Friday, May 26 2000
Intelligencer Journal
Andy SheelyIntelligencer Journal Correspondent
Just before the District Three boys' volleyball pool play began Thursday night, Hempfield head coach Mike Vogel could be heard all around the gym saying, "We only have 13 more matches to win. That's how much it will take to win the state championship."
Make that 10 more matches to win.
The Black Knights (59-0-1) got off to a good start on their way to the PIAA tournament as they went undefeated Thursday night to win Pool A and advance to Saturday's semifinals where they will play Pool B runner-up Exeter. The semifinals will be held at Central York at 10 a.m. with the consolations and finals to follow at noon.
By getting to the semifinals the Knights earned an automatic bid in the PIAA tournament.
Manheim Township, the only other L-L League team to survive the first round of the district tournament, was not so fortunate, losing all three of their matches. The Blue Streaks (14-12) lost 2-0 to each of their three opponents.
York Suburban, the Pool A runner-up, will play Pool B champion New Oxford in Saturday's other semifinal.
The Knights are seeking their second straight District Three championship and they don't plan on stopping there. "We are the defending District Three champs and we finished fifth in states last year," said Vogel. "We want to win it this year."
The Knights were clearly the best team in the building Thursday night as they plowed through the opposition with ease.
In their first match, the Knights played Township. The Blue Streaks managed to keep the first game of the match close as Hempfield won, 15-12. However, the Knights were just starting to heat up as they went on to win the second game, 15-2.
Manheim Township head coach Bob Kennedy was impressed. "What can you say? They are amazing," said Kennedy. "They have everything you need _ size, power. The thing is they have six guys out there like that. Most teams are lucky to have one or two."
The Black Knights, ever confident of their own ability, were slightly wary of their second opponent, York Suburban. "This is the match you want to watch," said Vogel before the game.
The match turned out to be a one-sided affair as Hempfield totally dismantled a normally solid Trojan team with wins of 15-2 and 15-5.
The Knights' third match was against Wilson. The Bulldogs lost the first game to the Knights by a score of 15-3, but the second game was a different story.
Already leading one game to none, Vogel decided to get some of his reserves on the court. During that period the Bulldogs managed to take a 6-2 lead, the largest deficit the Knights had faced on the evening.
When starters Ben Murray and Randy Paules re-entered the game, the momentum quickly shifted back into the Knights' favor. They went on to rattle off 13 straight points to win the match.
Paules, the Knights' setter, is vital to the team's success.
"Randy is the general out there," said Vogel. "He knows where our guys are going to be in a certain situation before they even get there."
Murray agreed, saying, "He is the key to our team. When he comes into the game there is a definite difference in the way we play."