Pennsbury boys volleyball switches back to top Council Rock South (VIDEO)
FAIRLESS HILLS – With just one Suburban One League (SOL) match remaining with William Tennent, Pennsbury knew it could not afford any glitches in its Senior Night battle with visiting Council Rock South.
So when the Golden Hawks bounced back and won game three 25-23 to turn the May 5 pairing into a horse race, the Falcons reverted back to the alignment that won them the first two games.
With the start of postseason play looming on May 17, Pennsbury (10-3, 10-1: SOL) wants to find a way to free up opposite hitter Sean Sweeney for more kill attempts. Leading CR South (7-8, 4-7: SOL) two games to none in this one, the Falcons had switched to a five-one alignment in game three.
South took full advantage of Pennsbury’s unfamiliarity with the configuration, getting out to a 17-10 lead before the Falcons rallied near the end of game three.
“We knew we had to finish it off right there or we were going to create issues for ourselves that we didn’t need,” said Pennsbury senior co-captain Kevin Killoran. “Going into game four, we knew we had to pull it out so we went back to a six-two. We’re a little bit more comfortable running the six-two so that’s what we did.”
The Falcons got out to an 8-3 edge in game four before the Hawks answered with a 6-1 run – capped by a tip over the net by senior Zach Brilliant and a Pennsbury hitting error – that tied the score at 9-all.
The Falcons answered with a 9-2 scoring run that was capped with an ace by senior outside hitter James Greenland and a kill by Killoran. Leading game four 18-11, Pennsbury took charge from there. The Falcons closed game four out with a 25-16 triumph.
Sweeney set Killoran up for the final kill that led to the match point.
“It was awesome to be set for the last ball that could potentially be my last kill in this gym,” commented Killoran.
Senior Kenny Hickman led the Pennsbury attack with 10 kills and seven blocks along with a .571 hitting percentage. Sweeney chipped in with nine kills, 19 assists, 18 digs and three blocks. Killoran came through with four kills, 29 assists, one ace and 15 digs and senior libero Brad Edwards contributed with 17 digs.
“I’m not going to say it was a perfect game by any means for anyone,” said Killoran, “but it was a total team effort by us.”
If the hand plays out the way the pundits predict, the Falcons should take its half of the SOL National Conference trophy, sharing the crown with CR North, which split with Pennsbury this season.
While the Falcons took the first meeting on March 31 in Newtown, 3-2, the Indians gained a measure of revenge on April 22, taking the best of five games at Pennsbury.
“It would have been nice to sweep them this year but they’re a good team and I’m relatively happy with the results,” said Sweeney. “I feel like if we play them again, we can definitely take them.”
Last year, Rock North topped the Falcons three times – twice during the regular season and again in the second round of the District One Class AAA tournament.
A team that went to the state final in 2013 and the District 1 quarterfinals in 2014, Pennsbury topped Lower Merion 3-0 in the opening round of districts last year before bowing out to Rock North, 3-1.
“Last year was a bit of a recovery year but this year, we’re ready to go the distance,” commented Sweeney. “I think we’re more consistent. Everybody knows where they should be. Last year, there was a lot of fighting for spots so you weren’t always playing with the same people.
“This year’s team, we’ve played together for two or three years so we know each other and we’re just a good group of kids.”
So why the configuration change in game three?
Last year, the Falcons were always in the 5-1 alignment. This season, they’re running a 6-2 set.
“We were looking at numbers from last year as compared to this year and we’re setting Sean (Sweeney) a lot less this year,” said Pennsbury head coach Justin Fee. “The six-one forces him to set and that takes away his back row attempts that he had last year.
“He’s by far our most efficient hitter; we have to find a way to get him the ball a little bit more.
“When we run our six-two, we have him setting half the time and hitting half the time. In the five-one, he’s the hitter whether he’s in the front row or the back row and we can get him the ball all the time.”
The coach would like to take this group deep into the postseason. Fee says that while the 2103 group was “all-in” for volleyball, some players since were more the March to May variety.
“Last year, some kids were all-in kids and others were only here for the fun,” said the coach.
“That’s going to lead to not being very good and was kind of where we were at last year.
“The 2013 team that went to the (state) finals was 100 percent all-in for volleyball and I think we’re finally getting that back with this group of seniors and some of the new freshman coming in this year.
Despite their 10-3 record and tied for first place standing with Rock North, oddly enough, this could have been the Falcons’ last match on their home court. Seeding is set for May 12 and even of it does obtain a home matchup, Pennsbury could have to play it at one of the middle school gyms.
That because, with the Senior Prom slated for May 21, the Falcons Nest will be tied up for at least a week prior to that in preparation for the big event.
Contact Steve Sherman at ssherman@21st-Centurymedia.com or @BucksLocalSport on Twitter
Pennsbury 3, Council Rock South 1
(May 5 at Pennsbury)
PENNSBURY 25 25 23 25
CR SOUTH 12 19 25 16
