Ambridge rises to No. 1, shows resiliency in win

Fans couldn’t have asked for a more exciting match than the Class 2A Section 1 showdown between Ambridge and North Catholic April 8 at Ambridge.

North Catholic entered the match ranked No. 1 in the WPIAL, while Ambridge was No. 3. The Bridgers posted a 25-16 win in the first set and the Trojans won by the same margin in the second set.

The final three sets were as close as it can get. North Catholic pulled out a 25-23 victory in the third set to take a 2-1 lead, but Ambridge won by the same margin in the fourth set, thus forcing a fifth set.

The match ended with Ambridge pulling out a 15-13 victory, which moved the Bridgers up to No. 1 in the rankings.

“It was a challenge,” Ambridge coach Glenn Freed said. “It was a back-and-forth battle with the last three sets being decided by two points. My kids could have easily given up after the third set, but battled back to pull out the win.”

North Catholic dropped to No. 2 in the rankings, but the Trojans will have a chance to avenge the loss when the two meet again April 29 at North Catholic in the second half of section play.

“The rematch will be super important,” Freed said. “We can’t afford to look ahead in such a strong section, but I think it’s safe to say that both teams are looking forward to the rematch.”

Freed wasn’t sure what to expect when the season began, as none of his starters had previous varsity experience.

“We basically had a brand new team,” Freed said. “We were inexperienced, but have good senior leadership.”

Ambridge’s top two seniors are Reed Fisher, a 6-3 middle hitter, and Jake Kotula, a 5-9 setter.

“Reed just signed to play at Baldwin Wallace next year,” Freed said. “He would have been one of our starters last year if it wasn’t for the shutdown.

“Jake has played libero and setter for our junior high and for his club team. He would have been our libero last year. This year, we needed him as our setter. He’s done a fine job thus far.”

Junior Austin Merlina, a 5-11 junior outside hitter, led Ambridge with 14 kills against North Catholic.

“Austin is a very explosive player,” Freed said. “He can hit well from the front and back row. He’s undersized for a top player, but he plays bigger than his size.”

Ambridge improved its Section 1 record to 3-0 with Tuesday’s 3-1 win against Montour. The Bridgers play host to Hopewell Thursday, then travel to Hempfield Saturday for a nine-team tournament.

Norwin

Norwin has the dubious distinction of being the last team to start the season. The Knights had five matches either postponed or canceled due to COVID-19 shutdowns.

“We had a tri-meet with Bethel Park and Pine-Richland canceled the first weekend of the season,” Norwin coach Nick Fallone said. “We also had section matches with Armstrong, Hempfield and Latrobe postponed. We could have played the Latrobe match, but they got shut down. It’s been a challenging start to the season.”

Norwin finally got on the court Saturday at the North Allegheny tournament.

“It was so good for the kids to finally get back on the court,” Fallone said. “We were off for more than two weeks. And despite the layoff, I was pleased with our performance in the

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tournament. We tied for third place in the seven-team tournament after losing to top-ranked North Allegheny in the semifinals.”

Fallone has a young squad built around two seniors: J. C. Govannucci, a 6-5 opposite, and Austin Saunders, a 5-11 setter.

“J.C. has committed to Thiel,” Fallone said. “He had a great weekend. He had a lot of sets [from Saunders] and a lot of kills. He was our kill leader for the tournament. He’s our ace, our go-to guy when we need a kill.

“Austin is a first-year starter. He did really well in the tournament. He had good command of our offense and has a high setter IQ.”

Govannucci and Saunders are the only players in Norwin’s starting lineup who would have started last year.

“We have two freshmen and two sophomores in our starting lineup,” Fallone said. “None of them has played in a varsity match.”

The top newcomer is Troy Horvath, a 5-10 freshman outside hitter. “Troy has been training with us since fifth grade,” Fallone said. “We are expecting big things from him.”

Norwin had its first match Monday against non-section foe Seneca Valley. The Knights dropped a 3-0 decision to the No. 2-ranked Raiders. On Tuesday, Norwin opened its Section 3 schedule with a 3-0 sweep against Central Catholic.

The Knights play host to Penn Hills Thursday and are one of nineteams in Saturday’s Hempfield tournament. Also entered in the tournament are Ambridge, Baldwin, Beaver C.C., Deer Lakes, Hempfield, Latrobe, Penn-Trafford and Shaler.

Mars

Mars is off to a 3-0 start in Class 2A Section 2. The Planets opened with a 3-0 win against Plum, then surprised Derry Area by the same score. Coach Michael Nypaver’s squad claimed their third victory with Tuesday’s 3-1 win against Gateway.

“I didn’t know what to expect this season with last year’s shutdown,” Nypaver said. “I’m pleasantly surprised with our fine start in the section. I’m especially pleased with the win over Derry, a powerhouse program. I’m shocked we swept them.”

Nypaver has built his squad around two seniors who would have been four-year starters if it wasn’t for the cancellation of the 2020 season: Carson Owens, a 6-2 outside hitter, and Jesse Sines, a 5-11 setter.

“Carson is our most well-rounded player,” Nypaver said. “He’s our only kid who plays club ball. He’s signed with Baldwin Wallace to be a setter, but we have him playing on the outside because he’s our best hitter. We rely on him heavily. He usually get 50 swings per match.

“Jesse has been our setter since his freshman year. He moved into the starting lineup when our setter suffered a season-ending injury one week before the start of the (2017) season. It’s nice to have an experienced setter who understands what I want. Jesse and Carson are great captains on the floor.”

The most impressive newcomer is Conor Tomczik, a 6-3 sophomore middle hitter.

“Conor has made an impact in his first year of varsity ball,” Nypaver said. “He’s a solid blocker and has a pretty wicked serve.”

Mars, ranked No. 9, hasn’t been as successful in non-section matches against Class 2A opponents. The Planets have lost to No. 2 North Catholic, No. 3 Seton LaSalle and No. 8 Hopewell.

“We have a very difficult non-section schedule,” Nypaver said. “I set it up that way. The best way to improve is to face strong competition.”