Council Rock North outlasts CB West in District 1 semifinal marathon
WARMINSTER >> The margin for error in a volleyball match is already small, but in a decisive fifth set, it becomes almost microscopic.
In the first-to-15 decider, a single point can be all the swing in momentum needed. When CB West and Council Rock North’s boys’ volleyball teams hit the court at William Tennent on Tuesday night, it looked like the Indians, with their size advantage and No. 1 ranking, would win easily.
But that wouldn’t be giving the Bucks their due credit. CB West threw everything it had into the match, but ultimately fell short in the fifth set as Rock North won a thriller, 3-2 (30-28, 19-25, 25-20, 19-25, 17-15) in the second half of the District I semifinal doubleheader.
“We made some key errors when we needed not to, it happens, we didn’t take care of our side of the net,” West coach Todd Miller said. “We played incredibly hard and did not stop fighting and I’m proud of them for that. They kept fighting all the way to the end and that’s all you want to see.”
The extra-points loss in the first game was especially painful given that the Bucks held a six-point lead and couldn’t hold it. But they came right back and kept CR North at arms’ reach in the second set to tie up the match, starting the see-saw battle for the final three sets.
West hitter Daniel Klapper had a big match, and got help from Ryan Alu and setter Matt Douple. But Rock North was well-aware of the Bucks’ willingness to give Klapper a lot of swings and tried to put some of its height in his way.
Towering Jason Yakimiv, Logan Fuglestad and Eric Van Thuyne were three of the most common owners of the long arms in the block, but North rotated whoever was at the net toward the ball. Behind him, the back row cleaned up, with senior libero Aaron Knotts and Alex Saraceno leading the way.
“We expected (Klapper) to put a lot of balls away so we were trying to play defensively-oriented this game,” Knotts said. “We wanted to touch as many balls as possible and just dig it up and side out when they had float serves. We did pretty well pushing the ball to target but it was still a nail-biter.”
CR North advances to play Pennridge in the district final on Thursday.
Much like CB West controlled the second set, the Indians were cruising through the third set, opening up a 24-16 lead and looking like they were about to seize control. The Bucks came back with a 4-0 spurt, putting enough scare into North that it prompted a timeout. While the Indians then finished the game off, it was enough to show West it wasn’t over yet.
In the third set, after letting North crawl to within 15-11, the Bucks built their lead back up thanks to four straight errors on the other side of the net. North then came back with five straight points, but a timely timeout stemmed the tide and let West close the set out on a 4-3 run.
“We started out pretty weak in the first five points of every game so we were always digging ourselves out of holes,” Knotts said. “It’s been like that all season.”
West had the early momentum surge in the final set when Cole Kaminski’s change-of-pace serve rolled off four straight Bucks points for a 9-6 lead. But, North got him off the line, then tied the set at 10-10 on a call that the Bucks though hit the antenna.
That was the middle of a 4-0 North run for a 12-10 lead, but the Bucks fought back and the teams traded ties at 12-12, 13-13, 14-14 and 15-15 for a few more points, because it was just that kind of match.
The Indians got the last two balls to fall in their favor, ending the marathon. CB West will face Pennsbury for third place and the district’s last state playoff spot.
“They’ve got a huge amount of heart and work hard for each other, enough that they’ve accomplished great things and I’m proud of them for that,” Miller said. “That in and of itself, is fantastic. Wins and losses can be forgotten quickly, it’s the way that people carry themselves that leaves a lasting impression.”
