Baldwin Highlanders Hometown Volleyball Broadcast Recap – 09/27/2016

By: HSSN Staff
Tuesday, September 27, 2016 | 11:44 PM

Baldwin came into the season the two-time defending WPIAL Girls Class AAA volleyball champions. They were also riding a 40-match winning streak against WPIAL opponents. Both of those facts meant that Baldwin hadn’t lost much over the last two seasons, let alone get swept in straight sets, but that’s what happened in this match as the Black Hawks came on the road and took all three games in this 4A Section 2 matchup at Baldwin.

The first set started as a back-and-forth game and was tied at 5-5 before Bethel Park went on a 5-0 run and never trailed again in posting a (25-21) victory. Maddie Sgattoni paced Baldwin in the opening game with 5 kills and an ace, but Bethel Park used consistent hitting and serving from Stephanie Kazalas to capture the win.

In set two, Bethel Park jumped out to a 5-0 start and built their lead to 18-10 before Baldwin made a comeback sparked by the serves of Emelia Zandier. The junior toed the line during an 8-0 run which allowed Baldwin to tie the game at 18 apiece. Baldwin took its first lead of the game at 21-20, but the Blackhawks five of the last six points to win the second game (25-22). Sgattoni added 6 more kills for Baldwin while Kayte Zeiler added 4 for Bethel Park with Kazalas getting three more in the win.

Game three followed a similar script to game two, as Bethel Park took an early lead and stretched it to a 16-7 margin before Baldwin staged a comeback. This time, Baldwin ran off a string scoring 9-of-11 points to tie the game at 18-18. But Baldwin never was able to take the lead and Bethel Park captured the game (25-23) and took the straight set win to even its section record at (3-3). The loss also dropped Baldwin to (3-3) in 4A Section 2. Baldwin doesn’t have to wait long for the second half of section play, as they host Peters Township on Thursday night.

The Navy bound senior Sgattoni led all players with 14 kills. Sydney Kaercher added 6, while Allison Murray and Bri Phillips chipped in 5 apiece. Senior libero Abby Wagner was excellent on serve receive for Baldwin with many digs, while also passing the ball well in the loss. Kazalas finished with 13 kills for Bethel Park, with Zeiler adding 9, Erin Sullivan 7 and Brianna Shannon 4 in a winning effort for the Blackhawks.

Tags: Baldwin, Bethel Park