Pennridge makes strong opening statement in PIAA-3A 1st round win over Northeast

BENSALEM >> Pennridge was quick and efficient.

“This match, we kind of came in and do what we had to do,” said the Rams’ Bryce Muller. “We put it away.”

Pennridge swept to a 3-0 victory over Northeast on Tuesday night at Bensalem High, looking solid in all areas in its PIAA-3A opener.

“Our goal was to come out strong and get the job finished and go home,” Muller said.

The victory advances the Rams (18-2) to the state quarterfinals Saturday against Central Dauphin, at a time and place to be determined.

Muller was a key contributor with six kills and three blocks. Ryan Benscoter led with 16 kills, adding a pair of blocks, and Riley Kodidek dished out 30 assists, along with six digs and three aces.

Pennridge prevailed 25-18, 25-14, 25-14.

“We got our middles going and they kind of carried the offensive weight,” Rams coach Dave Childs said. “That was good to see the get a lot of swings there.”

Also contributing to the victory were Tyler Johnson (six kills), Thomas McKinney (five kills), Skyler Ammon (two kills, four assists), Nick Smith (two kills) and Dan Detweiler (six digs).

“It’s about getting better every day because you’re gonna face better teams further along here in the tournament,” Childs said. “No matter who you’re playing, you gotta work to get better.

“We executed okay tonight, and that was good. We did some good things, and we did some things that we definitely need to fix.”

Pennridge now has a few days to fine-tune some things in getting ready for its state quarterfinal showdown.

“Now we’re on a better schedule moving forward here,” Childs said following Memorial Day Weekend. “Practice is a big deal.”

Michael Rivera and Eljo Agolli played well for Northeast, which earned up Runner-Up honors in District 12. The District One Champs started states the way they wanted.

“It’s a lot of mind games for us,” Muller said. “It’s all in the head. We’re hoping to come out on top (Saturday). Upper Dublin won (3-2 over La Salle) tonight so if we see them again, it’ll be in the finals. We have a few more matches until then so we wanna take it step by step.”