Moresco, 10-gallon good luck charm help Sacred Heart make semis
EXETER TWP. — Sacred Heart senior Macie Moresco walked into the gym at Exeter Township High School Saturday morning wearing a red cowboy hat with a red boa attached to the brim.
She bought it on Amazon for senior night, just to have a little fun. Then she decided to bring it to the Lions’ first PIAA Class A playoff game against Marian Catholic for another purpose.
“I thought maybe it could be our good luck charm,” Moresco said.
Not wanting to tempt fate, Moresco made sure she had the hat with her when the Lions took on District 11 champ Lititz Christian in the quarterfinals. She put it in the stands with the rest of her personal belongings and immediately went for the lid after the Lions rallied for a 3-1 victory over the Eagles.
The victory sends Sacred Heart (19-7) into the semifinals for the third year in a row. The Lions will take on undefeated District 6 champ West Branch, a 3-0 winner over District 3 finalist Mt. Calvary Christian, on Tuesday at a site and time to be determined.
Wherever the game is, the hat will go along for the ride.
“Hopefully, it’s coming to the state championship with us,” Moresco said.
She played a huge role in keeping Sacred Heart’s state championship hopes alive. Moresco posted a triple double with 16 digs, 15 kills and an astonishing 13 aces to help the Lions overcome the loss of setter Annie Corcoran, who missed the game with an undisclosed injury. Her status for the semifinal is up in the air.
The absence of Corcoran forced All-Delco Emily McKenna, who usually plays outside hitter, to move into the setter’s role and that created a ripple effect throughout the lineup as other players moved to different positions.
All came through.
“It was quite stressful in the beginning,” McKenna said. “This was my first time setting, but we worked it out and got our groove on.”
McKenna finished with 39 assists in the hard-fought 23-25, 25-18, 30-28, 25-21 victory. Moresco’s work on the service line, though, was the difference in the win.
In addition to her 13 aces, Moresco was on the service line for 29 total points, 25 in the final three sets to swing the momentum in Sacred Heart’s favor..
“I just took a lot of deep breaths,” Moresco said. “I take a deep breath and close my eyes before every single game and then look over on the other side of the court with the knowledge that I can hit any position.”
Moresco had five aces in an 8-0 stretch of the second set that turned a 15-13 deficit into a 23-15 lead. She ran off three straight points in the third set to break a 14-all deadlock and ignited a 5-0 run with two aces in the third set to help the Lions open up an 8-1 lead.
“She came up so huge,” Sacred Heart coach Sam Moyerman said of Moresco. “She took some really good, smart swings and was really in control offensively and defensively, and her service game was on point. She’s a rock there. When we needed some kills or some swings or a big serve, she came through. It was an amazing performance to watch.”
Senior middle hitter Elizbeth Cuskey came up big in the attack with 14 kills. Fellow senior Aly Albanese provided seven kills and helped pace a solid defensive effort with 16 digs. Junior libero Natalie Ferdinand also was solid on defense with 15 digs.
“They all know that when we need them, they’ll step up and show up,” Moyerman said.
Hat and all.
.
