Mercury-Area Girls Volleyball Season Preview

September 12, 2018

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Boyertown

Coach: Mike Ludwig, second season.

Last year’s record: 2-6 Pioneer Athletic Conference Liberty Division; 9-11 overall.

Players to watch: Seniors: Taylor Jones, outside-hitter/setter; Allie Garris, right-side hitter. Juniors: Julia Smith, libero; Emily Wolfe, middle blocker. Sophomore: Emma Ludwig, outside-hitter/setter.

Outlook: Just a year removed from the team’s inaugural season, Ludwig already has lofty goals and expectations for the Bears this fall season. “Our goal as a team is to compete on every play and continue to improve daily,” he said. “We are looking to challenge for a PAC playoff spot and qualify for district play.” In order to achieve those goals, Boyertown will look to count on some key experienced returners, especially with the departure of Serena Salanga and Haley Bastian, both lost to graduation.

Members of the Boyertown girls volleyball team walk off the court following their 3-0 win over Norristown. It was the Bears’ first varsity win in program history. (Thomas Nash – Digital First Media)

Daniel Boone

Coach: Caitlin Celia, first season.

Last year’s record: 10-4 Berks Conference I; 10-10 overall (District 3-4A playoff qualifier).

Players to watch: Val Klick, Madison Armstrong, Ally Santos, Tori Pastor.

Outlook: The Blazers have finished 10-10 overall with a loss in the opening round of the District 3-4A playoffs each of the last two seasons. They’ll try to end that trend this season despite playing in a top-heavy Berks Division that features typical power Wilson.

Methacton

Coach: Shane Manser, 14th season.

Last year’s record: 4-4 PAC Liberty; 15-9 overall (District 1-4A qualifier).

Players to watch: Seniors: Emma Eglinton, setter; Carli Ginther, libero; Lauren Staley, outside-hitter; Hannah O’Donnell, defensive specialist. Junior: Sydney Zerbe, outside-hitter.

Outlook: The Warriors put together a solid season in 2017 but were plagued by a combined 0-4 record against Liberty Division opponents Perkiomen Valley and Spring-Ford (both PAC playoff qualifiers). Now they return for the 2018 season with five seniors having graduated from that squad, including All-League selections Andrewa Castaneda and Maggie Welsh. Even so, Manser sees plenty of room for improvement in Fairview Village. “Methacton is looking to improve on both the overall and conference records from last year,” he said. “Young but strong hitters will fill in the roles left by last year’s seniors. This year’s team strives to continue the strong defensive mentality of years past and improve in serve receive and blocking. The team is a very tight knit group that will play hard for each other every point of every match.”

Norristown

Coach: Connie Blades-Randolph, second season.

Last year’s record: 1-8 PAC Liberty; 2-13 overall.

Players to watch: Seniors: Lorraine Boggs, Tamara Wright, Victoria Let. Juniors: Adrianna Wright, Karla Figueroa. Sophomores: Julia McNamee, Alison Creeden.

Outlook: Last season, Blades-Randolph selected nine freshman to jump right into the fire and experience varsity-level volleyball. She hopes that exposure will go a long way in 2018 as the Eagles look to blend their talented youth with their upperclassmen. “The girls are finding their strengths and weaknesses on serve-receive,” said Blades-Randolph. “We are taking one game and match at a time and will continue to improve on our weaknesses. I’m excited to see the girls finding their way around on the court together.”

Owen J. Roberts

Coach: Ryan Brewer, third season.

Last year’s record: 2-6 PAC Frontier, 7-11 overall.

Players to watch: Seniors: Michelle Frank, outside-hitter; Catherine Cervi, middle-hitter; Mikayla Johnson, outside-hitter. Juniors: Jordyn Chambers, setter.

Outlook: With the program in its fourth year of existence, this year’s crop of Wildcat seniors will look to leave a lasting mark on a team they’ve been at the foundation of during their scholastic careers. OJR returns five of seven (including libero) starters from last year’s team, though will look to replace Alicia Mullins and Chloe Golas, both lost to graduation. “We have a goal to be the first ever OJR volleyball team to make district 1 playoffs,” added Brewer.

Perkiomen Valley

Coach: Drew Scheeler, fourth season.

Last year’s record: 7-1 PAC Liberty; 19-6 overall (PAC/District 1-4A semifinalist; PIAA-4A qualifier).

Players to watch: Seniors: Sarah Straub, middle-blocker; Grace Herbein, setter/opposite-hitter; Liz Caruso, defensive-specialist; Lia Torrillo, outside-hitter.

