WPIAL Girls Volleyball Semifinals Recaps 2016

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, November 4, 2016 | 12:18 AM

There have been very few surprises in the district girls volleyball postseason as three #1-seeds and all four #2-seeds have reached the championship finals. The lone exception is 4-A’s #8-seed, defending champion Baldwin, who is joined by fellow 2015 champs Freeport and Bishop Canevin in the title matches on Saturday. Here are the summaries from Semifinals Thursday in the 2016 WPIAL Girls Volleyball Playoffs.

Special thanks to Sean Meyers, Kevin Zielmanski, Steve Nagler, Rob Longo, Sam Hall, Josh Rowntree and James Dotson for their help on these recaps.

WPIAL CLASS 4-A Semifinals:

Baldwin Highlanders 3 – Bethel Park Black Hawks 0 
Sometimes a team is having a night where they can do no wrong. Other nights it seems as if a team struggles to do much right. Unfortunately for Bethel Park, those two scenarios both played out Thursday night at Peters Township High School in the WPIAL 4A Volleyball Semifinals, as No. 8 Baldwin took down No. 12 Bethel Park 3-0. With dynamic leadership by Naval Academy recruit Maddi Sgattoni, the Highlanders rolled to commanding set wins of 25-10, 25-14, 15-16. Sgattoni led all players with 24 kills. The rout was on from the opening serve, as Baldwin rolled to an opening set win behind Sgattoni’s five kills, while Allison Murray, Brianna Phillips and Sydney Yanchik each contributed five winning points. The following frame was not much better for the Blackhawks. Despite Bethel Park hanging around early in the set, Baldwin was able to pull away thanks to Sgattoni’s 12 kills and Phillips’ three. Similar play followed in the third set, with Sgattoni putting up seven kills. Bethel Park attempted to double and triple team Sgattoni, but that led to chances for Phillips and Murray in the middle of the net. Murray and Phillips each had seven kills each, while Yanchik added five. Baldwin, which has won two-straight WPIAL Championships and 11 overall, will meet No. 2 Seneca Valley on Saturday on their home court at Baldwin High School at 6 p.m.. Bethel Park was paced by Erin Sullivan, who had seven kills. The Blackhawks will battle No. 3 Hempfield on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Baldwin’s auxiliary gym in the 4A Consolation match.

Seneca Valley Raiders 3 – Hempfield Spartans 1 
The brackets for WPIAL Girls 4A volleyball are drastically different depending on which side you read. Underdogs have prevailed on the left side of the bracket while the favorites made their way safely to the semifinal match at Baldwin High School on Thursday night. Before a very lively crowd, that is where the #2 seeded Seneca Valley Raiders defeated the #3 seeded Hempfield Spartans 3 sets to 1 to earn a spot in the WPIAL Girls 4A championship match scheduled for this Saturday at Baldwin. The Raiders took control of the first set early with Senior Outside Hitter Tatum Poirier at the service line and they never relinquished the lead, winning the first set 25-21. Hempfield turned the tables on Seneca Valley in the second set getting a 4-1 early lead which allowed the Spartans to cruise to a 25-20 win. The third set was tightly played until Senior Defensive Specialist Katie Whittle stepped to the service line and lead the Raiders to a 6 point run. Hempfield momentarily stopped the run but Seneca kept the momentum with another 5 point run to open up a comfortable lead. Hempfield rallied to cut the deficit to 4 points but they never got any closer and lost the third set 25-21. The fourth set saw the teams trade points back and forth until Junior Emily Devlin served the Raiders to a 6 point lead; the left-handed Devlin was effective all match and finished with 15 kills. The Spartans were not able to claw their way back to threaten Seneca Valley and lost the fourth set 25-18. Poirier lead the Raiders with 17 kills and Senior Mairia Alfano added 10 kills.
Hempfield       21-25-21-18
Seneca Valley 25-20-25-25

WPIAL CLASS 3-A Semifinals:

