Unflappable Burrell sweeps South Allegheny in Class 2A volleyball 1st round

By: Adam Brewer
Wednesday, October 23, 2024 | 11:54 PM

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It was a battle of two second-place girls volleyball teams in Class 2A, and the great equalizer was playoff experience.

No. 10 Burrell had great poise, played mistake-free and dominated the net, as the Bucs upset host No. 7 South Allegheny on Wednesday in WPIAL first-round play.

“When you do all the little things right, big things happen,” Burrell coach Alyson Shirey said. “There were only two girls on our roster that has never been in a playoff game. My advice to the team was to act like you been here before. We know what playoff volleyball is all about.”

The Bucs (13-4) grabbed their sixth playoff win since 2017 and won their second straight first-round contest by set scores of 25-15, 25-12 and 25-20. Burrell upended Keystone Oaks last season before suffering a quarterfinal loss to eventual Class 2A champion Beaver.

Pyper Ferres had her fingerprints all over the playoff win for the Bucs, as the 5-foot-10 senior controlled things at the net with 14 kills and five blocks, while also collecting 12 service points and six digs.

“We knew we had to stick together and ride all the emotions of the playoffs,” Ferres said. “We picked each other up and we play as one, cohesive unit. It was probably our best match of the season.”

Burrell, which finished second behind Southmoreland in Section 5-2A, will now play No. 2 Neshannock, a 3-2 winner over Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, in the quarterfinals Saturday with a time and site to be determined.

As for South Allegheny, which finished second behind South Park in Section 2-2A, nothing went right for the home team at the service line and with their defensive blocking.

“Burrell is a really good team from a competitive section,” South Allegheny coach Jack Kelley said. “They did not play like a No. 10 seed and we knew they would be a handful tonight. Their setter really took things over and she had a great relationship with their middles.”

The Gladiators (16-5) were looking for the first playoff win in program history. SA fell 3-2 to Shenango in last year’s first-round matchup.

“It seems like Burrell did not make any mistakes tonight,” Kelley said. “Their errors were minimal, while we had several costly errors. We had no lengthy runs and our serves were not falling for us. We were outcoached and outplayed tonight.”

The visitors held an early 3-1 lead in the opening set, but SA rallied back with four straight points courtesy of a hitting error and an ace by Ally Chizmar, which was sandwiched around kills by Alexis Bartrug and Regan McBeth.

Burrell quickly turned the tide and forced SA to call its first timeout after a 9-3 spree. Ferres had four kills in the run that quickly gave the momentum back to the Bucs.

“Volleyball is all about the momentum,” Ferres said. “When I am feeling it, I just want to pound the ball and get those kills. We had to battle around some early mistakes, but once we figure it out and get on that first run, we are just hard to stop as a team.”

The Bucs stretched their lead to 18-11 later in the first set and then had a 22-13 edge after a couple of hitting errors by the Gladiators. SA got as close as 23-15 before Ferres ended the set abruptly with a ferocious kill and a well-placed ace for the final two points.

“We played as one tonight and nothing really bothered us out on the court,” Shirey said. “We did not let anything stop us. We had good passing and good communication all night. Our defense set the tone and I thought we kept things organized on offense.”

Ferres was at it again for the visitors to begin the second set with a pair of kills for a 4-0 lead. Burrell kept the solid play at the net going and extended its lead to 13-4 after a couple of kills from Meadow Keyes and Harper Fellner.

Another key aspect of the game was the play of the Bucs’ setter, Delaney Ploskunak, who dished out 19 assists and even added four kills in the sweep.

After Burrell won the second set by 13 points, SA came out in the third set with a little bit of life and built an early 8-4 advantage after a couple of kills from McBeth, Chizmar and Cadence Mcbride. The rally was short-lived, however, as the Bucs stormed back with an 11-5 run.

With the set tied at 15-15, Burrell garnered separation with eight consecutive points. SA was down 24-16, but rallied with four unanswered points before Ploskunak put the finishing touch on the sweep with a kill that could not be played in the backline.

“Pyper is a great leader and athlete for us,” Shirey said. “The other girls look up to her and we are very lucky to have her. She was very strong in those first two sets, and I think her overall play lifted the play of the other hitters in the final set.”

McBeth led the Gladiators in kills with nine, while Bartrug and McBride had five and four, respectively. Chizmar capped her night off with 11 service points and four kills. Other top contributors for SA were Ava Luft (14 assists), Ava Chizmar (nine assists/six service points) and Violet Pastories (10 digs).

“Too many mistakes for us tonight,” Kelley said. “It was an off night for us, and we had those playoff jitters. But this loss takes nothing away from our season. We improved as a team from last year. The 12 section wins were huge for us. We lose a couple of seniors, but we have a strong core coming back.”

Editor’s note: This story was updated to correct the spelling of Burrell setter Delaney Ploskunak’s name.

Tags: Burrell, South Allegheny