Ahh, the familiar rites of June.

The District 3 champion Black Knights are in the state playoffs for the sixth straight season, and they'll begin competition Friday at Shippensburg University.

Hempfield's first match in Pool A of the preliminary round will start at 10:30 a.m.

For seniors Ryan Wood, Jesse Porreca and Jered Seibert, it's the last chance to capture a state championship.

Wood and Seibert, who are Hempfield's co-captains, were reserves on the 1997 team that won the Knights' third PIAA crown in four years. They were also present last season, when Hempfield made it to the quarterfinals before bowing out to Lower Merion.

After experiencing the highs and lows of state competition, Wood wants to go out on on top in his last high school tournament.

"It's in the back of my mind," he admits. "I think it will help me, because I'll do everything I can to win. It would be nice to go out at the end of my high school career in the state finals and hopefully winning it.

"We've played in big games, but there's nothing like playing in a state final. I was there (in '97), and I've never felt so nervous in my life. There's so many fans in the stands. The emotions is incredible. It's unexplainable."

While he also admits to thinking about his last run at a title, Seibert says he won't let that put any added pressure on him or his team.

"Right now the mentality is to go in, have a good time and see what happens," he says.

Porreca, who joined the Knights last year, missed out on the state title in '97. That's why he's eager to be a part of this title run.

"I've been waiting for this the whole year," he says. "I knew Districts and Leagues would be tough, but this is what I was looking forward to."

The state playoffs will be tougher than usual for Hempfield if junior setter Randy Paules is unable to play.

Paules, who quarterbacks the Knights' attack, went down with an ankle injury in the finals of the District 3 championships last weekend. He was unable to walk early this week, but he could be seen gingerly moving around at the Knights' practice on Wednesday.

Losing Paules for States would be like a basketball team losing its point guard, says Hempfield coach Mike Vogel.

"Randy runs the offense," Vogel says. "He determines who hits the ball. The coaches and the players appreciate that because they know how important he is. The guys who pound the ball get all the glory, but the setter determines who gets to do that. He's the unsung hero of this team."

Vogel is hoping that a few days' rest will be enough to get Paules back in the lineup on Friday.

"Our trainer (Steve Mummaw) works miracles sometimes, and I hope this is one of those times," Vogel says. "I'm hoping he'll be back Friday. He started walking on it (Tuesday), and in two more days I'm hoping he'll be ready to go.

In the meantime, Vogel is running practice with Porreca, Seibert and sophomore Matt Baker all seeing time at setter. He isn't planning any other changes in the offense.

"It's a gamble," Vogel admits. "I'm between a rock and a hard place. I'm gambling that he'll be back. We haven't changed things up with our offense. We've worked in a few other guys at setter, but other than that we haven't made any changes."

Vogel says if Paules' can't go on Friday, he'll probably replace him with one of the seniors.

"Those guys have been around," Vogel says. "Porreca and Seibert are both seniors and they have good heads on their shoulders. Not that Matt (Baker) doesn't, but that's a lot of pressure to put on a sophomore."

Even with Paules in the lineup, the Knights won't have an easy path. On Friday, they'll face District 7 fourth-place finisher Mount Lebanon, District 2 runner-up Tunkhannock and District 6 champion Altoona in Pool A.

"Mount Lebanon was a team we saw at the Panther Classic," Vogel says. "They didn't do well there. I think they won two and lost four. The Tunkhannock team played our JV team at a tournament this season, and we took a game from them. Altoona we know nothing about."

The top two teams in each of the four pools advance to Saturday's quarterfinals, which begin with pool play at 9 a.m. The top four teams from those pools reach the semifinals, which are slated for 1:30 p.m.

The finals are set for 3 p.m.

Lurking elsewhere in the bracket is District 7 champion Northern Allegheny, which was ranked first in the final Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association poll at the end of the regular season, defending PIAA champ Souderton and District 2 titlist Lake Lehman.

Northern Allegheny is favored to win it all, according to Vogel.

"They have a history of being very good," he says. "They were in the semifinals last year. They're very big and very deep, and the type of tourney we're going to benefits a team like them. They're probably the favorite."

Hempfield faced Souderton and Lake Lehman in regular-season tournaments and defeated them both, Vogel says.

Lancaster-Lebanon League foe Penn Manor, which gave Hempfield a run for its money in the District 3 semifinals, is also competing in Pool B on Friday. The Knights have defeated the Comets several times this season, but each meeting was a little tougher, says Vogel.

