Wednesday, October 24
L-L VOLLEYBALL
By Bradley Corvelle
Intelligencer Journal Correspondent
Hempfield and Conestoga
Valley were the top finishers after three rounds of pool play at the L-L League
Girls' Volleyball Tournament at Warwick on Tuesday.
The Black Knights won all three of their matches in Pool A to clinch a spot
in Thursday's L-L semifinals and a berth in next week's District Three Class AAA
Tournament.
Hempfield will meet Pool B runner-up Manheim Township Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
at Ephrata Middle School, while six-time defending L-L champion CV takes on
Pool A runner-up Garden Spot. Winners will battle for the L-L title 30 minutes
after the semis are complete.
The Black Knights, the Section One champion and top seed in Pool A, played
fourth-seeded Lebanon Catholic in the first round of Pool A play.
Catie Fisher, a 5-7 junior outside hitter, led Hempfield with 12 kills as
the Black Knights polished off the Beavers, 15-5, 15-0.
Junior Amy Ressler added three aces and junior Audrey Seldomridge had a
team-high two blocks in the match for Hempfield.
Head coach Mike Vogel was pleased with his team's play, but did not want
them to get overconfident.
"We played very well, but we're perfectly capable of going the other
way. They're (Hempfield) young and they haven't played a lot of tough
competition yet," said Vogel.
In the other opening matchup, Section Two runner-up and Pool A second seed
Garden Spot held off Section One third-place finisher and Pool A third seed
Ephrata, 12-15, 15-13, 15-11.
In Round Two, Hempfield fed off a disappointed Ephrata squad to beat the
Mountaineers, 15-1, 15-4.
Ressler, who played well at the net both offensively and defensively, had a
team-high 11 kills to lead the Black Knights to their second victory of the
tournament.
In the other Round Two match, Garden Spot upended Lebanon Catholic, 15-9,
15-7. The win was the second of the tournament for Garden Spot, which set up a
decisive third-round battle between Garden Spot and Hempfield.
The third round was certainly the most challenging round for the Black
Knights.
Garden Spot, utilizing confidence gained in its two prior matches, jumped
out to an early 10-4 lead in the first game. The Spartans were led by senior
middle hitter Sarah Wenger.
After the 10-4 deficit, Hempfield coach Mike Vogel called a timeout.
"I told them to just relax, we weren't earning our points. We were the
ones making the mistakes," said Vogel. "We were trying too hard."
Vogel's counseling during the timeout worked.
The Black Knights reeled off 10 straight points to take a 14-10 lead and
wound up winning the first game, 15-12. The comeback was keyed by Ressler and
Fisher, who each contributed critical kills.
Said Fisher, "We weren't worried, we were just playing together as a
team and pushing through it. Coach told us to just do what we could."
In the second game, Hempfield built the early lead. But the gritty Spartans,
once again highlighted by Wenger, closed within one point at 12-11 before
Hempfield shut the door and finished with a 15-11 win.
Vogel was hoping his team could use the words he had been preaching all
season-long.
"We're still learning. This is a little journey we are going
through," said Vogel. "We came in here hoping to be focused. That was
the operative word here, focus."
Said Fisher of the second game, "Coach just told us to concentrate and
get our heads back in the game and focus ... that's our main thing."
In the other third-round match, Ephrata, which finished third in Pool A,
defeated Lebanon Catholic, 17-15, 15-10. The win earned the Mountaineers a
match against Pool B third-place finisher Cocalico for the fifth (and final L-L
League) seed in District Three Class AAA. The match is set for Thursday at 5
p.m. at Ephrata Middle School.
In Pool B action, Section Two champion and six-time defending league
champion Conestoga Valley made short work of Manheim Township, Cedar Crest and
Cocalico to win their pool. Township took second place, beating the Falcons and
Eagles. The Buckskins, led by All-American Kim Glass, beat
Cedar Crest in Round One, 15-3, 15-5 and in Round Two defeated Cocalico. Scores
were unavailable at press time. ..\2001_hempfield_girls_volleyball_schedule.htmIn
Round Three, CV upended the Blue Streaks, 15-3, 15-3.