No. 1 Pope John Paul II, No. 3 Upper Merion set to face off in PAC girls volleyball championship
The 2022 Pioneer Athletic Conference girls volleyball championship is set between No. 1 Pope John Paul II and No. 3 Upper Merion.
The two will go at it at Perkiomen Valley on Thursday at 7 p.m. in a rematch of the 2018 title match, which the Vikings won in straight sets.
Upper Merion is seeking its first PAC crown since its 2018 title while the Golden Panthers are looking for their first since 2019 and their seventh overall.
How they got here >> Upper Merion grinded out a five-set win over No. 2 Methacton in the PAC semifinals Tuesday before Pope John Paul handled No. 4 Perkiomen Valley, 3-0.
Head-to-head >> Pope John Paul II defeated the Vikings in straight sets on Sept. 8 and took a 3-1 win over them on Oct. 4. Notably, while the Golden Panthers have dropped just four sets all season, one came at the hands of Upper Merion.
Golden Panthers at a glance >> Sitting atop the highest pedestal in District 1 Class 3A, top-ranked Pope John Paul II carries the No. 1 seed in the PAC tournament with good reason. Riding an unblemished 19-0 record, the Golden Panthers are the complete package in both phases, anchored by a pair of Mercury All-Area selections in outside hitter Hutton Cordrey and libero Grace Cooper.
Cordrey leads Pope John Paul II’s attack and registered nine kills alongside Natalie Ricevuto with 12 service points in the PAC semifinals. A two-way threat, she also came up big defensively with a team-high eight digs against Perkiomen Valley.
Ella Williams is another key rotation in the Golden Panthers’ offense while setter Madison Monahan, coming off a 33-assist outing on Tuesday, often lights the spark for bountiful scoring runs.
Vikings at a glance >> Ranked No. 9 among District 1-4A schools with a 16-4 record through the fall, the Frontier division runner-up’s offense is led by Mercury All-Area sophomore Sophia Schweikert and setter Caitlyn Daywalt.
Schweikert made 480 kills as a freshman and has since marched to the same beat, dropping 32 kills on Methacton during the five-setter Tuesday. Like Pope John Paul II’s Cordrey, Schweikert is just as effective defensively, having made 22 digs to hold off the Warriors.
Daywalt has been a key component in Upper Merion’s offense, consistently getting the ball into prime position by the net for attackers while leading the team in assists. Against Methacton in the semifinals, Daywalt amassed 37 assists, mainly to Schweikert as the pair provide a one-two-punch for the Vikings.
Yalerie Acevedo is another scoring threat that can produce a bulk of Upper Merion’s kills. Libero Julia Giammarco, Sydney Bright, Despina Kourtidis and Amber Chang are also among the starting rotation.
Prediction >> Boyertown has reigned supreme the past two years, but it may be time for Pope John Paul II to reclaim its throne. The 2022 Golden Panthers have the adaptability, a well-rounded attack and a defense that’s barely let anything up on the year.
Upper Merion has shown it can hang with some of the best teams in Pennsylvania and has star power on its roster, but it might be another 3-1 win for a deep Golden Panthers team to close out the conference tournament.
