Saturday, June 2
By Kevin Freeman http://www.lancnews.com/sports/index.htm
Intelligencer Journal Sports Writer
SHIPPENSBURG _ On a day of great
expectations, the Hempfield High School boys" volleyball team achieved
just what it thought it could.
The Black Knights, ranked the No. 1 team in the state, tossed aside all
three teams they faced in the PIAA Championships pool play Friday at
Shippensburg University and, for the second straight year, reached the state
semifinals.
This morning at 10:30 back at Ship's Heiges Fieldhouse, Hempfield, the top
team from Pool A, tees it up against Upper St. Clair, the No. 2 team from Pool
B, in one of the semis. Maplewood (A-2) goes against Mount Lebanon (B-1) in the
other semi. The semifinal winners meet at 1 p.m. for the state title.
Last year, the Black Knights fell in the state semifinals, to eventual state
tournament runner-up Montour.
While mindful of the past, Hempfield (27-0 officially, 57-0 counting
tournaments) is playing in the present. On the court, the Knights don't worry
about what just happened or what will happen. They play in the here and now and
so far, the formula is working perfectly.
"This whole year, we've been getting ready physically and mentally for
this weekend,'" said Hempfield middle hitter Ben Murray.
It's Murray's role to be active on offense and he was in top form in the
three pool victories over Bethlehem Freedom (15-6, 15-13), North Allegheny
(15-10, 15-7) and Maplewood (15-13, 15-8).
Murray, a 6-foot-4 senior, was particularly strong in the Knights"
victory over Maplewood, the defending state champs. Maplewood, ranked No. 3 in
the state (previously No. 1), came back from a 9-2 deficit and eventually
knotted the first game at 13-13 before Hempfield prevailed. The game ended on a
Murray kill, one of 18 in the match.
"I was worried when Maplewood came back, particularly when it's in your
grasp and you let it get away,'" said Hempfield coach Mike Vogel.
"(During the timeout), I told them that they were ahead and to play like
they are ahead and not behind. Let's just go out and do it."
Tony Spangler also made his presence felt, coming up with key kills at key
times. Of course, the initiator of most of Hempfield's points is setter Matt
Baker, who is a free distributor when it comes to setting the ball.
"All I can say is that's Baker's genius,'" Murray said. "He
moves the ball all the way across the length of the net, giving guys sets at
the right places at the right times. He knows what he's doing."
Stopping Maplewood's 6-6 inside hitter Matt Proper was also important to the
Knights" win. Proper had 11 kills but he had a lot of potential kills
blocked back at him by Murray, Matt Manning and Keith Maurer. The loss was the
first of the year for the Tigers (21-1).
In Hempfield's second match of the day, against North Allegheny (19-2), the
state's seventh-ranked team, the Black Knights raced to an early 8-2 lead
before being overtaken by the Tigers, 9-8. Several unforced errors by the
Knights aided North Allegheny's comeback.
While Hempfield didn't get a whole lot of practice at coming from behind
during the regular season, the Black Knights seem to know how to do it anyway.
A Spangler kill led the comeback with Steve Mummaw picking up one of his
own, a product of one of many Baker sets. Spangler then picked up another kill,
which was more spectacular because Hempfield had rebuffed three straight North
Allegheny kill attempts prior to Spangler's winner.
"Hempfield's ball-handling skills are superior,'" said North
Allegheny coach Robert Miller. "They don't let a ball hit the ground.
Somebody digs it, somebody saves it. Unless you rip a ball off their arms, they
are not going to let a ball go out of bounds."
Baker followed with a great block and Hempfield had a 13-10 lead en route to
the 15-10 Game 1 win. Hempfield's Gary Vogel picked up the final point with a
service ace.
North Allegheny grabbed a 3-1 lead in Game 2 but Hempfield reeled off nine
straight points. Murray (14 kills) led the uprising with winners coming from
Mummaw and Keith Maurer. The victory put the Knights into the semifinals.
"We were a little looser in the second match,'" Baker said.
"In the first match, everyone was a little nervous. In the second match,
we were more focused."
The Black Knights avoided a three-game affair against Bethlehem Freedom in
the opening match with a comeback that saw them rally from 11-6 and 13-11
deficits in the second game.
After winning the first game, 15-6, Hempfield saw Freedom, ranked No. 15 in
the state, score six straight points to take an 11-6 lead. After a timeout, the
Knights battled back with the help of some Freedom errors, a soft kill by
Manning and a touch kill to knot the game at 11-11.
The Patriots (22-7) took a 13-11 lead but a kill from Murray (team-high 16
kills) and a Freedom error knotted the game at 13-13. A block by Murray and a
team block from Spangler (seven kills) and Baker gave Hempfield the game, 15-13.
"We zoned out a little bit there,'" said Mummaw, who had eight
kills in the match. "We realized we came here to win and then turned it
on."
"We were hitting into the teeth of their defense,'" said Vogel,
talking about falling behind. "They were parked on the perimeter and we
were making unforced errors and hitting right at them. Finally, we just started
tipping the ball (for winners) and loosened up their defense a little bit."
Now, the focus is on Upper St. Clair, ranked 10th in the state in the latest
poll and a team Hempfield has not faced this season. While Hempfield matched up
well Friday in the size department, the Knights will be looking across the net
at some taller players today.
Upper St. Clair has two players who are 6-9 and another who is 6-8. Contrast
that with the Hempfield lineup, which includes Manning (6-8), Murray (6-4),
Spangler (6-2) and Tom Diehl (6-2). Should Hempfield face Mount Lebanon (the
No. 2 team in the state) in the finals, the Blue Devils sport a 6-7 player and
a pair at 6-6.
But that's just another challenge to tackle. To date, the Black Knights have
met and conquered them all.