No pain, but a lot of gain

WYALUSING—Midway through Holy Redeemer’s match against Towanda, Monica Wignot came down a bit too hard on her ankle after going high over the net to post a kill, sending coach Jack Kablick into a bit of a panic.

Kablick winced for just an instant, but quickly realized that his star player was not injured. He appeared to let out a sigh of relief.

Wignot, a 6-foot-2 senior middle hitter, put on a show for the ages – even by her sky-high standards. She equaled a career-high 36 kills, including five eye-popping slams from the back row, to lead the Royals to a 3-0 victory over the Black Knights in opening round play of the PIAA Class 2A playoffs at Wyalusing High School. The scores were 25-15, 25-15, 25-11.

District 2 champion Holy Redeemer (22-0) advanced to the Final Eight of the state tournament for the third consecutive year. The Royals will begin pool play with three other teams in York on Friday, with the two top teams advancing to Saturday’s finals.

“I played my heart out,” said Wignot, a two-time all stater “I was so excited that I don’t believe I’ve ever hit this hard This is an awesome feeling.”

Wignot simply took charge of the match early in the first game, and Towanda never had a chance. The Black Knights actually managed to block some of Wignot’s shots, but no matter. The Royals still managed to turn the blocks into kills.

“She (Wignot) is great,” said Towanda’s Allison Wickmire. “We spent a lot of time practicing for her, but there was no stopping her.”

Towanda threw something at Holy Redeemer that the Royals never faced – a male player. The 5-11 Cornell Dougal put up decent numbers – 10 kills and four blocks – but even his presence failed to hinder Wignot’s performance.

“I had a lot of energy,” Wignot said. “I was able to take advantage of every set.”

Junior setter Mary Loughran also played a major role in Holy Redeemer’s impressive performance. She dished out 40 assists, most of which were to Wignot. Time after time, Loughran hit Wignot with perfectly placed cross court passes.

“We have great chemistry on and off the court,” said Wignot, referring to Loughran. “We always know where each other is at all times during a match.”

“We’re best friends and it definitely carries over. I really feel proud when Monica gets a hit off one of my sets. Tonight we just kept Towanda on their heels and continued to pound the ball.”

The Royals also got a strong effort from senior middle hitter Kristen Bell, who had five kills and played above the net throughout the match.

Bell showed great fortitude when one of her hits was slammed back in her face by a pair of defenders, but retaliated with a rocket slam that gave the Royals a 19-15 lead in game two.

“We knew they were a good blocking team because they had a boy on the team,” Bell said. “I didn’t let it bother me. I just stayed on my toes and made the play.”

According to Bell, Towanda (15-4) is the best defensive team the Royals have played. “They’re definitely better defensively than any team we faced in league play.”

Bell also notched two kills that put game three out of reach, and Holy Redeemer appropriately sealed the deal on a Wignot slam.

Allie Griswold added two kills and four blocks, while Maura McCormick had two kills and four service points. Julia Wignot posted 16 service points.

“Towanda is better than we thought, but we just overpowered them,” said Kablick.

Hatsboro-Horsham 3, Abington Heights 0

Abington Heights’ time in the 3A state tournament came to an end Tuesday night in the first round as Hatsboro-Horsham posted scores of 25-12, 25-11, and 25-10 for a 3-0 win.

Meghan Fraley had 10 assists and five digs for Abington Heights, while Nicole Heil chipped in seven digs and five service points.

Pottsville Nativity 3, MMI 0

The Preppers fell to the unbeaten Golden Girls in first round play of the 1A state tournament at Martz Hall by scores of 25-16, 25-12, 25-4.

Brone Lobichusky led MMI with 12 kills and four blocks, while Lainie Titus had 12 assists. Shannon Wenner had four kills, and Diana Anthony had 11 assists.

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Extras

An odd landing is only scare for Wignot and Holy Redeemer in her show-stopping state performance.

Hatsboro-Horsham 3, Abington Heights 0

Pottsville Nativity 3, MMI 0

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