Sewickley Herald notebook: Defense leads Quaker Valley girls volleyball

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, September 14, 2025 | 11:01 AM

Quaker Valley recorded its first sweep of the girls volleyball season Sept. 9 against a section opponent, New Brighton.

QV defeated the visitors by scores of 25-15, 25-21, 25-20 to improve to 2-1 in Section 1-2A and 2-4 overall.

“I think this team’s strength has to be defense,” QV coach Mike Vavrek said in the preseason. “We’ve got to keep the ball off the floor and make it hard for other teams to score.”

The Quakers were led by 5-foot-9 senior outside hitter Mia Gartley against the Lions. Gartley is Ms. Dependable in the gym for the QV girls.

“Mia has played middle hitter the last two years by necessity,” Vavrek said. “She is athletic and someone we will look at to put a lot of balls away for us this year.”

Megan Harris, a 5-5 junior, also turned in a solid performance for QV from her libero position.

Gartley and Harris were joined in the starting rotation by senior OH Bella Jarrett, juniors Nola Ebberts (OH/MH) and Aria Casillas (S/RS) and a pair of freshmen — setter Sydney Kline and MH/OH Emma Duckstein.

Also joining the Quakers lineup were senior DS Ella Palmer, sophomore S/RS Micaiah Jones, senior MH/RS Gabriella Frank and junior MH/RS Rachel Bartels.

QV is the defending WPIAL champion in Class 2A, having defeated section rival Hopewell, 3-0, in last year’s finals at Peters Township’s AHN Arena to claim the first district title in girls volleyball in school history.

Four of the girls in QV’s starting rotation last year — outside hitters Molly MacDonald and Nora Hammond, setter Vanessa Pickett and defensive specialist Carmen Forsythe — were seniors.

Gartley, Jarrett and Ebberts are the only returning starters in 2025. Gartley won the WPIAL Class 2A girls high jump championship in each of her first two seasons on the QV girls track and field team.

“I would like this team to continue to work hard and improve every day,” Vavrek said. “We have a very different team compared to last year. Last year, we were very experienced, and this year we (are) a team that will need to grow and continue to learn the game as the season progresses.”

Speaking their language

It’s all a matter of perspective.

Two members of the Quaker Valley girls tennis team spent a large chuck of their summer studying foreign languages both abroad and in the United States.

Junior Hannah Stein spent much of the summer in Morocco learning to speak Arabic with hopes of being an advocate for women and girls.

Senior Jane Lenhard left home for a month to go to a Russian camp in Northern Minnesota where no English was spoken and no electronic devises were used.

“I was interested to find out heading into our preseason this fall that two of our returning varsity players had very unusual and remarkable experiences this summer,” QV coach Christi Hays said. “They were not spending very much time on the tennis courts getting ready for the season, but they were spending time expanding their view of the world by experiencing other cultures and learning different languages.

“And although it doesn’t directly translate to their tennis skills, I think it does translate by broadening their perspective of ‘life in general and in specific’ — and also where their high school tennis experience fits in the scheme of things.”

Sewickley Academy HOF

Four individuals and one team will be inducted into the Sewickley Academy Sports Hall of Fame this fall.

The Class of 2025 consists of former athletic director/basketball coach Win Palmer, Tom Droney (2010), Tara Utchel (1999), Katarina Lackner (2005) and the 2003 girls state championship soccer team.

The HOF induction ceremony will take place from noon to 1 p.m. Oct. 3 at the Sewickley Academy Events Center.

Challenging opener

What a way to open conference play.

Quaker Valley’s football team was scheduled to kick off its Class 3A Western Hills Conference schedule Sept. 12 at home against North Catholic, the top offensive team in the WPIAL.

North Catholic went into the game with a 3-0 record and 60.3 ppg offensive average — nearly doubling its 30.3 ppg scoring average of 2024. The Trojans defeated Seton LaSalle, 47-14, Knoch, 69-10, and Blackhawk, 65-49, in their first three games this season.

Through three weeks of the season, 6-foot-1, 175-pound quarterback Joey Felitsky completed 50 of his 59 passes for 976 yards and 15 touchdowns. Last year, Felitsky led the WPIAL in passing with 2,982 yards and 23 touchdowns.

North Catholic was rated fifth-best in Class 3A by Trib HSSN behind Avonworth, Imani Christian, Hopewell and Elizabeth Forward — all at 3-0.

Winning streak

The Quaker Valley girls soccer team won its fourth game and third shutout in a row, blanking Avonworth, 2-0, Sept. 8 at the Antelopes’ home field.

Kallie McCune, a freshman midfielder, and Rowan Wallace, a junior midfielder, scored. Lily Baker and Ari Bosh each had one assist. Sophomore goalkeeper Ava Hajok made eight saves in recording her fourth shutout this season.

The Quakers improved to 2-0 in Section 3-2A and 5-1 overall.

Quaker Valley HOF

Members of the Class of 2025 will be inducted Oct. 19 into the Quaker Valley Sports Hall of Fame, following a weekend of activities commencing Oct. 17 with a tailgate party and recognition ceremony at the Quakers’ football game at Chuck Knox Stadium.

The Class of 2025 consists of one team — the 2012 hockey squad — and four individual athletes — Colin South (hockey), L.J. Westwood (track and field, cross country), Derek Molitor (football, track and field) and Dorian Goosby Dean (athlete).

For information on purchasing tickets for the HOF induction banquet set for Oct. 19 at 11 a.m. at Sewickley Heights Golf Club, email johnsc@qvsd.org or call the QV athletic office at 412-749-6007.

Tough opponent

Freeport’s football team, which defeated Quaker Valley, 42-7, in a Week 2 nonconference matchup, outscored its first three opponents 119-13 in starting out 3-0 this year.

Tags: Quaker Valley, Sewickley Academy