Dock Mennonite sweeps Archbishop Wood in PIAA-2A opener

TOWAMENCIN >> Dock’s intensity carried through from start to finish, as the Pioneers earned a commanding sweep of Archbishop Wood Tuesday night in the opening round of the PIAA-2A Tournament.

Dock prevailed 3-0 (25-12, 25-11, 25-11) against a Vikings team that should be heard from in the years to come.

“We weren’t really sure what to expect. We hadn’t seen these guys,” Dock coach Kirby King said. “But we did have some crossover. We both played La Salle and these guys played some teams in our league.

“So we had a pretty good idea coming in that they weren’t quite ready to play where we’re playing right now, but I think they will be. They have a coach (Chris Quaglia) that knows the game. They’re gonna keep improving. Down the road, it’s gonna be a tough squad, I’m sure.”

The win advanced Dock to the state quarterfinals Saturday against perennial power Manheim Central, which defeated Lansdale Catholic 3-0 in its first-round matchup.

“I like the way the guys played hard tonight all the way to the end,” King said. “I wanted those guys to get that mentality of finishing.”

Sean Gillespie had 12 kills for Dock, with Tristan Blum (8 kills), Tyler Derstein (five kills), Anthony Bernardo (five kills) and Cameron LeSuer (five kills) all contributing.

“It was going pretty good,” said Derstein, who also had five aces. “We had some soft spots, some rough patches where some of the sets weren’t there or we hit it in the net, but it worked out.”

Dock was the runner-up in District 1-2A last year and reached the first round of states. This spring, the Pioneers captured the District One title and have now reached Round Two.

“We have Manheim Central on Saturday and it’s gonna be tough,” King said. “I think we have a chance.”

“We’re looking to play our hearts out,” Derstein said.

Lane Bergey had 33 assists for Dock.

Nick Chesla, Colin Lynch, Andrew Lardani and Jack Velten turned in solid performances for the Vikings.

“It was a good match. They played really well,” Quaglia said. “I’m really happy with how they played – it was a great ending to our season. It was a really good run. We started with four or five players who have played volleyball before as of January, and I’m very pleased with how the team turned out.

“These boys have a lot of heart and they played well all year. I’m very proud of them. We have a good, young group in the works and we also have some other kids who have shown interest now. So I think we’re building a strong foundation and I’m looking forward to the next few years.”