Avonworth secures 1st PIAA Class 2A girls volleyball crown

By: Jeffrey Kauffman
Saturday, November 15, 2025 | 4:06 PM

SILVER SPRING TOWNSHIP — Avonworth struggled early but rallied to win the program’s first PIAA Class 2A girls volleyball championship Saturday at Cumberland Valley with a four-set win over District 12 champion Lansdale Catholic.

Game scores were 25-21, 6-25, 25-11 and 25-23.

“We played OK in Game 1, but I told the girls (Lansdale Catholic) used all their ball magic in Game 2 where not much went well for us,” Lopes coach John Skaraupa said. “I thought we played a bit more confident and focused in Game 3, and we did a better job of handling the ball. Camilla Intriago played a good game. Not having the height as Julia and Clementine, she became a huge player in the middle for us.”

The first game went back and forth with two points being the largest margin. Each team had a string of three aces in a row. Julia Cernich had the Lopes’ run while Greta Swope had the run for the Crusaders.

The Lopes (20-6) finally took the lead at 20-18 after a few mistakes by the Crusaders. Cernich was key to the lead. A big back row blast by Cernich forced the Crusaders to take a timeout at 24-20. A carry gave the Lopes the first game at 25-21.

Lansdale Catholic jumped out to a quick 6-1 lead in Game 2 as the Lopes struggled to get that serve bump and good set. The Crusaders extended that lead to 11-2 on a couple of aces by Marissa Passerini. Passarini served up a few more aces and the Crusaders led 16-2. The Lopes could not return a serve and everything they hit was returned. Crusaders won 25-6 to tie the match.

Clementine Dutot-Lucs stepped on the stage in Game 3, and her four points led the Lopes to an early 10-5 lead. Cernich scored nine points on her serve, and the Lopes rolled to a 25-11 victory.

Dutot-Lucs and Cernich were the big keys to a quick 7-2 run in Game 4, but others were responsible. Jada Taylor, Julianna Geist and Ali Colasante kept balls in play to get the scoring opportunities. The Crusaders battled and kept themselves in the contest. Avonworth got an impressive set from Colasante to win Game 4 and the championship.

“We didn’t play our game in the first two games, but we started to get more confidence in Game 3, and I am so proud of our team,” Cernich said. “We were focused on each and every ball, and we started to get better sets and hits. Clementine, Jada and Ali played great, and I am so proud of them, especially Ali who hurt a finger early.”

The Crusaders fell short of their first title but ended up second in the state to finish with an 18-7 record.

“We tried to figure out blocks and ways to defend Cernich, but she just took over as you expect from the better players,” Crusaders coach Rachael Picozzi said. “We played well but they found a way to defend us. We did not play our game today, but you give credit to them.”

Tags: Avonworth