Rams fall in4in 3rd place match
NORTHAMPTON >> Just missing out on the PIAA Tournament as the 12th seeded was not much of a consolation to Pennridge boys volleyball coach Dave Childs.
“Forget what seed you are, we’re in the final four, it’s one game, one match at a time,” he said. “We had as good of an opportunity as anyone. So it’s just as disappointing if we were the one seed.”
In a tight contest with Pennsbury in the District 1-3A thirdplace match, the Rams claimed the opening set but the No. 2 Falcons found ways to close out the next three and claimed the district’s last state berth with a 3-1 (25-26, 25-22, 25-22, 26-24) win Thursday night at Council Rock South.
“We weren’t there mentally as if we were last week which we kind of dominated the teams we were playing against,” Rams senior Ethan Lionetti said. “It was different, but I think with our serving chances we came out and showed that we’re the Pennridge team that people know us as.”
It was the second straight meeting between the Rams and
Falcons for third and the fourth consecutive season the sides met in district play. Pennsbury, which also took third last year, advances to face the District 12 champ in the first round of the PIAA tournament Tuesday.
“They’re a very disciplined team and I think that helps them in crunch time,” said Childs of Pennsbury. “I think
you saw that in crunch time, they were really disciplined and made the right play every time.”
After Pennsbury took the second and third sets to take a 2-1 lead, Pennridge had a chance to even the match in the fourth.
The Falcons went ahead 6-5 and held the lead until a three-point run by the Rams gave Pennridge the 20-18 edge. The Rams were still up two at 23-21 before Pennsbury won the next three to earn match point at 24-23. A Chris McKinney kill pulled the Rams even at 24 but the
Falcons took the next two to seal the four-set victory.
Neither side led by more than three points in the first set with things getting tighter down the stretch. After Pennsbury tied the Rams 21-21, the Falcons knotted the score three more times, but could not take lead. Even 24-24, Pennridge got match point after a long Falcon serve then claimed a 26-24 win on the next point.
The Rams had a 14-10 lead in the second set before Pennsbury put together a 9-3 run to go ahead 1917.
Pennridge won the next two points to tie the set at 19 but the Falcons answered by collecting five of the next seven for match point at 2421. The Rams held off once, but Pennsbury leveled the match on the next point to take the set 25-22.
In the third set, the Falcons took the lead for good at 14-13 and pushed the margin to four at 17-13. The Rams could only get within two – the last time at 24-22 – before Pennsbury to go up 2-1 in the match with a 2522 win.