PAC Girls Volleyball Final Four Preview: Methacton-Upper Merion, Pope John Paul II-Perkiomen Valley
The Pioneer Athletic Conference Girls Volleyball Final Four commences Tuesday, 5 p.m. at Perkiomen Valley.
Unblemished thus far in 2022, top-seeded Frontier Division champion Pope John Paul II will take on No. 4 Perkiomen Valley on the latter’s home court at 7 p.m. following Liberty champ No. 2 Methacton’s game against No. 3 Upper Merion.
A breakdown of the matchups:
Methacton (2) vs. Upper Merion (3)
Records: Methacton: 11-3 PAC, 16-3 overall, Liberty champion, No. 7 in District 1-4A rankings. Upper Merion: 12-3 PAC, 15-4 overall, Frontier Division runner-up, No. 9 in District 1-4A rankings.
Head-to-head: Upper Merion took a 3-1 win over Methacton on Oct. 19 at home.
PAC Playoff History >> Having put together a strong campaign in the regular season this fall, Methacton is pursuing its first PAC championship ever. A win on Tuesday would give Methacton its first PAC championship game berth in program history.
Upper Merion is chasing its first PAC championship appearance, and title, since 2018, having defeated Pope John Paul II in straight sets for the title at the time. Upper Merion fell to Pope John Paul II the year prior, 3-2.
Vikings at a glance >> Sophia Schweikert is an undeniable top scoring threat in District 1. Coming off a sensational freshman season that saw 480 kills and Mercury All-Area honors, Schweikert has continued to spearhead Upper Merion’s offense. Amber Chang notably had a strong outing in her first start at outside hitter against Great Valley on Oct. 8, logging 14 kills, 12 digs and 10 service points, six of which were aces.
Outside hitter Gabrielle Canete and libero Julia Giammarco, both seniors, pace Upper Merion’s defense while Caitlyn Daywalt leads the team in assists. Yalerie Acevedo is also a scoring threat who can split work with Schweikert. Against Owen J. Roberts last Wednesday, Acevedo registered 13 kills, just one shy of Schweikert’s 14-kill outing.
Warriors at a glance >> Having taken 33 of its 47 sets against conference foes, Methacton has been sparking at the tail-end of the season, highlighted by a 3-1 win over Spring-Ford on Oct. 10 to avenge a prior loss to the Rams this fall. Kayla Ginther, Mandy Baldwin, Jacque Rizzuto and Rachel Pettine have all had big outings recently. Madison Roeger and Sam Kiernan are also players to watch in the postseason.
Pope John Paul II (1) vs. Perkiomen Valley (4)
Records >> Pope John Paul II: 15-0 PAC, 18-0 overall, Frontier champion, No. 1 in District 1-3A rankings. Perkiomen Valley: 10-4 PAC, 12-6 overall, Liberty runner-up, No. 13 in District 1-4A rankings.
Head-to-head >> Pope John Paul II defeated Perkiomen Valley in straight sets on the road Sept. 28
PAC Playoff History >> Dating back to the start of the PAC girls volleyball championships in 2013, Pope John Paul II has been a juggernaut, amassing six titles. Pope John Paul II fell to Boyertown, 3-2 last year in the championship and is seeking its first conference title since 2019.
Perkiomen Valley has never gotten past the PAC semifinals and has been eliminated by Pope John Paul II in three of its four appearances. Last year, Perkiomen Valley was close to getting over the hump, taking Pope John Paul II to five sets.
Golden Panthers at a glance >> Without a loss to its name on the season, Pope John Paul II has dropped just four sets all year. Three of those sets came to PAC opponents, two to Spring-Ford and one to No. 3 Upper Merion. Pope John Paul II’s offense is fueled by 2021 Mercury All-Area selections Hutton Cordrey and Grace Cooper while Madison Monahan has paced the team with consistent game-high assists.
Vikings at a glance >> Coming off a long stretch of road games, Perkiomen Valley has gone 4-0 since returning to its home court, taking wins over Phoenixville, Boyertown and most notably, a sweep of No. 3 Upper Merion last Thursday. A Vikings squad highlighted by Mercury All-Area senior Naomi Clauhs has picked up steam in its own gym ahead of the PAC semifinals held at their own venue.