West Allegheny Indians 3 – South Fayette Lions 2 
3-A’s top-seeded West Allegheny Indians got all they could handle from conference foe South Fayette before dispatching the Lions in a 5-set thriller. It was the third time these two faced each other this year with West Allegheny winning easily both times, 3-0. But, when it mattered most, the 5th-seeded Lions came up with their best effort and almost pulled off the upset. West Allegheny won the first set easily, 25-13, making it seem like it would be another easy victory. But, South Fayette would bounce back, winning the 2nd set by coming from behind. The Lions were down 21-18 until they won seven of the last 9 points to defeat the Indians 25-23 to even the match. South Fayette held a 19-17 lead in game three, before the Indians rattled off five straight points en route to a 25-22, third set victory. But the Lions wouldn’t go away. South Fayette dominated the 4th set, winning 25-12 setting up the pivotal 5th set. West Allegheny ran out to a 4-1 lead before the Lions three straight points to tie the game 4-4. The Indians then responded by winning the next three points to give them a lead they’d never relinquish. West Allegheny won the final set 15-13. The Indians OH Morgan Ziolkowski led all hitters with 27 kills while Allison Koester chipped in with 13 kills and 3 aces. Anne Koester had 9 kills and 4 blocks. South Fayette’s Haley Altemus had 14 kills and both Olivia Goerdt and Hanna Schmitt each had 8 kills. Schmitt registered 9 blocks as well. With the win, the West Allegheny Indians will battle the 2nd-seeded Hampton Talbots for the 3-A Volleyball Championship on Saturday afternoon. The South Fayette Lions will take on the Knoch Knights in the 3-A state play-in game, also on Saturday afternoon.

Hampton Talbots 3 – Knoch Knights 0
The way the No. 2 Hampton girls volleyball team played Thursday night in the WPIAL Class 3A Semifinals against No. 3 Knoch, it’s hard to believe the Talbots lost a match this season, let alone one to the Knights. Hampton won in dominating fashion, with a straight sets win by scores of 25-16, 25-10 and 25-12, respectively. During the regular season, Hampton and Knoch split their two regular season meetings, the first going to the Knights in a 3-0 win, while Hampton won the second match-up by a score of 3-1. After the match, Hampton head coach Matt Robertson joked that he told his players before Thursday’s match that this showdown with Knoch was essentially for the Section 4 crown. Strong performances by the lanky middle hitter Anastasia Russ, who stands at 6-foot-3, along with outside hitter Hannah Ringeisen and her twin sister Mia helped propel the Talbots to the WPIAL Championship game Saturday at Baldwin, where Hampton will face West Allegheny. The Talbots take an impressive 14-1 overall record into the title match, despite missing out on the playoffs a year ago.

WPIAL CLASS 2-A Semifinals:

Beaver Bobcats 3 – Shenango Wildcats 1 
In a seesaw battle of the ‘Cats at Moon High School, it was the top-seeded Beaver Bobcats outlasting Shenango 3-1 (25-19, 20-25, 25-22, 25-22) to earn a berth in the WPIAL Class AAA Volleyball Championships. Neither team could sustain a run in the first set longer than three consecutive points. Beaver’s stellar junior middle hitter, Macy McElhaney, was a force to be reckoned with in the early going, registering eight kills in the opening set. The seesaw battle carried over into the first half of set number two.  With the set tied 16-16, however, the Wildcats began to flex their muscles. Shenango scored 6 of the next 7 points and held on to win the set 25-20.  Shenango senior Marie Gonsar registered six of her team high 17 kills during that set. The battle between McElhaney and Gonsar heated up in the third set, with each registering kill after kill back and forth. With Shenango holding a 22-19 edge late in the set, Beaver turned to their other half of their junior “M&M” middle hitter combination. Alexa Mamone pretty much put the team on her back as Beaver rattled off six consecutive points to take the set 25-22.  Mamone’s stellar play carried over early into the fourth set, and then McElhaney took over again for the Bobcats. She registered nine kills in the set to help her team finish the set on a 9-4 run to close out the match.  For Shenango, Gonsar finished with 17 kills and a pair of service aces. Morgan Hill and Jacqui Baker each tallied nine kills, with Baker also recording seven blocks. Marissa Baer was exceptional from the service line with five aces, as well.  Beaver’s M&M combo led the way offensively, with McElhaney recording match-highs with 27 kills and 12 blocks. Mamone followed up with 12 kills and six blocks of her own. Mia Dobbs played an all-around game with six kills, three aces, and three blocks. Libero Sydney Caruso played an exceptional defensive match, including a potentially match-changing dig as part of the six-point run to end the third set.  Beaver will face Freeport in the WPIAL Class AA Championship match at 2:00 on Saturday.  Both Shenango and Beaver have qualified for the PIAA Championships.

