Girls Volleyball: Upper Merion vs. Pope John Paul II PAC championship preview
Girls volleyball in the Pioneer Athletic Conference is experiencing déjà vu.
For the second straight year, undefeated Upper Merion matches up with seasoned and surging Pope John Paul II with the PAC championship on the line, Thursday night, 7 p.m. at Spring-Ford.
Breaking down the matchup of top-seeded Upper Merion and No. 3 Pope John Paul II:
Records >> Pope John Paul II: 12-5 overall (No. 3 in District 1-3A rankings); Upper Merion: 20-0 overall (No. 2 in District 1-4A rankings)
Head-to-head >> On Sept. 12, Upper Merion defeated PJP 3-1. On Sept. 20, UM won 3-1.
PAC playoff history >> Pope John Paul II has won every PAC championship since the league began in 2013, the last two in the Final Four era. Upper Merion reached the 2017 final, falling to PJP 3-2.
On Pope John Paul II >> The Golden Panthers impressed in the semifinals with a 3-0 win over Boyertown, reversing a 3-1 loss in the regular season. PJP features many of the key performers from last year’s PAC and District 1-3A championship team that reached the quarterfinals in PIAA 3A, including 2017 PVCA All-State libero Simone Sparano (17 digs, 15 service points in the semifinals), Madeline Mulcahey (10 kills, 11 digs), setter Chelsea Harvey (32 assists) and Maddie Lesinski (8 digs).
On Upper Merion >> The Vikings, under 25th-year head coach Tony Funsten, are led by senior outside hitters Tori Wright and Danielle Chung, and senior setter Kelly Moore. In UM’s semifinal win over Perkiomen Valley, senior Katelyn O’Brien and sophomore Jada Peoples came up big on serve and offensively. Upper Merion were District 1-4A finalists and PIAA 4A qualifiers in 2017.
Matchup >> The setup is the same as a year ago: Upper Merion enters undefeated and the favorite to raise the championship plaque while Pope John Paul II is possibly catching fire as the postseason hits. That equation made for a dramatic five-set win for the Panthers a year ago. PJP hadn’t found the go-to presence that last year’s Mercury All-Area Player of the Year Mary Kate Mooney provided throughout the regular season. While Upper Merion lost one in Emma Andraka, the Vikings still have another in senior Tori Wright. After being denied the championship moment it expected last year, Upper Merion likely can’t imagine it being taken again.
Prediction >> Upper Merion 3, Pope John Paul II 1
