No. 1 Pope John Paul II, No. 3 Upper Merion advance to PAC girls volleyball championship
GRATERFORD >> The Pioneer Athletic Conference girls volleyball semifinals weren’t without their twists, turns and drama.
No. 3 Upper Merion outlasted No. 2 Methacton (21-25, 25-17, 25-19, 20-25, 15-12) in a five-set thriller before top-seeded Pope John Paul II swept No. 4 Perkiomen Valley (25-18, 25-20, 25-15) in a doubleheader at Perkiomen Valley Tuesday.
With their semifinal wins, No. 1 Pope John Paul II will meet No. 3 Upper Merion in the PAC championship at the same venue Thursday at 7 p.m.
Here’s how it all went down.
No. 3 Upper Merion 3, No. 2 Methacton 2
Following four tightly contested sets, Upper Merion (12-3, 16-4) blew the doors open with a 9-1 lead in the final frame to ride out the win.
“I think we finally realized we all have to work together as a team and we eventually came together,” Upper Merion sophomore Sophia Schweikert said. “We were like, ‘We gotta win this.’”
Coming off a freshman season that saw 480 kills and a Mercury All-Area selection, Schweikert has kept the gas pedal floored throughout 2022. Against Methacton (11-3, 16-4), the underclassman posted a game-high 32 kills and 22 digs, playing effectively in both phases.
Upon dropping the first set after making a late run, Upper Merion closed out an eight-point rally to tie the match.
“I think towards the end of the second set we got more momentum because we kept playing hard, and I think that carried out to the third and fourth sets,” Schweikert said. “Finally, when we realized we lost that fourth set, we had to bring it even harder.”
Caitlyn Daywalt amassed 37 assists, the bulk of which came on Schweikert‘s kills. Throughout the barrage, Rachel Pettine came up with a team-high 18 digs and 34 assists for Methacton while Mianna Ly (16 digs) and Mandy Baldwin (15 digs, 14 kills) paced Methacton’s defense.
Methacton’s stout defensive play is a main reason as to why it’s ranked No. 7 among District 1 Class 4A schools. It was put on display at Perkiomen Valley, highlighted by a pair of clutch digs made by Ly on Schweikert during the same volley.
“We set up a blocking scheme for (Schweikert) to try to direct the ball to certain spots. We got blockers in the right spots I think,” Methacton coach Alex Notaristefano said. “Mianna though, she can dig. And she can play, so there are definitely points in time where I want her touching the ball.”
Set 2 — Holy moly.
Methacton libero Mianna Ly comes up with two huge digs on Sophia Schweikert to tie it up 16-all.
A line judge was smiling after that one. pic.twitter.com/8VxcvGN2Mi
— Evan Wheaton (@EvanWheaton) October 18, 2022
The win for Upper Merion sends it to the PAC championship for the first time since 2018, which it won 3-0 against Pope John Paul II.
“I think it’s huge for us. I love this group, like this group of girls is amazing,” Schweikert said. “We know how to work together and when we know how to work together, our team finally comes together, we have huge rallies and we’re able to click together.”
Set 4 — A kill from Schweikert ties it 14-14. Neither team able to gain much ground in the fourth. pic.twitter.com/jVLkTgDtGW
— Evan Wheaton (@EvanWheaton) October 18, 2022
Three points shy of clinching its first PAC championship berth in program history, Liberty division champ Methacton sets its eyes on the District 1-4A tournament.
“The PAC championships are really, really nice,” Notaristefano said. “It’s something the conference does to give the girls a little added incentive for the extra-competitive matches at the end, but districts are important as well and maybe more so because they give you the opportunity to get to that state tournament.”
No. 1 Pope John Paul II 3, No. 4 Perkiomen Valley 0
Riding the high of a four-game win streak since returning from a slew of road games, Perkiomen Valley (10-4, 12-7) raised eyebrows right out of the gate.
Between shots sailing out of bounds and timely defensive plays, Perkiomen Valley immediately saw itself up 5-0 over Pope John Paul II (15-0, 19-0) — the top-ranked team in District 1-3A.
Amongst a packed home crowd that called out the Black Panther “yibambe” battle cry each time Perkiomen Valley scored, it didn’t take long for Pope John Paul II to find its feet.
“I think we took advantage of the environment. I think we play really well in environments like this in big moments when people come out and watch us play,” Pope John Paul II senior Grace Cooper said. “I think once we get in the groove, we’re able to really take that power and be with it.”
Cooper, a Mercury All-Area libero, made seven digs, second only to Hutton Cordrey’s eight. Cordrey — a Mercury All-Area outside hitter — and Natalie Ricevuto both registered nine kills for Pope John Paul II. Madison Monahan logged a game-high 33 assists.
Seeking its seventh PAC title Thursday, Pope John Paul enters the conference crown tilt undefeated with just four sets dropped all season, one at the hands of Upper Merion.
“Our offense really helps us slow down getting touches off the block,” Cooper said. “It’s able to help us get in-system … We read fast and we’re quick. We read tips well.”
Set 1 — A kill for Mercury All-Area Hutton Cordrey cuts it 12-9 Perkiomen Valley. pic.twitter.com/ZaYpOmbeHz
— Evan Wheaton (@EvanWheaton) October 19, 2022
Naomi Clauhs led Perkiomen Valley with 11 kills and three blocks. Lola Coulter added seven kills and Olivia Wusinich served an ace.
Like Methacton, Perkiomen Valley has never reached the PAC championship. But with a squad that’s ranked No. 13 among District 1-4A schools which caught steam late in the regular season and turned heads Tuesday, Perkiomen Valley enters districts with reason to be optimistic.
“It definitely prepares us because they’re one of the best to play against right now, as shown by their undefeated record this season,” Perkiomen Valley coach Jessica Highly said on Pope John Paul II. “Ending with them is big and we’ll have home court advantage in the first round of districts, which will be exciting as well. I think this prepared us well for the first round.”
