Greensburg C.C. Dethrones Bishop Canevin in 1-A Girls Volleyball

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, November 5, 2016 | 4:10 PM

The Greensburg Central Catholic Centurions claimed their third WPIAL Championship in five years with a commanding 25-14, 25-10 and 25-8 victory over the defending champion Bishop Canevin Crusaders in the Class 1-A Girls Volleyball Championship at Baldwin High School.

Greensburg Central Catholic won the title in 2012 and 2014 and fell to the Crusaders in the semifinals last year. The Centurions used their senior leaders to grab the gold medal. 6-2 middle hitter Mikayla Bisignani and 5-8 right side hitter Taylor Obusek, both dominated the match from the service line to lead GCC to the gold.

The Centurions jumped out to an early 7-2 lead in the opening set. That lead was extended to 15-5 when Obusek ripped off a 4-0 run, helped by her front line of Bisignani and fellow senior Brittany Stawovy. Bisignani did well serving scoring four straight for a commanding 21-7 advantage. Stawovy finished off the set with the kill and GCC took a 1-0 advantage.

It was more of the same in the second as Obusek and her teammates jumped out to a 7-0 lead, helped by three kills from Bisignani. It was 18-9 when Obusek’s turn came to serve again, six straight points later, followed shortly by a kill from Bisignani gave the Centurions the win in the second set.

Set number three seemed like a recurring nightmare for Bishop Canevin, falling behind 7-0 and 12-2. Bisignani went to the back line and served her way to a 16-2 advantage, including an ace. Her serve attacked the youth and inexperience of the Bishop Canevin back line, forcing miscommunication and a number of unforced errors during the match. The Crusaders rallied to cut the lead to 19-8, but that just delayed the outcome as Obusek served out the match with five consecutive points and sending the gold to Westmoreland County.

Bisignani used a power game to rack up 10 kills in the final two games, she also found success with a push over that always seemed to find the empty spot on the floor. Bisignani is also an accomplished swimmer but if volleyball isn’t her best sport, it sure runs a close second.

First-year head coach Kate McCauley said she thought her seniors would give the Centurions the advantage coming into the match. Her plan worked to perfection and to championship gold. GCC will now advance to the PIAA tournament on Tuesday where they will meet the third seed out of District 9, who plays both their semifinals and finals today.

Bishop Canevin played at a disadvantage as freshman Maddie Maziarz was a match time decision after being treated for concussion symptoms suffered in the semifinals. Maziarz was obviously less than 100 percent and was benched by head coach Kevin Walters in the second set. The Crusaders graduate only three seniors and will be favorite for next year’s title. Bishop Canevin does get the opportunity to defend the state crown, they face the District 6 title winner, either Bishop Guilfoyle or Bishop Carroll on Tuesday.

Tags: Bishop Canevin, Greensburg C.C.