Redeemer, Dunmore reach finals

WILKES-BARRE—After Holy Redeemer and Dunmore each finished unbeaten in regular season play, the Royals gained the No. 1 seed in the District 2 Class 2A playoffs by a coin toss.

Now, the two heavyweights will get a chance to settle matters on the court.

Monica Wignot blasted 22 kills to lead Holy Redeemer to an easy 3-0 victory over No. 4 seed Tunkhannock, while Dunmore posted a 3-1 victory over No. 3 seed Crestwood in semifinal action Tuesday night at Holy Redeemer.

Wyoming Valley Conference champion Holy Redeemer (20-0) and Lackawanna League champion Dunmore (18-1) will square off for the title at 6 p.m. Thursday at Nanticoke Area. The Royals are shooting for a third consecutive district crown.

“I think our defense has finally caught up with our offense,” said Holy Redeemer coach Jack Kablick, whose team coasted to victory by scores of 25-9, 25-7, 25-7. “Everything is coming together at the right time. We played great.”

Tunkhannock (15-5) was overmatched from the outset against the Royals, who came into the playoffs with a 54-match winning streak in WVC play. Wignot, a 6-foot-2 senior middle hitter, kept the Tigers running for cover throughout the match with her power hitting.

Wignot had one kill that hit the floor in front of two Tiger defenders, then careened into the stands, narrowly missing a fan who successfully dove for cover in the bleachers.

“I didn’t really see the kid (in the stands),” Wignot said. “I just tried to go up and hit the ball as hard as I possibly could.”

The kill gave the Royals a 17-5 lead in game three, and moments later Redeemer extended the margin to 22-7 on a Wignot blast that knocked a defender off her feet. Wignot also had three blocks and three service points.

The Royals also got impressive performances from Maura McCormick (11 kills, 19 service points) and Kristen Bell (three kills and four assists).

“We played exceptional defense,” said Bell, a 5-11 senior middle hitter. “I thought we were going to play Crestwood, but we’re looking forward to playing Dunmore.”

Ashley Zalewski paced the Tigers with five kills, while Sara Petokas and Emily Appolonia each had three kills.

In the opener, Dunmore turned in a brilliant defensive effort to beat Crestwood by scores of 25-13, 25-20, 25-19, 25-20.

Nicole Korgeski led the Bucks with 16 kills, two blocks 14 service points and 10 digs. Kimberly Dempsey had 20 assists and three aces, while Colleen Carr had four kills, 16 service points and six aces.

The Bucks prevailed despite an outstanding performance from Crestwood’s Kayla Jeckell, who posted 20 kills and 20 digs. Jordan Pickering added 12 kills and seven digs, while Carina Mazzoni had four kills and 29 assists.

“We just got down on ourselves,” Jeckell said. “You have to give Dunmore’s defense credit. They knew where we were hitting and did a good job digging up our shots.”

Crestwood (17-3) played Dunmore on even terms whenever Jeckell was at the net. The Comet offense sputtered, however, when she rotated to the back row.

Pickering said it was simply a matter of Dunmore’s execution, especially on defense.

“They went out there ready to play and we didn’t,” she said. “We just dropped our heads lost our rhythm. I just wish we could have played like we’re capable. We could have beaten them.”

“Our service play and passing was outstanding. Those are the two most important things you need to do to win.”