Sewickley Herald notebook: Quaker Valley volleyball has new look after championship season

By: Ray Fisher
Saturday, August 16, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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Mike Vavrek is now in his 15th year as head coach of the Quaker Valley girls volleyball program.

Vavrek will be helped out this season by longtime assistant Mike Hensler and first-year assistant Lanie French.

The QV girls have a tough act to follow in 2025 as the Quakers captured their first WPIAL championship in girls volleyball last season, finished first in Section 1-2A with a 14-0 record and ended up 18-3 overall.

“We are a youthful team that will be looking to improve every day,” Vavrek said. “We will have a very different team compared to last year.

“Last year, we were very experienced, and this year we will be a team that will need to grow and continue to learn the game as the season progresses.”

Seniors Mia Gartley, a 5-foot-9 outside hitter, Bella Jarrett, a 5-9 outside/right-side hitter, and junior Nola Ebberts, a 5-10 middle/outside hitter, are the only returning starters.

The athletic 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.

Other players striving to make an impact include seniors Gabby Frank, Ella Palmer and Donika Keo and juniors Rachel Bartels, Maya Sidani, Megan Harris, Cadence Stancil and Aria Casilla.

Micaiah Jones is a top sophomore prospect while freshmen Emma Duckstein and Sydney Kline hope to help out at the varsity level.

“We do have a lot of girls that have been around the program and know the successes of this program,” Vavrek said, “not just last year but the things this program has done the past three years.”

The Quakers open their season Aug. 23 in tournament action at Canon-McMillan.

Call it Soccer Country?

Quaker Valley, with 10, and Sewickley Academy, with seven, have amassed an impressive 17 district championships between them in boys soccer.

The Quakers were WPIAL titlists in 1985, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2012, 2016, 2019 and 2021.

The Panthers captured championships in 1998, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2013 and 2016.

In girls soccer, Sewickley Academy and Quaker Valley have combined to win seven WPIAL championships on the pitch.

SA earned WPIAL crowns in 1999, 2002, 2003 and 2004; the Quakers won titles in 1991, 1992 and last season.

Top players back for SA

The Sewickley Academy girls tennis team entered the WPIAL Class 2A playoffs last year with high hopes of making a strong run as the fourth seed.

Sewickley defeated No. 13 Central Valley, 4-1, in the first round but fell to No. 5 Oakland Catholic, 3-2, in the quarterfinals.

Rayna Thakkar and Maria Sirianni, the Panthers’ top two players, have graduated, but Isabele Zuluaga competed at No. 3 singles as a sophomore in 2024.

Annabelle Christ, now a senior, and Rani Shah, a junior, teamed up at first doubles for the Panthers, while two other current juniors, Madelyn Capozzi and Sofia DiCicco, and senior Vanshika Jeevan provided depth.

Zuluago qualified for the Section 5 singles tournament as the No. 8 seed.

SA finished as the section runner-up this fall with a 5-1 record. The Panthers were 9-4 overall.

Eden in tough section

Eden Christian Academy’s girls soccer teams have advanced to the postseason in four of the past five seasons.

One of the tightest races in the WPIAL last year developed in Section 1-A. Four teams battled for the top spot eventually taken by Eden Christian with a 7-2-1 record.

The Warriors finished ahead of Freedom (7-3), Riverside (6-3-1) and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (6-4) to claim the championship. Eden defeated OLSH twice, went 1-0-1 against Riverside and lost twice to Freedom.

Eden won six of eight games at midseason including a 1-0 victory Oct. 7 against Mohawk that clinched the section title.

All-section returns

Several returning players on the Quaker Valley football team were all-conference selections a year ago.

Senior Kris Brown was lauded as a second-team offensive lineman. Brown also received honorable mention status at defensive end.

Aris Haniotes, a junior, landed honorable mention accolades as both an offensive lineman and defensive end. He also was voted to the second team as a long snapper.

Two other honorable mention selections back this year are seniors Logan Benedict and Ben McHenry at wide receiver and defensive back, respectively.

QV competes in the Class 3A Western Hills Conference.

Eden honors

Did you know that eight members of the Eden Christian girls volleyball team were named all-section in 2024?

The Warriors were led by first-team selections Ava Arnold (OH/DS), Ella D’Ippolito (MH), Alexis Fowler (Libero) and Erin Hull (OH).

Jessie Bartram (MH) and Caitlyn Garrett (RS) were voted to the second team while Ainsley Chevalier (Setter) and Emily Muir (OH) received third team plaudits.

D’Ippolito, Fowler, Bartram and Garrett were seniors last year. Returning players include Arnold and Chevalier, both seniors, along with Hull and Muir, both sophomores.

All-WPIAL picks

Did you also know that two returning midfielders on the Quaker Valley girls soccer team — senior Ari Bosh and junior Annabel Miko — were named all-WPIAL last year?

Emma Eannarino, a Sewickley Academy midfielder, and Allie Emswiler, an Eden Christian defender, also were all-WPIAL selections. Both are juniors this season.

Among the boys, senior midfielders Tanner Shultz at Quaker Valley and Finn Wentz at Sewickley Academy were voted to the all-WPIAL team.

Sewickley soccer

Sewickley Academy’s boys soccer team tied Freedom for third place in Section 1 behind Beaver County Christian and Eden Christian a year ago.

Blake Wilmot, a defender and three-sport standout, is expected to provide some of the senior senior leadership for the 2025 squad.

Two other upperclassmen, forward Luca Peluso and Wentz, were top scoring threats for the Panthers last season and should continue in those roles this fall.

Top golfer

Eden Christian senior golfer Pearl Lundgren advanced to the Class 2A state finals in 2024 where she tied for 20th place. Lundgren has been the WPIAL runner-up in 2A the past two seasons as a sophomore and junior.

Tags: Quaker Valley