Sacred Heart gets another states shot against Nativity
Sacred Heart faces a familiar foe when it takes on District 11 champ Nativity BVM out of Pottsville in the opening round of the PIAA Class A volleyball tournament Tuesday at Upper Dublin High School (6 p.m.).
This is the second straight year the Lions (13-8) and Hilltoppers (21-1) will square off in the opening round of the state tournament. Nativity won last year’s match 3-1 (25-21, 27-25, 19-25, 25-15) and eventually advanced to the state semifinals.
Sacred Heart rallied from an 0-2 deficit to beat Plumstead Christian, 3-2, to win the District 1 title for the third year in a row, and then beat Strawberry Mansion, 3-0, to take the Districts 1-12 regional championship and qualify for the state tournament.
The Lions have gone five sets seven times and are 5-2 in those matches. Senior Hannah Martinson has 598 assists and 2,227 for her career, most in school history. She also has 79 aces on the season and is four from tying the school record for her career. She’s also the only senior on a team that starts four freshmen. Erin Corcoran leads the team with 285 kills and 235 digs. Bella O’Toole is second on the team with 206 digs. Macie Moresco set the school freshman kill record with 127 and counting.
Nativity’s lone loss was a five-set decision to Blue Mountain in the Schuylkill League semifinals. That was the only match in which the Hilltoppers went five sets. Nativity starts a veteran lineup, with four seniors and three juniors.
Arch. Carroll vs. Pennsbury
The Patriots (17-5) enter the PIAA Class 4A tournament Tuesday with a 10-match winning streak. They take on the Falcons (20-3) at Bonner-Prendergast (4 p.m.).
Carroll pulled off a great comeback to win the Catholic League title for the fourth year in a row, surviving four match points to beat O’Hara, 3-2, and followed that up with a 3-0 victory over Central for a fourth straight District 12 Class 4A title.
The Patriots are led by senior Paige Monastero, the two-time Catholic League MVP, and fellow All-Catholic Megan McCann.
The Falcons have lost two in a row after going 18-1 in the regular season. Pennsbury fell to eventual District 1 champ Bishop Shanahan, 3-0, in the District 1 semis and then dropped a 3-2 decision to Downingtown West in the third-place game.
Card. O’Hara vs. Villa Maria
The Lions (23-2) bounced back from that disappointing loss to Carroll in the PCL final with a 3-1 victory over Academy at Palumbo in the District 12 Class 3A championship game to earn a first-round date with the Hurricanes (18-2) in the second game of a doubleheader at Bonner-Prendergast (7 p.m.).
O’Hara’s only other loss was a 3-1 setback to District 1 Class 4A runnerup Unionville on Sept. 9. The Lions are led by a trio of All-Catholic selections, Regan Hickey, Bridget McGuinn and Emily Collins.
The Hurricanes fell to Pope John Paul II in the District 1 final, 3-0. That loss snapped five-game winning streak. Villa Maria also dropped a 3-1 decision to Unionville.
