Beaver C.C. volleyball ‘under construction’
Tri-State Sports & News Service
Beaver County Christian volleyball coach Christen Adels isn’t surprised that her squad is off to a slow start.
“I knew we would be slow out of the gate,” said Adels of the defending WPIAL Class 2A champions. “We graduated five of our top eight players from last year, including two players named to the PVCA Class 2A all-state team. Other than our three returning starters, no other player has varsity experience, so we will be ‘under construction’ for the first part of the season and will rely heavily on role players.”
A school play didn’t helped the situation.
“We started practice a week late because most of our players were in the school play,” said Adels, now in her 10th season. “My hope is to have the team playing at a higher level by midseason. Our goal is to make it to the WPIAL semifinals. The guys have a great attitude and work hard, so I’m looking forward to seeing how the team comes together as the season progresses.”
Beaver C.C. opened the season at the Norwin tournament, which was dominated by Class 3A teams. The Eagles posted a 4-4 record in pool play, then upset host Norwin in the first round of the playoffs, before losing to PineRichland in the quarterfinals. The Eagles also lost their section opener to Montour.
Beaver County Christian’s top returnees are Peter Barbato, a 6-4 senior middle hitter, and Sam Verrett, a 6-1 senior outside hitter. Barbato was voted to the PVCA Class 2A all-state team last year.
Canon-McMillan
Canon-McMillan is off to a great start in Class 3A Section 1. The Big Macs opened the season with a 3-1 win against Upper St. Clair and a 3-0 sweep of Moon.
“We have four starters back, including three who have started since their sophomore year, which is always a big help,” said Canon-McMillan coach Sheila Mitchell, now in her fourth year. “They know each other and are working well with our younger players.”
The Big Macs top returnee is Michael Krueger, a 6-3 senior setter who was voted second-team all-WPIAL Class 3A last year.
“Michael is the best setter in the WPIAL in Class 3A,” Mitchell said. “He saw some playing time as a freshman, then became our setter in his sophomore year. His setting skills are off the chart. He has accepted a scholarship to play for a new [NCAA] Division II program next year at Daemen College in New York.”
The other two three-year starers are 6-2 senior middle hitter Donny Opp and 5-9 senior libero Ryan Klan.
Canon-McMillan had a bye Tuesday and played host to Baldwin Thursday.
C.W. North Catholic
Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic is making its WPIAL debut this season.
“This is actually our third year of competition,” coach Stacie Ball said. “We played an independent schedule the past two years, so I’m looking forward to being in a section and competing for a WPIAL playoff berth.
“We had four matches, all were in three tournaments our first year. Last year, we played in four matches and three tournaments. We had an 8-4 record, with wins against Seton LaSalle and North Hills.”
C.W. North Catholic is entered in Section 2, along with two of the top three teams in Class 2A, No. 2 Deer Lakes and No. 3 Derry Area.
“We played Derry in our first section match and actually won the first set,” Ball said. “Derry won the next three sets, but we played them very tough.”
The Trojans did not have a senior on last year’s squad, so everybody is back. The top two returnees are 6-2 senior middle hitter Michael Drambel and 6-1 senior setter Joe Palaski.
Tournaments
Seneca Valley and Ambridge are entered in Saturday’s Bobcat Invitational, which will be held at Northeastern High School. It’s the strongest and biggest boys volleyball tournament in the state.
Fourteen of the 40 entries are ranked in the Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association state rankings. Eight of the top 10 Class 3A teams, including No. 5 Seneca Valley, are entered, along with six of the top 10 Class 2A teams, including No. 3 Ambridge.
Ambridge is in the same preliminary pool with Northeastern, the five-time defending PIAA Class 2A champion. Northeastern is ranked No. 2, behind Manheim Central.
• Thirteen WPIAL teams are entered in Saturday’s 16team Derry Invitational, including four teams in the state rankings: North Allegheny, No. 1 in Class 3A; Penn-Trafford, No. 7 in Class 3A; Derry, No. 4 in Class 2A; and Deer Lakes, No. 10 in Class 2A.