Redeemer begins quest for 2A title

The Holy Redeemer girls volleyball team has dominated District 2 play for the last three years, posting three straight unbeaten records in Wyoming Valley Conference play.

The Royals have put together a 54-match winning streak in the league and have won three district titles.

But there’s one glaring omission from their impressive resume. They’ve never made it to the Final Four of the PIAA Class 2A playoffs.

Like the past two years, Holy Redeemer (22-0) has again made it to the Final Eight of the state tournament. Coach Jack Kablick is confident that the Royals will survive pool play today at Central York High School and win a spot in Saturday’s Final Four.

Holy Redeemer is in Pool A along with District 3 champion Brandywine Heights, District 7 fourth seed Mars and District 7 runner-up Freeport.

The teams meet today in round-robin play. The Royals open against unbeaten Brandywine Heights at 9:30 a.m. The top-two teams will advance to the finals, along with the top two from Pool B.

“I like our chances,” said Kablick. “This is the best defensive team we’ve ever had at Holy Redeemer or Bishop Hoban. It’s also the best ball control team we’ve ever had.”

According to Kablick, the Royals have seven outstanding defensive players, something he hopes will give them an advantage in terms of depth.

Holy Redeemer is led by 6-foot-2 senior middle hitter Monica Wignot, a two-time all-stater who leads Pennsylvania in hitting and kills this season. Wignot recently notched her 1,000th career slam.

“She’s not only the best volleyball player I’ve ever coached, she’s the best one I’ve ever seen,” Kablick said. “She’s the entire package. She’s our leader and she’s a total team player.”

Wignot is coming off one the most dazzling performances of her career. She had 36 kills in Holy Redeemer’s 3-0 victory over District 4 champion Towanda in opening-round play on Tuesday.

“She had 64 swings against Towanda,” said Kablick. “That makes her tough to handle. She’s totally motivated; she knows there are only two days left in her high school career.”

The Royals have two other strong hitters – 5-11 senior Kristen Bell and 5-9 senior Maura McCormick. Bell has 200 career kills, and McCormick led the WVC with 306 service points this season.

Junior Mary Loughran is an outstanding setter. She handed out 40 assists in the win over Towanda.

“We also need big efforts from role players like sophomore Allie Griswold,” Kablick said. “She’s cool under pressure.”

Bell, who like Wignot is capable of taking control of a match, believes the Royals have a legitimate shot of winning the state title. She is confident they can beat Brandywine Heights.