Quaker Valley girls volleyball sweeps through playoffs to win 1st WPIAL title

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, November 10, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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There haven’t been too many more dominant performances in the WPIAL girls volleyball tournament than Quaker Valley’s this year.

The top-seeded QV girls did not lose a set in Class 2A, sweeping past No. 16 Keystone Oaks, No. 8 Ellwood City, No. 5 Southmoreland and, in the final at Peters Township’s AHN Arena, No. 3 Hopewell, all by 3-0 scores.

The championship match lasted only a little more than an hour and 15 minutes.

QV coach Mike Vavrek was a happy camper afterward, as were the QV players. It was Vavrek’s first time reaching the WPIAL final as head coach and first time he won a WPIAL title.

“Throughout the WPIAL playoffs, I believe that we have played our game,” Vavrek said. “We have served teams tough, taken them out of system. We have also played solid defense, which has all helped us to be more productive offensively. We stayed pretty consistent with our play as well.

“The championship match was no different. Despite the score or situation, we stayed together as a team and never got too high when leading or too low when we were trailing.”

QV, which improved to 18-2, and Hopewell (17-3) are both members of Section 1-2A, won by the Quakers this season with a 14-0 record. Hopewell finished second at 12-2 with its only two losses to QV.

“I expected it to be a very competitive match,” Vavrek said. “Hopewell is a good volleyball team. They are very good defensively and can really test your hitters and make them work to score points. They are a section opponent who we knew well, and they knew us pretty well also. I expected us to come out ready to go and excited for the challenge.”

The Quakers, led by seniors Molly MacDonald and Nora Hammond, were ready to go from the outset. The talented tandem was impressive all day. MacDonald racked up 17 kills and 13 digs, and Hammond had 17 digs and 13 kills.

“It’s definitely very exciting to be the first girls volleyball team in QV history to win a WPIAL championship,” MacDonald said. “We lost in semifinals the past two years, so getting to the championship game alone was very exciting.

“We all worked together very well and had each other’s backs. Everyone played a large role in the championship win, whether or not they were on the court. We brought energy and fought to win it.”

Along with the many talented athletes at QV, Hammond believes team chemistry is a vital force in matches for the Quakers.

“I am very proud of this team and all that we have accomplished,” Hammond said. “Even though we did not play our best game (against Hopewell), we still found a way to win in three.

“I believe our success is from the team chemistry that we have as well as our coaches preparing us for every game we play. I am thankful to be a part of a team that is making history.”

QV won the first set 25-22 behind three straight kills from MacDonald to break a 22-22 tie. MacDonald picked up six kills in the first set, and Hammond had seven.

The Quakers won the next two sets 25-20 and 25-16, outscoring Hopewell, 17-7, down the stretch.

“I believe our key was staying focused and playing our game,” Vavrek said. “Offensively, we were very consistent. We hit .286 as a team. We received the serve at a very high level as well, which allowed us to control the tempo offensively.

“I also thought our defensive effort was great. We averaged almost 20 digs per set.”

QV’s third star of the match was senior setter Vanessa Pickett, who had five service aces and five kills to complement her 34 assists.

“I’m very proud of my team for winning WPIALs. This has been a goal for four years, and I’m super excited that we accomplished this milestone,” Pickett said. “I believe the key to our success is our drive to play for one another. Our main motive is to work as a team and not play as individuals, because when we all play together we perform very well.”

The Quakers’ “Super Seven” rotation consists of Pickett, a 5-foot-8 setter; the 5-10 MacDonald and 5-7 Hammond, as outside hitters; 5-5 senior defensive specialist Carmen Forsythe;5-9 junior Mia Gartley at middle hitter; 5-9 junior Bella Jarrett, a right-side hitter/defensive specialist; and 5-10 sophomore Nola Ebberts at the middle hitter position.

“I am very proud of the whole team,” Ebberts said. “This is the first time in school history that volleyball has made it this far and won the WPIAL, so it feels very surreal.

“After winning, I was absolutely overwhelmed with excitement. The whole team ran onto the court and piled up on each other, which was very fun, and we cheered and screamed for a long while after that. We were all so excited, and we ran to the locker room to scream and cheer a bunch more. We also made some silly videos and took lots of pictures.”

Gartley has captured the WPIAL Class 2A girls high jump in each of her first two seasons on the QV girls track and field team.

“I am stoked that we won WPIALs,” Gartley said. “It feels so good to connect with my team under a high-pressure situation and make school history. We kept our heads high after every mistake and worked together to make sure we all kept a positive mindset.

“Communication is key in this sport. When we had a miscommunication, we worked together to side out on the next point. Communication was the key to victory.”

Ebberts agreed with her teammate.

“I think the key to our victory was hard work and our communication with each other,” Ebberts said. “Practicing and watching lots of film can seem pretty tiring at the time, but it really paid off. Not only do we communicate well on the court, but we also have lots of fun off the court.

“As an underclassman playing up, it was very nerve-wracking being with older girls that I’ve barely talked to before, but all of them have been very kind and welcoming towards me and I am very grateful for that. I am so proud of the whole team for sticking together throughout this long season and continuing to work hard.”

MacDonald, who clinched the championship for QV with a game-winning spike in the third set, is committed to the administrations process at Middlebury College in Vermont.

Other leading performances against Hopewell were turned in by Gartley, with six kills, Jarrett (11 digs) and Forsythe (six digs).

“It was an amazing feeling to win the WPIAL for first time in school history,” Forsythe said. “It was great to see our coach so happy and glad we could represent QV as champions. Although it wasn’t our best game, we came out on top. The key is working together and lifting each other up when we are down. I’m so proud of our team.”

MacDonald (23) and Hammond (12) combined for 35 kills in the Quakers’ semifinal win against Southmoreland.

The match against the 16-4 Scotties actually was closer than the final score indicated as QV won by scores of 25-20, 25-17 and 26-24. Southmoreland also was seeking its first appearance in the WPIAL championship round.

Quaker Valley lost to Class 3A Beaver in its first match of the season, won seven in a row, then lost to another 3A team, Freeport, 3-1, in late September.

Hopewell dropped two of the first three sets in the semifinal round before rallying for a 25-21, 19-25, 18-25, 25-17, 15-9 victory over No. 2 Neshannock (15-2). The Vikings also defeated No.14 McGuffey and No. 11 Avonworth by 3-1 scores.

“Hopewell is a very good team,” Vavrek said. “They are very good defensively and can frustrate you because of it. They have hitters that can put the ball away from all positions.

“I think in the two (regular-season) matches we won the serve and pass game, and we also had more digs than them. And we found a way to respond after losing each set to them.”

There was little rest for the QV netters following a long WPIAL season. The Quakers advanced to the PIAA tournament and met District 10 runner-up Cathedral Prep (15-5) in a first-round matchup. Nov. 5 at QV.

“We have a rather veteran group that has been in a lot of big games, and we should be able to rely on that experience at this stage,” Vavrek said. “I expect us to keep working hard and be prepared for every match.

“In states, you tend to see some teams that you may not be as familiar with, and you do not have much time to prepare for them. So, you have to work in the film room, as well as in the gym.”

After winning the first WPIAL title in girls volleyball in school history, the QV players went to dinner to celebrate their achievement.

“We had a little parade with fire trucks around the village,” Ebberts said. “It was an absolutely amazing day full of excitement.”

Tags: Quaker Valley