Baldwin Highlanders Hometown Volleyball Broadcast Recap – 09/08/2016

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, September 8, 2016 | 11:55 PM

If there was ever a volleyball match that could be classified as a ‘slugfest’, the match between Upper St. Clair and Baldwin on Thursday night in the South Hills of Pittsburgh was it.  The Panthers won a knock-down, drag out fight pitting two of the top teams in Class 4-A, Section 2 by a score of 3-2.

Upper St. Clair prevailed in set one (25-18) behind the energy and strength of their outside hitter, Alex Amos and Isabelle Walsh and the serving of freshman Hannah Coggins.

But Baldwin would answer in set two by the same score 25-18.  Maddi Sgattoni hammered home seven of her game-high total of 22 kills to even the match at 1-1.

The Panthers would win a barn-burner in the 3^rd set, outlasting the Highlanders 25-23.

Baldwin responded to knot the match, 2-2, with excellent play from Bri Phillips.  Phillips, a junior, blocked four attempted Panther kills late in the set and added three kills of her own to help Baldwin even the match.

But, the Highlanders fell behind in the fifth and deciding set and couldn’t overcome the deficit and the Panthers would take the final set, 15-12.  Sgattoni added six digs, five aces and four blocks to her 22 kills.  Baldwin’s Allison Murray contributed with 13 kills.  Syd Yanchik, playing with a slight shoulder injury, chipped in with eight kills, five digs and three aces on her serve.

The Highlanders featured stellar defense on the night as Libero Abigail Wagner (ten digs) and her teammates totaled 29 digs on the night.  Highlanders’ setter Alana Price did a great job of feeding her hitters all night long, always seeming to find the sweet spot for the likes of Sgattoni, Murray and Yanchik.

Tags: Baldwin