"If they continue at the level they've improved, they could be there on Saturday," he says. "They gave us a good run (at Districts) and they clearly could be there."

Other familiar faces that Hempfield could run into include District runner-up Spring Grove and District 3 fourth-place finisher Central York.

Wood says he's tired of playing familiar teams.

"We've played Penn Manor like five times now, and we've played Central York a lot," he points out. "I just want to see some new faces."

If he had his choice, Wood would like to see Spring Grove again. The Knights defeated the Rockets in the District 3 finals last weekend, and could have started a new rivalry in the process.

"I want to play Spring Grove again, after reading the comments they had in the paper after Districts," says Wood. "I guess they don't think we're good enough, so I'd like to play them again and show them."

Porreca would like to run into Norhtern Allegheny.

"We haven't faced them yet," says Porreca. "I don't have a clue what they're like, but I've heard teams say that they're scared of us. They heard we're playing well and they're a little scared."

It's a case of the Knights' reputation preceding them, he says.

"Even though we're not ranked first in the state, I still feel teams fear us," says Porreca. "We don't get overconfident, but we go out and play."

Seibert agrees.

Hempfield and Penn Manor are back as the only two Lancaster County teams at the PIAA boys' volleyball tournament, but they find themselves in completely different situations from a year ago.

"We're confident this year," Hempfield coach Mike Vogel said, "but I don't think we can get overconfident. They know that they must play well and go from there. That's just the way it is."

The four teams, including Hempfield, in Pool A are District Six champion Altoona, District Two runner-up Tunkhannock and District Seven fourth-place Mount Lebanon. Six grueling hours on Friday followed by five matches Saturday - if you're lucky - makes for a long weekend. And, according to Vogel, that makes District Seven champion and No. 1-ranked North Allegheny the team to beat.

"They are very big and very deep," he said, "and the way states are set up this year, it favors a big team in numbers and in size."

"You still need a little luck from your competition at this level," Vogel said. "If things fall into place, it happens; if it doesn't, it doesn't. Am I going to be heartbroken if we don't win? I'd be heartbroken if we went in there and didn't perform."

Looking at Hempfield's results in matches with some of the best teams in the state this season, lack of effort doesn't seem a concern. But the Knights may need to perform without their floor general.

Junior setter Randy Paules, who injured his left ankle in the district title match after coming down on a teammate's foot, is still questionable for the weekend.

"I would really like him to be there at 100 percent, but he's not," Vogel said. "We'll just have to make do. If that means somebody else steps up, then somebody else will step up."

Look for senior defensive specialists Jered Seibert and Jesse Porreca to set Section One Player of the Year Ryan Wood if Paules can't play. Hempfield has experimented a bit with different setters, Vogel said, but he also knows that may throw off the Knights' flawless rhythm.

"We don't want to get too far away from what we've done in the past," he said.

For Penn Manor, the past has become just that and the Comets have been able to perform without the hoopla and the expectations of last year. They got back to states because they finally realized they could.

"The team has grown up and matured," Comet coach Ric See said. "They went from a team searching for way to win to a team that has a strong desire to win and guts enough to grind it out."

Senior outside hitters Jarod Staub and Will Koenig - who also are the setters in Manor's modified 6-2 offense - have led the late-season charge. Junior Joel Meisenbach has become a steady threat from the outside and senior Bruce Williams and sophomore Justin Lehman have provided much-needed defensive help.

And they're going to need it. Manor is pooled with District Seven runner-up Montour and District Eight champ Carrick.

But it's the Comets' third opponent, District One and defending state champion Souderton, that provides the most intriguing first-day matchup. The Indians ended Penn Manor's season last year in the state semifinals with a thrilling three-game win.

"It's a real strong source of motivation," See said. "It should be a rather heated match. This is the time of the year they do well, but I don't see us getting blown out and I don't see the guys backing down."

Both teams begin play at 10:30 a.m. Friday. Hempfield faces Mount Lebanon in both teams' Pool A opener, and Penn Manor takes on Souderton in Pool B. At 1:30 p.m., Hempfield will face Tunkhannock and at 4:30 the Knights get Altoona. For Penn Manor, Carrick is the opponent at noon and Montour at 3 p.m.

Joining District Three runner-up Spring Grove in Pool C is District Two champ Lake-Lehman, District Eleven winner Emmaus and District Seven third-place Penn Hills.

Pool D - arguably Friday's toughest pool - includes North Allegheny and District One runner-up Lower Merion, which was ranked in the top five all season. District Ten winner Maplewood and District Three fourth-place Central York rounds out the pool.