Senior-led Souderton sweeps rival Dock Mennonite

TOWAMENCIN >> Led by a group of seniors whose bond seems to be tightening with every match, Souderton pushed to a 3-0 victory over non-league rival Dock Wednesday night.

“As a head coach, they’ve kind of come up with me,” Big Red third-year coach Cori Watson said of her group of five seniors. “It’s nice to be on the same page with the team. I think all of us are on the same page and we’re flowing well as far as volleyball philosophy goes.”

Seniors Teya McConnaha, Madelyn Runk, Grace Boyd, Alli Sauerwald and Alexa Mazzeo all played a key hand in lifting Big Red to a win over its area rival, as Souderton stayed on course for the postseason and improved to 8-5.

“We have some youth as well but we’re heavily relying on our seniors right now,” Watson said. “And they’re doing a good job for us.”

Sauerwald and McConnaha each had three aces. McConnaha had eight kills and Grace Boyd dished out 19 assists, as Big Red continues to grow.

Said McConnaha, also a standout on the basketball court: “It feels more comfortable for me, more natural. I’m learning more about the game.”

Souderton prevailed in straight sets Wednesday night, winning 25-15, 25-15, 25-19.

“We’re coming together,” McConnaha said. “We’ve hit a few bumps in the road here and there but that’s okay. We’ll get through it.”

Souderton focused on controlling things on its side of the net, and was able to do just that for most of the evening.

“We don’t wanna rely on other teams to make that side out. We wanna stay controlled on our side,” Watson said. “And I think we were close to reaching that. I think we have more work to do as far as staying really controlled. But I think it was a good start today.”

Big Red also got seven kills each from Kay Guessford and McKenna Murawski. Maddie Runk had 10 digs for Big Red.

“We’ve been spending a lot of time on serve and pass,” Watson said. “I think it’s definitely getting better. We’re getting more aggressive in serve and receive as we’re attacking. And things are coming along.”

Souderton is in action again Friday, with a home match against Council Rock North.

Dock (6-10) is also home Friday, against Collegium Charter.