Hometown Volleyball Recap – Serra Catholic

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, October 13, 2017 | 3:38 AM

Serra Catholic continued its undefeated section performance on Thursday, notching a dominant straight sets victory at home against Steel Valley. The Eagles, who triumphed 25-7, 25-10 and 25-6, have prevailed in straight sets in all 10 of their section contests. Serra Catholic, which has already clinched a playoff berth, improved to 10-0 in Class 2A Section 4, while Steel Valley fell to 5-6, on the fringe of the postseason.

The opening set began with the Eagles breaking serve to score the initial point, but Steel Valley won the ensuing point to pull even, the only time the Ironmen did so throughout the entire match. The Eagles quickly regained the lead, though, and extended it to 4-1 and later 7-4. From there, the home squad, which was donning pink jerseys for “Dig Pink” night, used a 10-0 run to take complete command. Several of those points during the run came courtesy of aces for the Eagles, who were lethal on the service line all night. Surprisingly, the Ironmen elected not to use a timeout to break the momentum of Serra Catholic, which cruised to the first set win.

That momentum carried into the next set for Serra Catholic, as the Eagles scored the first 12 points. After Steel Valley finally broke the surge by scoring two consecutive points, the Eagles scored seven straight to hold a 19-2 lead. Although the Ironmen outscored the Eagles over the final few minutes of the set, the outcome was already decided, as the Eagles took the commanding 2-0 lead.

Much like the prior set, the Eagles wasted little time gaining control in the third and final set, as they secured 15 of the first 16 points, including another 12-0 run. Steel Valley coach Jamie Dolton again elected to let her young squad, which included three sophomores in the starting lineup, play on without the benefit of a timeout. Ultimately, the Eagles sealed the match with a 19-point win, the largest margin of the night.

Nearly every player on the varsity roster made contributions for the Eagles, as they used 11 players. While two-time All-WPIAL performer Julia Piccolino made several impressive plays, other hitters and blockers like Vanessa Tom, Shannon Sullivan, and Amelia Bogovich often paced the attack. Additionally, both senior Olivia D’Andrea and freshman Brianna Pasternak guided the offense as the setters, while Morgan Schoy, Lauren Gaydos and Anna Edmundson filled the stat sheet.

In the setback, the Ironmen received strong efforts from sophomore Erica Irvin, and seniors Samantha Sniegocki and Morgan Farrah.

Serra Catholic concludes its section slate next week, when the Eagles face Seton-LaSalle and South Allegheny. Meanwhile, Steel Valley’s final matchup in section action is on Tuesday against Keystone Oaks.