Tough section slate prepares Chartiers Valley volleyball for playoff run

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, September 16, 2017 | 12:18 AM

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Mention any type of rankings to a coach, and the likely response will be something dismissive about how they're nice but don't really mean much.

Chartiers Valley volleyball coach Jason Ferri isn't necessarily doing cartwheels over his team's appearance in last week's Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association poll (No. 10 in Class AAA). But he at least will allow that it is a nice recognition for his burgeoning program.

Ferri seemed more impressed that his was one of four Section 2-AAA teams in the top 10. South Fayette (No. 3), Montour (No. 4) and West Allegheny (No. 6) were the others.

That's good for business, Ferri said, because it challenges his team on a regular basis.

“I would much rather play in a tough section where you get a good game night in and night out,” the fourth-year coach said. “If you're on the losing side, at least you're going to get something out of it.”

After their 3-1 win over Ringgold on Sept. 12, the Colts were 2-1. They also played in the Canon-McMillan and Moon tournaments in the early part of the season.

The team, a quarterfinalist in last season's WPIAL playoffs, returned only two seniors, Jocey Dunn (49 digs) and Carmina Sibeto, who anchor the back row. Though several of the underclass players got a lot of experience last season, Ferri said the team still struggles with continuity. He cited their uneven performance in the two tournaments as evidence.

“We're still trying to find ourselves,” he said. “We're still learning to play together as a team.”

Many of the Colts' regular contributors are sophomores, including middle hitter Amaleen Malcolm and outside hitter Riley Pawlosky. Juniors Ashlynn Gulakowski (setter) and Mara Hartoyo (outside hitter) also are key players. Hartoyo leads the team in kills with 23, and Gulakowski was a second-team all-section selection in 2016.

The good news is those young players have plenty of time to grow together. Also, Ferri said, having the underclassmen playing prominent roles pushes the older players.

That falls right in line with his aim to create an atmosphere of competition while stressing that the most consistent players will be on the court.

“Our younger girls are great,” Gulakowski said. “They've really stepped up. They're always right behind us and pushing us harder. It makes us work so much harder.

“Coach Ferri … really knows how to get our team to work together. He knows when to push us and what to push us on and when to kind of back off and let us figure it out.”

Gulakowski, who has 46 assists, is among the more intriguing players in the section. At 5-foot-10, she doesn't have the prototypical stature of a setter and can contribute as a hitter and blocker when needed.

“She's really unique,” Ferri said. “I've been coaching a long time, and she's the strongest setter I've ever seen at the high school level. Just physically imposing. She'll often dominate the net.”

Whether this group of up-and-comers jells into a playoff team remains to be seen. Ferri said it likely will take a minimum of six section wins to qualify for the playoffs.

If and when the Colts get there, a deeper run through the bracket would mean a lot more than a September ranking.

“I think we have a really good shot,” Gulakowski said. “I'm pretty confident in this team.”

Chuck Curti is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at ccurti@tribweb.com or via Twitter @CCurti_Trib.

Tags: Chartiers Valley