No. 2 Frazier sweeps No. 1 Serra Catholic to capture 2nd WPIAL girls volleyball title

By: Jeremy Sellew
Saturday, November 5, 2022 | 2:29 PM

5600104_web1_ptr-FrazierSC01-110622 — Chaz Palla | Tribune-Review

Frazier celebrates beating Serra Catholic in the WPIAL Class A girls volleyball championship Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, at UPMC Events Center.

5600104_web1_ptr-FrazierSC04-110622 — Chaz Palla | Tribune-Review

Frazier’s Jensyn Hartman spikes against Serra Catholic’s Sarah Glaneman (9) and Emerson Trahan during the WPIAL Class A girls volleyball championship Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, at UPMC Events Center.

5600104_web1_ptr-FrazierSC11-110622 — Chaz Palla | Tribune-Review

Frazier’s Grace Vaughn saves the ball in up against the stands against Serra Catholic during the WPIAL Class A girls volleyball championship Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, at UPMC Events Center.

5600104_web1_ptr-FrazierSC08-110622 — Chaz Palla | Tribune-Review

Serra Catholic’s Sarah Glaneman blocks the shot of Frazier’s Addison Schultz during the WPIAL Class A girls volleyball championship Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, at UPMC Events Center.

5600104_web1_ptr-FrazierSC06-110622 — Chaz Palla | Tribune-Review

Frazier’s Addison Schultz spikes against Serra Catholic’s Sarah Glaneman during the WPIAL Class A girls volleyball championship Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, at UPMC Events Center.

5600104_web1_ptr-FrazierSC03-110622 — Chaz Palla | Tribune-Review

Frazier players celebrate during the WPIAL Class A girls volleyball championship Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, at UPMC Events Center.

5600104_web1_ptr-FrazierSC12-110622 — Chaz Palla | Tribune-Review

Frazier’s Jensyn Hartman with a kill over Serra Catholic’s Dana Weber and Cate Clarke during the WPIAL Class A girls volleyball championship Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, at UPMC Events Center.

5600104_web1_ptr-FrazierSC10-110622 — Chaz Palla | Tribune-Review

Serra Catholic’s Maria Goldstein with a dig against Frazier during the WPIAL Class A girls volleyball championship Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, at UPMC Events Center.

5600104_web1_ptr-FrazierSC09-110622 — Chaz Palla | Tribune-Review

Frazier’s Gracen Hartman blocks the shot of Serra Catholic’s Maria Goldstein during the WPIAL Class A girls volleyball championship Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, at UPMC Events Center.

5600104_web1_ptr-FrazierSC07-110622 — Chaz Palla | Tribune-Review

Serra Catholic’s Olivia Hussein spikes against Frazier’s Braylin Sailisbury and Madelyn Salisbury during the WPIAL Class A girls volleyball championship Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, at UPMC Events Center.

5600104_web1_ptr-FrazierSC05-110622 — Chaz Palla | Tribune-Review

Frazier’s Madelyn Salisbury and Addison Schultz block the shot of Serra Catholic’s Maria Goldstein during the WPIAL Class A girls volleyball championship Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, at UPMC Events Center.

5600104_web1_ptr-FrazierSC02-110622 — Chaz Palla | Tribune-Review

Frazier’s Serra Catholic’s during the WPIAL Class A girls volleyball championship Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, at UPMC Events Center.

5600104_web1_ptr-FrazierSC13-110622 — Chaz Palla | Tribune-Review

Serra Catholic’s Cate Clarke blocks the shot of Frazier’s Jensyn Hartman during the WPIAL Class A girls volleyball championship Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, at UPMC Events Center.

The Hartman family is going to need a bigger trophy room, as the Frazier volleyball team climbed the mountain and now sits on top of the WPIAL in Class A.

The Commodores entered Saturday’s championship with an unblemished record as the No. 2 seed and they left unbeaten after sweeping away No. 1 Serra Catholic, 3-0.

Frazier (22-0) won by scores of 25-20, 25-19 and 25-19.

