-up Bishop Carroll.
Class 2A upset
In 2003, the WPIAL switched to a best-of-five format for its championship matches. In the 54 title matches that have been held since, only one had a team rally from a 2-0 deficit to win the title. That happened Saturday when Freeport upset defending champion North Catholic in the Class 2A title match.
In the first two sets, North Catholic’s powerful offense was running like a finely tuned engine, as the Trojans recorded wins of 25-20 and 25-21. It looked as if the match would end in three sets, but that quickly changed in the third set.
At that point, North Catholic’s offense sputtered and Freeport’s defense took over. The Trojanettes were plagued by numerous hitting, setting and serving errors, and were frustrated by Freeport’s relentless defense.
“You can’t make that many mistakes and expect to win a match of this importance,” North Catholic coach Amanda Fetter said. “The key is how you respond to failure, how you get back up after you fall.”
It was the second time Freeport upset North Catholic. The two teams met last year in the PIAA quarterfinals. North Catholic had won the WPIAL title and Freeport was the No. 4 seed, but the Yellowjackets pulled out a 3-2 victory.
“Beating them last year in the state tournament helped us,” Freeport setter Madeline Clark said. “I think we’ve been in their heads ever since that win.”
North Catholic is hoping for a rematch with Freeport in the PIAA tournament, but finishing as the WPIAL runner-up has made the Trojans task much tougher. Both teams posted a victory in Tuesday’s opening round, but North Catholic has a much tougher opponent in Saturday’s quarterfinals. The Trojans face defending PIAA champion Bald Eagle, while Freeport faces WPIAL fourth-place finisher Beaver.
“We have a more challenging road,” Fetter said. “We paved that road for ourselves by losing to Freeport. We must get the train back on the tracks to reach our goal of winning a state title.”
WPIAL champ falls
Canon-McMillan pulled the biggest upset in WPIAL history Saturday with its five-set victory against North Allegheny in the Class 4A final.
"[Canon-McMillan] played a great match," North Allegheny coach Heidi Miller said. "They did exactly what we thought they could do, which was pass and play good defense, make the rallies go long, and be the team that made fewer mistakes. That usually wins a volleyball match. We welcome a rematch with them."
Unfortunately, Canon-McMillan’s prize for being the WPIAL champion was a tougher draw in the opening round of the PIAA tournament than North Allegheny.
The Big Macs faced District 6 champion State College in Tuesday’s first round and dropped a heartbreaking, 3-2 decision (25-27, 25-15, 25-22, 21-25, 11-15). The Tigers faced District 10 champion Erie McDowell and recorded a 3-0 sweep (25-12, 25-17, 25-11).
So instead of a rematch with Canon-McMillan in Saturday’s quarterfinals, North Allegheny will face State College. The two met in pool play at the State College tournament during the regular season and split two sets.
First Published: November 8, 2019, 11:45 a.m.