After long-awaited playoff victory, Gateway volleyball bows out to top-seeded Beaver

By: Michael Love
Sunday, October 27, 2024 | 11:01 AM

Gateway first-year girls volleyball coach Erica Bosh said her team’s trip to the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs showed just how far the team came since she arrived in August, and how hard they worked to come together and make a run to the postseason.

The Gators saw their season come to an end Oct. 24 in a 3-0 loss to No. 1 Beaver but not before they captured their first WPIAL playoff victory in more than three decades with a 3-2 home triumph over Central Valley two days earlier.

“The girls really improved so much all season and came together as a team and played for each other,” Bosh said.

“They have so much to be proud of.”

Bosh said her team had nothing to lose against Beaver and played relaxed and with energy despite the challenging task.

The Bobcats won in three sets, 25-9, 25-8 and 25-18.

“The girls were a little nervous at first going up against the top seed,” Bosh said. “But they warmed up to it after a while.

“Beaver has an extremely good block, and they don’t let a lot of balls hit the floor. It made it hard for us to be able to terminate any balls. It was tough because we were swinging hard. They have a 6-3 girl in the middle. I will give it to my team, though. They didn’t back down. They were trying to go around that block and doing all they could to put that ball down.”

Bosh said the team worked through some early adversity when senior middle hitter Auroya Brown went out of the game with an ankle injury in the first set.

Brown was able to return in the second set.

“That was a little devastating at first,” Bosh said. “The way the girls responded to that showed a lot of heart. The girls got a little confused at first having to change a couple things so quickly. When Auroya came back, it really lifted the team. She said she wanted to come back and help the team, and the girls rallied around her.”

Gateway, in the playoffs for the third year in a row, fed off a home crowd and was able to outlast Central Valley in its preliminary round matchup.

The Gators, the No. 16 seed, won the first set 25-17 before Central Valley came back to tie the match with a 25-22 win in set two.

Gateway put itself on the cusp of victory with a 25-17 win in set three. But Central Valley again rallied and took the fourth set, 21-15.

But the Gators didn’t relent and finished off the match with a 15-11 final set.

“I was tough when Central Valley came back those two times,” Bosh said.

“The sets we lost were so close. But the girls were so determined. They were physically and mentally prepared for that fifth set, and they went out there and got the job done. The seniors really wanted that win, and the underclassmen really wanted it for the seniors. I kept telling them that everything we execute in practice we’re going to execute in the game. They were able to translate that.

“The girls were a little disheartened to see Derry ranked above us even though we beat them twice in the section and finished ahead of them in the standings. The girls used that as a little extra fuel.”

Bosh said the message in the postgame huddle after the match with Beaver was all positive. The Gators finished the season 9-6 overall and 8-4 in Section 5 behind Indiana and Greensburg Salem.

The quarterfinal contest was the final one for Brown, as well as seniors Ashlee Young, Jolina Estremera, Payje Robinson, Joanna Miller, Lydia Blash and Ava Cecere.

“I told the girls that they should not be disappointed at all because of how this one match went,” Bosh said.

“They showed heart and fight all season. They came out every game and gave 100%. The seniors will really be missed. They were the majority of our starting lineup. But this will give the returning girls a lot of opportunities to work hard and get ready for next year. We had three girls who weren’t seniors who dressed only varsity. They know what we’re going to need, and they are ready to lead this team.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Gateway