“Wow. Wow. I can’t believe we just won the WPIAL championship,” Frazier coach Mandy Hartman said, still with a look of disbelief. “I can’t believe it. I will say, I felt really confident after our warmup. The girls were zoned in and I knew consistency was going to be key. And we played our most consistent game and our best defensive game of the season.”

Serra Catholic (19-2), playing in the championship game for the first time in program history, committed an uncharacteristic 33 errors in the game.

“We didn’t play our best, and that’s what I told the team,” Serra coach Keith Trahan said. “Sometimes you wake up, you have a bad day and you go out and lay an egg. We just didn’t play our best.”

The Commodores showed why they’re the best team in Class A, taking advantage of the Serra mistakes and making them pay.

“You can’t give great teams like that points,” Trahan said. “Big ups to them. They’re very well-coached, a great team. And No. 33 (Jensyn Hartman) is right up there with the most dominant players in the WPIAL that we’ve seen. What really stood out to me was the way she leads that team.”

Jensyn Hartman led the way for Frazier, finishing with 14 kills. The difference, though, was the play of sophomore outside hitter Grace Vaughn and the rest of the Commodores’ hitters.

Vaughn (9) and middle hitter Braylin Salisbury (6) finished with 15 combined kills.

“We didn’t want to get into their tip game,” Mandy Hartman said. “Our message to them the whole game was ‘Go hard and win every point.’

Jensyn Hartman started early with four early kills as Frazier jumped out to an 10-5 lead in the first.

Five of those points were off Serra errors. But the Eagles were able to battle back and take a 17-14 lead with an ace by Maria Goldstein and kills by Olivia Hussein and Sarah Glaneman.

After a rare Frazier timeout, the Commodores rallied back to an 18-17 advantage after a big block by Vaughn and Salisbury on Glaneman, an ace by Maddie Stefancik and a Salisbury tip.

Leading 22-20 minutes later, the Commodores finished the first set off with two Jensyn Hartman kills and an attack error on the Eagles.

“Winning the first set was a real shot for us,” Mandy Hartman said. “Any time you get up on a team, you have the advantage.”

A 4-0 run helped Serra take a 9-6 lead in the second, but the Commodores were able to rally with another big block at the net, this time by freshman Addison Schultz. A Goldstein error and ace by Jensyn Hartman allowed Frazier to tie it at 10.

After exchanging points, Dana Weber had a big kill for the Eagles to give them a 16-15 lead, but the advantage was brief.

Frazier ripped off the next three points before four straight errors helped the Commodores out to a 23-18 advantage before winning the set.

It was the first time all season Serra Catholic found themselves in a 2-0 hole this season.

“I give credit to our section. We had our backs against the wall a few times, and I think that was a situation (Serra) was really uncomfortable in,” Mandy Hartman said.

While mom started feeling comfortable, Jensyn Hartman wasn’t.

“I never thought there was a point where I was going to be comfortable,” the senior said. “I told the team that until there was another 25 on that board, we were going to keep fighting.”

The Eagles jumped out to a 4-1 lead, but after a Salisbury kill, the Commodores went on to win the next five points. Four of those on errors by the Serra attack, to take a 7-4 lead.

A Cassidy Trahan ace and Goldstein kill tied the set at 8-8, before the Commodores’ rotation pushed Jensyn Hartman back up to the front line, meaning trouble for the Eagles.

She smacked down a pair of kills and Vaughn added another as Frazier put up another 5-0 run to take a 13-9 lead.

Vaughn added another pair of kills to make it 17-10 minutes later.

Hussein added another kill to pull her team to within a couple at 21-19, but four straight points from Stefancik behind the line thanks to three Serra errors wrapped up the Commodores’ second title.

“It feels flipping amazing,” Jensyn Hartman said. “I’ve been dreaming of this since I was 6, watching that 2010 team win it. This is a goal I’ve been dreaming to achieve.”

Both teams have advanced to the state tournament, with the Eagles traveling north to face District 9 champion Oswayo Valley.

The Commodores will be a lot closer to home. They’ll play the District 6 runner-up, either Homer Center or West Branch.

Watch an archived broadcast of this match on Trib HSSN.