Freeport Yellow Jackets 3 – Avonworth Antelopes 2 
In an epic encounter, Freeport displayed the heart of a champion, rallying from match point against for a 3-2 victory against Avonworth in the Class 2A semifinals at North Allegheny High School. The entire match was tightly contested, with Freeport winning 25-17, 23-25, 23-25, 28-26, 15-13. Courtesy of the triumph, the Yellowjackets will return to the title game on Saturday at Baldwin, where they have the chance to defend their title against top-seeded Beaver. The opening set was decisively in favor of No. 2 Freeport, as the Yellowjackets gained the advantage at 8-7, and never relinquished it. The second set looked to be headed to the same outcome, as the Yellowjackets held the lead for the majority of the play. However, five straight points gave third-seed Avonworth the 19-18 edge, and after the teams were deadlocked at 21-21, the Antelopes scored four of the final six points to even the match. The third set was back and forth for the early going, but the Lopes again took control in the middle stages of the set. Avonworth held a lead from 13-12, all the way until the Yellowjackets tied it at 23-23. Avonworth rebounded, though, and scored the last two points to take the 2-1 set lead. The fourth set was a thriller, as Avonworth controlled the start, while Freeport pulled ahead in the middle stages. The Jackets had set points at 24-21, but Avonworth scored five straight to pull ahead 25-24. With Freeport’s back again the wall facing set and match point, the Yellowjackets rallied to take the set in extra points, and extend the match. Freeport again displayed its resiliency in the fifth and final set, as Avonworth gained a 13-10 edge and appeared on the brink of bouncing the defending champs. Freeport, though, notched the final five points of the set, sealing the win in dramatic fashion. Among the top contributors for Freeport were Katie Zingaro, Hannah Mason, Maggie Ward, Maddie Christy, Jenna Manke and libero Claire Crytzer. Conversely, Avonworth received strong efforts from Emily Ferketic, Erin Williams, Whitney Brown and libero Katie Jo Smith. While Avonworth already has qualified for the PIAA postseason, the Yellowjackets will seek their fourth title in the past seven years in Saturday’s championship, scheduled to start at 2 p.m.

WPIAL CLASS 1-A Semifinals:

Greensburg Central Catholic Centurions 3 – Fort Cherry Rangers 1 
No. 1 Greensburg Central Catholic advanced to the WPIAL Girls 1A Volleyball Championship for the fifth straight season with a 3-1 victory over No. 4 Fort Cherry Thursday night at Peters Township High School. The Centurions won the match 25-18, 25-20, 26-28, 25-19. The was highlighted by a tremendous matchup between two of the WPIAL’s most dominants net-front players in GCC’s Mikayla Bisignani and Fort Cherry’s Hannah Greene. Bisignani led all players with 21 kills and added six of the Centurion’s nine aces, including five during a 10-point run in the first set. GCC found themselves behind 17-13 in the opening frame, but then ripped off a 12-1 run to win the opening set 25-18. The second set was not in as much doubt for the Centurions, who are now 24-1 overall in 2016. Bisignani took a back seat to teammate Brittany Stawovy, who contributed 4 kills as GCC rolled to a 25-20 set win. With Bisignani and Greene both back to the front of the net in the third set, it was the Cleveland State recruit in Greene that made the biggest difference with six of her team-high 17 kills. No team led in the game by more than three points, as a see-saw set went to Fort Cherry, 28-26. But the Centurions came out strong in the final set, with Bisignani putting up seven kills and Stawovy adding three in the 25-19 set victory. Greensburg Central Catholic advances to the Championship Game and will meet No. 2 Bishop Canevin on Saturday at Noon at Baldwin High School. The Centurions and Crusaders have played in four-straight title games, with both team winning twice. Fort Cherry’s season is not over, as they will meet No. 3 Frazier in the 1A Consolation match at Baldwin’s auxiliary gym on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Bishop Canevin Crusaders 3 – Frazier Commodores 1 
2 Seed Bishop Canevin advanced to their 5th straight WPIAL championship match with a 3-1 win over 3 seed Frazier Thursday night at Baldwin high school. The Crusaders won 25-15, 25-13, 16-25, 25-22. BC started strong behind a big first two sets for freshman Alexa Malloy whose kills came in bunches and seemingly always at just the right time and it looked like the Crusaders would cruise. But Frazier behind a fantastic freshman of their own in Skye Eicher turned the tables in the third set and dominated on Eicher’s kills along with strong play by middle hitter Hannah Fell. In fact it looked like Frazier was well on their way to forcing the short game with a 14-11 lead in set four. But Canevin with senior Paris Morinville at the service line and went on a 4-0 run as setter Maddie Maziarz set sophomore Kylie Airesman for a pair of monster tide turning kills. Frazier retook the lead 16-15, but Maziarz at the service line for Canevin gave the Commodores huge fits late and Canevin retook the lead building it to 23-18. Frazier fought back late but Canevin held on for the 25-22 win. The Crusaders will meet Greensburg Central Catholic for the Title Saturday at noon here on the MSA Sports Network.