Greensburg Central Catholic, Frazier meet again with trip to PIAA volleyball final on the line

By: Paul Schofield
Monday, November 11, 2024 | 7:25 PM

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PIAA CLASS A GIRLS VOLLEYBALL FINALS

7-1 Greensburg Central Catholic (19-3) vs. 7-2 Frazier (17-4)

6 p.m. Friday, Norwin High School, North Huntingdon

PIAA titles: GCC (2014, 2016); Frazier (none)

So, we meet again.

WPIAL champion Greensburg Central Catholic and runner-up Frazier will meet Tuesday at Norwin for the fourth time this season, and this one is bigger than the previous three times.

This is for a spot in the PIAA Class A championship match Saturday at Cumberland Valley.

The Centurions (19-3) have played their best volleyball since rallying from two games down to defeat Eden Christian on Oct. 30 in the WPIAL semifinals.

Greensburg Central Catholic reverse swept Eden Christian, 3-2, and followed that with a 3-0 win against Frazier, which had won the first two meetings, in the WPIAL title game.

The Centurions’ impressive run continued with dominating victories against District 9 runner-up Clarion-Limestone, 3-1, and District 6 champion and PIAA runner-up West Branch, 3-0.

“We keep tugging along,” Greensburg Central Catholic coach Erin Salas said. “Our goal was to get back to the WPIAL championship and win. But we keep on going.

“I expect Tuesday’s match will be very competitive. We changed up our offense a little in the finals, and we’re working on some other stuff.”

One area Salas wants her team to work on is serving, which was off against West Branch.

Frazier (17-4) rebounded well after its loss in the WPIAL final with a 3-2 win at District 10 champion Saegertown and a 3-0 win against District 9 champion Clarion.

“The win at Saegertown was huge,” Frazier coach Mandy Hartman said. “It energized the team. I feel we got caught up in the moment. Greensburg Central Catholic played well, and we didn’t.

“We were battling some illnesses and were sluggish. We weren’t ourselves. We beat a strong Clarion team.”

Salas said she expects Frazier will play well, and she expects her team to do the same.

Frazier defeated Greensburg Central Catholic twice this season, 3-2 at GCC on Sept. 5 and 3-1 on Sept. 26 at home.

“The games could have gone either way the first two meetings,” Hartman said. “It’s going to be a battle. GCC is fast and good defensively. (Ashlyn) Black is a game-changer, and (Eva) Denis is so athletic.”

Hartman said GCC moved Black, a junior left-side hitter, to the back row. She said the team must be prepared for that change.

Another key player for GCC is senior six-rotation player Eva Denis.

Frazier can counter will four solid hitters: junior Addison Schultz, sophomore Allie Monack, sophomore Addison Hiles and junior Maddie Salisbury. Seniors Grace Vaughn (hitter), Gracen Hartman (setter) and Addison Day (server) played key roles for the Commodores.

GCC has won two PIAA titles, and Frazier is looking for the first trip to the finals. GCC was PIAA champion in 2014 and 2016.

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

Tags: Frazier, Greensburg C.C.