Downingtown West rallies past Upper Merion, into state playoffs
UPPER MERION >> It wasn’t a comfortable position for Downingtown West, but a familiar one. The Whippets trailed West Chester East after three sets in an elimination game Tuesday and found themselves in the same spot against Upper Merion Thursday.
Just as they did against West Chester East, 10th-seeded Downingtown West rallied to a five-set win over the ninth-seeded Vikings at Upper Merion Area Middle School to earn District 1-4A’s fifth seed and a spot in the PIAA-4A state tournament.
“We had a similar match with West Chester East,” Downingtown West coach David Parrish said. “Same thing, we were down 2-1 and came back and won a really close fourth set and beat them in the fifth set. We’re kind of used to it. We know that we can come back and win in the fourth and fifth set.
“We try to keep the positivity on the court,” Whippets senior Camryn Tuffner said. “We always try to pick each other up and we make sure that no one is getting down on themselves. We really just made sure we were cheering each other on and going crazy after every point. That helped get everyone’s energy up and helped us win the game.”
West’s 3-2 win – 16-25, 25-16, 19-25, 25-21, 15-10 – sends them to the state playoffs for a second straight season. They’ll face District 3 champion Hempfield in the first round Tuesday at a site and time to be determined.
“That’s my ultimate goal,” Parrish said of the state berth. “That’s the pinnacle, the holy grail. Get there and do the best you can. You’re a top 16 team in the state and that’s an amazing achievement.”
“This means the world to me,” Tuffner, who had 30 kills and 12 digs, said. “This is our second year going to states and I’m just so incredibly proud of this whole team and I’m so happy that we get to go again.”
The Whippets and the Vikings traded one-point leads early in the fifth set until Downingtown West rattled off five straight to turn a 5-4 deficit into a 9-5 lead. They tied the game at five when Upper Merion faulted on a serve and then three Tuffner kills and a Maggie McLaughlin ace built a four-point lead. Another Tuffner kill and a few long Upper Merion shots made it 13-7.
“We were so pumped up, so excited,” Tuffner said of the game-winning stretch. “Super loud, awesome energy on the court. Loved it.”
Upper Merion got within 13-10, but Melanie Bowman scored West’s 14th point with a kill and 15th with an ace to end the match.
“It was a good match,” Upper Merion coach Tim Storti said. “They just played better in that fifth one, that’s for sure.”
The Vikings used a 6-0 run to build a 14-9 lead and take control of the first set. Their lead never fell below four points and they won the final three points to take the set, 25-16.
The Whippets took command of the second set when they scored six straight points to break a 14-14 tie. They won 11 of the final 13 points to even the match, 1-1, with a 25-16 win of their own.
Upper Merion’s Sophia Schweikert dominated the third set. She had 12 kills and scored on a block to lead the Vikings to a 25-19 win and 2-1 advantage. She had 37 kills overall.
Downingtown West used an 8-2 run in the middle of the fourth set to build a lead. Trailing 11-10, the Whippets rattled off four straight points and eight of the next 10 to make it 18-13. They maintained a comfortable lead until they won the set, 25-19, to even the match, 2-2.
Darby Weller had five kills and 34 digs for West while Bowman added 42 assists and seven kills and Bella Terra had 14 digs.
Julia Giammarco had 22 digs for Upper Merion while Caitlyn Daywalt added 51 assists and Yalerie Acevedo 15 digs.
The loss ends the season for the Vikings, who reached the Pioneer Athletic Conference championship game and finished sixth in District 1.
“That’s what I told the girls,” Storti said. “Yes, it’s disappointing, but hopefully when the sting of this is over, they can look back on it and reflect on what a good year we did have. We were one of the last six teams standing in District 1. Hopefully when the sting is over they get a chance to look at it and understand and accept what a good season we did have.”
Downingtown West 3, Upper Merion 2
Downingtown West 16 25 19 25 15
Upper Merion 25 16 25 21 10
