Friday, November 10, 2000
PIAA VOLLEYBALL
Intelligencer Journal
Ian RadcliffIntelligencer Journal Correspondent
SHIPPENSBURG _ Call it whatever you want, but Conestoga Valley vs. Hempfield is now much more than a friendly local rivalry.
Both the Knights and Bucks advanced to today's PIAA Class AAA girls' volleyball semifinals, and will face each other for the fifth time this season for the right to play for gold, today at 12:40 p.m.
Hempfield, which quietly coasted to a second-place district finish behind CV and cruised through the opening round of states, made an assertive charge through Pool A Thursday at Heiges Field House.
Kerri Eshleman, Hempfield's senior middle, racked up 27 kills in three matches, including 12 in the Knights' 16-14, 15-13 win over previously unbeaten Villa Maria.
The next victim was Baldwin, which ended up second in the pool, thus qualifying as well for the semis. Hempfield's punishing defense kept the Highlanders' kill percentage low and error total high in its 15-9, 15-6 win.
Greensburg Salem, which was unable to win a match in the quarterfinals, fell to Hempfield, 15-9, 15-10, in a fairly misleading score. The Knights were never threatened in the match.
Senior outside hitters Jess Cortese and Tracy Speelhoffer had 14 and 13 kills respectively for Hempfield (27-2). Senior setter Amy Chan added seven and four aces. Eshleman put away six blocks.
A very good day in Pool B for Conestoga Valley fell just short of a great one, thanks to Mount Lebanon. In the Class AAA match of the day, the Blue Devils beat CV, 15-11, 15-11.
"The girls should have beaten them twice," CV coach Al Kofroth said. The Bucks edged out to a 9-6 first-game lead only to see it disappear in a matter of minutes. In the second, CV stormed out to an 8-0 lead, and it disappeared nearly as quickly.
In its previous two matches, CV came out smoking. Freedom, which had only three other losses this season _ one to CV _ was manhandled by Kim Glass and company. The junior MB had 11 kills in that match alone, a 15-9, 15-7 CV victory.
The Bucks, officially 28-1, easily took care of Pine-Richland, 15-6, 15-6, in their other quarterfinal match. Glass led the way with 30 kills for the evening. Senior OHs Jill Wiker and Jill Fetrow had 10 and seven kills respectively.
In winning Pool B, Mount Lebanon (22-1) will face District Seven nemesis Baldwin (18-3), which it beat in the district semifinals. Kofroth pointed to what he considers a predictable Devils offense as to why they may be vulnerable.
Against CV, Lebanon ran three plays _ a regular outside to OH Kaleena Walters, a back-row play to Walters, and a swing play on the right to OH Shelly Deemer.
"That's why they get beat by their own league," he said.
And that's why looking forward to a CV-Lebanon rematch is way too premature. They may very well be the best two teams in the state, but Hempfield and Baldwin proved Thursday in the quarters that there are no guarantees this afternoon.
"We did what we had to do to get in, but we have to learn how to play Mount Lebanon," Kofroth said. "Once we learn how to play them, we're going to beat them."
For now, it's one lesson at a time. The semifinal matches begin at 12:40 p.m., followed by the Class AAA state title match at 5:30 p.m.