Sacred Heart falls short to Nativity

Sacred Heart Academy volleyball coach Sam Moyerman had a feeling his team would be at a slight disadvantage in Tuesday’s PIAA Class A opener at Minersville High School.

Facing off against District 11 champion Nativity, the Lions were just hoping for the best after two key players, Gianna Anthony and Samantha Smith, overcame serious ailments to be on the court and in the lineup.

Neither player was 100 percent healthy, “but gave it their best,” Moyerman said.

In the end, the back-to-back District 1 champions fell in the quarterfinal round of the state tournament as Sacred Heart’s memorable season ended with a 3-1 loss (25-21, 27-25, 19-25, 25-15).

“Nativity is a scrappy team, nothing is ever hitting ground against them,” Moyerman said. “In Game 2 we had two or three set points, we were close,” but the Lions couldn’t fell a little short.

“We went with modified lineup,” Moyerman said “With Gianna, our libero, missing a week, we were not sure how she could handle on the floor non-stop. Samantha Smith also was out with an infection and was coming back tonight.”

Some of Sacred Heart’s top performers helped the team stay within striking distance throughout the match. Jaycee Webster paced the Lions with 20 kills and 10 digs. Bridget McGuinn chipped in with 11 kills, and Hannah Martinson added 40 assists and three aces. Erin Corcoran contributed nine kills and four aces.