Despite struggles, Trojans advance

Suburban standout promises team will perform better in quarterfinals

By DICK VanOLINDA

Dispatch/Sunday News 5/23/01 http://www.yorkdispatch.com/dispatch/index.html

Ryan Fisher promises that the York Suburban boys' volleyball team will play better tomorrow night than it did last night.

The Trojans played well enough to win three matches and advance to tomorrow's night's District 3 quarterfinals.

But there were times that Suburban bore very little resemblance to the team that tore through the YAIAA tournament last week.

"We didn't play like we did last week," acknowledged Fisher, the star senior hitter who pounded 52 kills in two-game victories over Twin Valley, Carlisle and Warwick.

"We struggled a lot on serving and on passing. Last week was awesome. To play like that again tonight in the first round of districts may not be asking too much, but it is difficult to do that again. Especially concerning the situation."

The situation was that last week York Suburban was playing for a championship. Last night, the Trojans were playing to advance to the next round.

Being the only league champion in the four-team pool, York Suburban was a strong favorite to move to the quarterfinal round.

"We came in feeling we could win all three matches," Fisher said. "I'm happy we won the pool. A win is a win. Warwick and Carlisle fought hard, but we didn't always have the intensity that we needed."

That didn't surprise Trojans' coach Bob Laird.

"It's tough to put together

six high-intensity matches in a row," Laird said. "We didn't always play with the intensity and emotion that we've shown in the past. The plus side is that when we had to turn it up a notch we did."

York Suburban wiped out a 12-6 deficit against Carlisle and climbed out a 10-4 hole against Warwick.

"Things were starting to get interesting in those matches," Fisher said. "We knew we had to play, and we did."

Fisher's younger brother, Michael, ran the offense from his setter position.

The sophomore burned defenses on numerous occasions by dumping the ball over the wall of blockers instead of setting it for a hitter.

"Some of the times the ball hit the floor before the defense even reacted," Laird said. "Michael has gotten better and better. He has the personality to run the show, and he's a good decision maker."

Michael Fisher racked up 108 assists on the night.

Ryan Fisher and Adam Walton combined with Jim King and Phil Cross to give the Trojans hitting power on the outside and in the middle.

Walton recorded 21 kills in the three matches; Cross, 19, and King, 14. Ryan Fisher also had 38 digs, Walton, 25, and Nick Johnson, 21.

York Suburban defeated Twin Valley, 15-8, 15-7; Carlisle, 15-6, 16-14, and Warwick, 15-13, 15-12. In tomorrow's quarterfinals at Central, the Trojans will take on Manheim Township at 7:30 p.m.

Carlisle finished second in the pool with a 2-1 record and also gained a spot in tomorrow night's quarterfinals.

"I expect us to be a totally different team on Thursday," Ryan Fisher said. "It's do or die."

Northeastern advances, Susquehannock, Central ousted:

The Northeastern boys' volleyball team advanced into tomorrow night's District 3 quarterfinals with two victories in pool play last night at Wilson High School.

The Bobcats defeated Exeter, 7-15, 15-10, 15-12, and Penn Manor, 15-13, 15-13, but lost to Cocalico, 13-15, 15-12, 15-12. Exeter also qualified for the quarterfinals by compiling a 2-1 pool-play record.

Northeastern was declared the pool winner because it won the head-to-head matchup with Exeter. The Bobcats will take on Cumberland Valley at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow at Hempfield.

While Northeastern advanced in the district bracket, Susquehannock's and Central's seasons came to a close. Susquehannock, Chambersburg and Manheim Township all finished with 2-1 records in pool play at Dover. Chambersburg advanced on point differential, and Manheim Township moved on by defeating Susquehannock, 21-17, in a one-game playoff.

Central, meanwhile, finished 1-2 and in third place in the pool at Hempfield. Only the top two finishers at each site, Wilson, Dover, Hempfield and Central, gained berths in the quarterfinals. When Central bowed out of the tournament, it marked the end of the Bruce Koller coaching era. Koller, who announced recently that he's retiring after 30 seasons, directed Panther teams to four state titles, 17 District 3 crowns and nine YAIAA championships.