Beaver Dethrones Freeport to Win WPIAL Girls Volleyball 2-A Crown

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, November 5, 2017 | 1:16 AM

Last year, Freeport and Beaver met at Baldwin High School in the WPIAL Class 2A Volleyball Championship match.  Freeport won the match 3-1, winning back-to-back district titles.

364 days later, Beaver got their revenge. They defeated Freeport in an instant classic, winning the match 3-2 (18-25, 25-21, 25-18, 18-25, 15-13) for their first WPIAL Volleyball championship.

Things did not start smoothly for Beaver, however. The Lady Bobcats struggled to find their footing in the first set, falling down 9-0 to Freeport.  Beaver trailed 19-6, but they went on a 9-1 run to cut the lead to five.  Freeport would rally back late to take the first set behind four kills and three blocks from Sarah Hettich.

Even though they did not win the opening set, Beaver’s strong comeback late in the set sparked some momentum for the Lady Bobcats into the second frame.   They led throughout the frame en route to a 25-21 victory in the set.  They also led throughout the third frame, which Beaver won 25-18.  Heavy hitters Macy McElhaney and Alexa Mamone started to flex their muscles in the middle sets. Mamone tallied seven kills in the second set and eight kills in the third set.  McElhaney kept pace, tallying seven kills in each of the middle frames.

Facing elimination, the Lady Yellowjackets fought back like the two-time defending champions they are. The fourth set played out very similarly to the opening frame, where Freeport used a big run early in the set en route to a set victory.  This time, it was an eight-point run that gave Freeport a 10-4 lead early in the set. Lefty Ally DeJidas finally got rolling in the frame as well, tallying seven kills. They had a 24-16 lead, but struggled to find the final point. Beaver rattled off five straight points before Freeport finally scored on set point to force the decisive short game.

In the winner-take-all “Short Game,” both squads went back and forth to the tone of six ties in the set. With the score tied at 13-13, Beaver got a big kill from McElhaney down the line to earn the one point advantage. Then on set point, after a long rally, McElhaney rose up at the net and blocked a kill attempt down on the Freeport side of the net to give her team the five-set victory.  It was her seventh kill of the set, and set off the emotional celebration on the Lady Bobcats side of the court.

The M&M combination of Alexa Mamone and Macy McElhaney dominated the middle all match for Beaver. McElhaney finished with 30 kills, with Mamone tallying 23. They each had 10 blocks as well.   Mia Dodds and Emilee Hohenshel had five kills each.

Ally Dejidas led Freport with 13 kills for the Lady Yellowjackets. Sarah Hettich followed with 12 kills and six blocks. Lauren Lampus had eight kills and four aces, while Hannah Mason had seven kills. Haley Graham and Courtney Grubbs rounded out the balanced Freeport attack with five kills apiece.

Both teams showed great class during the post-match festivities, with well-deserved congratulations from both sides on an incredible match and season.

That season does not end, as focus now shifts to the PIAA tournament.  Beaver will face Sharpsville, runners-up from District 10, in the first round.  Freeport will play against the District 6 champion Bald Eagle.

There was no consolation match in Class 2A.  Avonworth earns the three-seed out of the WPIAL with Beaver’s victory, while Serra Catholic will earn the four-seed.  Avonworth draws Corry, the back-to-back champions out of District 10. Serra Catholic plays District 9 champion Kane.  All of the PIAA first round games will take place on Tuesday, November 7th, at sites and times to be determined.

Tags: Beaver, Freeport