Outlook: The Vikings will face the unfortunate challenge of needing to replace three key seniors from last year’s PIAA playoff-qualifier team. Gone are standout setter Ellie Min, along with outside-hitter Helena Clauhs and Jessica Oltman. Yet blending a senior-laden squad with rising sophomores Isabel Clauhs (outside-hitter) and Ashley Bolan (setter), Scheeler believes Perk Valley has every chance to contend this fall. “A new season brings new challenges,” he said. “We look to adjust after losing many key players from last year. A return to the PAC final four and districts is a goal of this team. With heavy senior leadership PV hopes to contend with the other top teams in the PAC.”

Pope John Paul II’s Madeline Mulchahey (15) plays a tip shot over Perkiomen Valley blocker Grace Herbein (20) during their PAC semifinal at Pope John Paul II. (Austin Hertzog – Digital First Media)

Phoenixville

Coach: Mike Lantzy, first season.

Last year’s record: 5-4 PAC Frontier; 12-10 overall.

Players to watch: Seniors: Kayla Grammerstorf, middle-hitter; Keara Hennessey, setter; Malu Salin Matos, outside-hitter; Romina Broglia, outside-hitter.

Outlook: The Phantoms will look to build off a solid 2017 fall season, one that saw them post an overall record above .500 for the first time in almost a decade. The most important challenge this season will be replacing Alex Poloway and Maple Maloney, both seniors who graduated from last year’s squad. “With a strong core group returning this year, we expect to equal or improve on our record from last year,” said Lantzy. “Some new young players are helping to fill the gaps left by last year’s seniors.”

Pope John Paul II

Coach: Ryan Sell, seventh season.

Last year’s record: 6-2 PAC Frontier Division; 19-5 overall (PAC/District 1-3A champions; PIAA-3A quarterfinalist).

Players to watch: Seniors: Madeline Mulcahey, Mikeala Monroe, Caitlin Gilinger, Madelyn Lesinski, Simone Sparano. Juniors: Chelsea Harvey, Hanna Tulli, Sarah Ward, Julia Durand, Haley Spotts.

Outlook: The two-time reigning PAC champs enter the 2018 season seeking their third straight trip to the PIAA playoffs. On paper, that doesn’t appear to be all that difficult of a task for senior-laden PJP, though they’ll be looking to replace All-Area Player of the Year Mary Kate Mooney and Maggie Bevenour. “We have a really nice group of kids back from last year,” said Sell. “We are looking to make improvements every time we step on the floor whether in practice or matches. The PAC continues to get better and better every year and it’s great for all teams involved.”

Pope John Paul II’s Mikeala Monroe winds up for a serve against Spring-Ford. (Thomas Nash – Digital First Media)

Pottsgrove

Coach: Jaime Reinhart, second season.

Last year’s record: 0-10 PAC Frontier; 1-14 overall.

Players to watch: Seniors: Allie Reppert, middle/outside-hitter; Savannah Lear, setter. Junior: Chloe Shivak, outside-hitter.

Outlook: The Falcons’ first year in existence was certainly a trying one — their lone win on the season (3-0 against Chester Charter) serving as the only games they had won all year. Now they return in 2018 with plenty of experienced players, despite the loss of Sara Amer and Kira Livezey to graduation.

Spring-Ford

Coach: Josh McNulty

Last year’s record: 7-1 PAC Liberty; 16-8 overall (PAC semifinalist; District 1-4A quarterfinalist).

Players to watch: Seniors: Olivia Olsen, Grace Kraft, Lindsey Dadourian. Sophomore: Anoushka Patel.

Outlook: Last season, the Rams came just a game shy of earning a spot in the PIAA-4A playoffs, falling to Garnet Valley in straight sets during the playback round. Heading into 2018, they’ll need to replace All-Area selections Alexis Palucki and Carly Swenson, though they return plenty of experience in their libero Kraft and Olsen at outside-hitter.

Spring-Ford’s Olivia Olsen follows through on a serve during Tuesday night’s match. (Thomas Nash – Digital First Media)

Upper Merion

Coach: Tony Funsten, 25th season.

Last year’s record: 8-0 PAC Frontier; 22-3 overall (PAC/District 1-4A runner-up. PIAA-4A qualifier).

Players to watch: Seniors: Tori Wright, outside-hitter; Kelly Moore, setter; Katelyn O’Brien, defensive-specialist/setter; Danielle Chung, outside-hitter; Emily Gallagher, libero. Juniors: Gretchen Bahmueller, middle-hitter; Jill Demcher, middle-hitter; Sophie Gammarino, libero.

Outlook: The Vikings put together an unforgettable run in 2017 but didn’t come away with any first-place hardware to show for it. Upper Merion lost a five-set thriller against Pope John Paul II for the PAC Championship before being dropped in straight sets by Bishop Shanahan in the District 1-4A Championship. Gone from that squad is Emma Andraka, a two-time all-state selection and Upper Merion’s all-time kills leader, but the team features a talented roster ready to contend again for the titles that had alluded them. Wright and Moore, both All-League selections last season, return to the mix with individual goals in sight. Wright, a four-year starter, is likely to break Andraka’s school kills mark.