Parkland cruises past Perk Valley in PIAA opener

ALLENTOWN >> Perkiomen Valley’s magical ride came to a halt Tuesday night against Parkland, the number one-ranked team in the state.

Perkiomen Valley dropped a 3-1 decision to the Trojans with the Vikings winning game three by a 25-21 score. Parkland took the others 25-23, 25-22 and 25-13 in the clincher at Whitehall High School.

Perkiomen Valley, the third place finisher from District 1, finished its season with a 19-3 overall record under first-year head coach Drew Scheeler.

The Vikings were also co-champions of the Pioneer Athletic Conference with Pope John Paul II.

PV held early 5-1 leads in both games before Parkland (23-0) started to click.

“Again, the first two games could have gone either way,” said Scheeler. “But our girls played the number one team in the state. We made a couple mistakes. But with the season we had, we are all happy.”

Cayla Veverka finished with 13 kills and 12 digs. Helena Clauhs had 12 kills and six digs.

Caitlin Corcoran had three kills and six blocks. Adrianna Lattanzi had 14 digs. Ellie Min totaled 34 assists, 10 digs and three aces.

“On a positive note, we made it the farthest the school has ever gone in volleyball,” said Corcoran, who is one of five seniors on the squad. “We gave the program a good start, and they can keep going from here.”

PV actually scrimmaged Parkland early in the season so the Vikings had an idea of what to expect.

“We weren’t nervous,” said Corcoran. “We were ready to come out and play.”

The first-round loss brought an end to the careers of Corcoran, Emilia Leyes, Emily Oltman, Veverka and Amia Boone.
Corcoran plans to continue playing volleyball in college at either Bentley University or West Chester.

Parkland advanced to Saturday’s second round against Cardinal O’Hara, which pulled out a five set victory over Great Valley.

The first game was tied at 17, 19 and 20 before the Trojans won.

PV jumped out to a 6-1 lead in game three and then extended that margin to 15-10. The Vikings won that game on a Corcoran kill.

Parkland, which won the state title in 2011, moved out to a 9-4 lead in game four on a kill by Sam Graver. PV called a timeout and came back to within 9-6 on a Corcoran block.

But the Trojans took control and roared to a 19-6 lead with nine straight service points by Erika Foose, who also added the decisive match point.