Bishop Canevin Wins First Ever State Volleyball Title

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, November 21, 2015 | 5:16 PM

The Bishop Canevin Crusaders added a new trophy to their already crowded trophy case with an impressive win in the PIAA Girls A Volleyball Championship handling previously unbeaten District 5 Champion North Star in straight sets 25-21, 25-16, 25-17 Saturday at Richland high school in Johnstown.

Bishop Canevin, the WPIAL Champions made it look relatively easy after a tough first set. Canevin, playing in the PIAA title match for the first time in school history took that hard-fought first set when Erin Cunningham broke open a close game from the service line rattling off five straight points to give the Crusaders a lead they would never relinquish. The Crusaders kept the momentum going with a dominant start in the second set behind kills from Anneliese Balog and Bailey MacDonald and a run from Julia Menosky on the service line to run out to a 7-1 start in the second set and they were never really challenged by North Star in that second set coming away with the 25-16 win.

North Star responded behind their player of the year Jackie Stanko and looked at the outset of the third set as if they were determined to get to a fourth running out to an early leads of 4-0 and 6-1 but Canevin playing all seniors remained calm and began to chip away at that lead. Alex Parra stepped up her defensive game in the third coming up with several key blocks of Stanko and Canevin after finally pulling even at 10-10, never looked back in winning games two and three 25-16, 25-17. The Crusaders afterwards all agreed with Balog who told the MSA Sports Network, “I wanted nothing to do with a fourth or fifth set, too stressful, We were saying the whole time, ‘let’s finish this in three, and we did!” 

This group of seniors for ninth year head coach Kevin Walters had played in the WPIAL championship match every year of their high school careers, and advanced to the PIAA tournament all four years as well, but they had never sniffed an actual shot at the title.

Outside hitter and setter Julia Menosky found the moment hard to describe. “I, honestly I’m kind of speechless at the moment, like to be able to be come into the State Championship and win this, it’s such a surreal feeling!”

Erin Cunningham, senior outside hitter and Loyola Maryland recruit, who missed the entire regular season due to injury but returned for the post season run giving her team an emotional lift as well as bringing her skills back to the floor talked about the challenge the taller North Star team presented. “We went out knowing that we had to block her very well, just constantly reminding the middles to press over and stay out of the net, and we were ready for the situation.” Her final word on the situation captured the moment for the entire Canevin volleyball family, “Whoooooooooo!!!” 

Tags: Bishop Canevin