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Abington Heights takes the match, with all three game wins coming by the minimum two-point margin.
Pat Henry and Crestwood pushed Abington Heights to a fifth and final game in a 3-2 loss Monday.
AIMEE DILGER/THE TIMES LEADER
Crestwood’s Jake Prohaska sets a shot in Monday’s match against Abington Heights. Prohaska had a match-high 20 kills.
AIMEE DILGER/THE TIMES LEADER
WRIGHT TWP. — If anyone was doubting that Abington Heights and Crestwood were solid boys volleyball programs after strong early starts, they were proven incorrect Monday night.
The Comet teams hooked up at Crestwood High School and put on a five-game show for fans with a total of 29 lead changes and 43 ties in those five games.
Abington Heights came out on top 3-2, winning games one (25-23), three (25-23) and five (15-13) by a total of six points. Crestwood won games 2 and 4 by scores of 30-28 and 25-16, respectively.
Abington entered with just one loss – a five-game setback to perennial District 2 Class 2A power North Pocono in five games – and with a win over last year’s District 2 Class 2A runner-up Coughlin. Crestwood entered unbeaten, including a win over the reigning District 2 Class 3A champion Hazleton Area.
“We made it harder than it should have been,” Abington coach Dan Phillips said. “They’re a great team. We knew it was going to be a war coming in.
“You got a lot of teams in this league that are comparable with each other and it’s all who’s going to play the best that night.”
The first game of the match, both teams appeared a little rusty with several mishits on both sides of the net. Abington pulled out the victory with a kill from Roddy Geiger ending the set, which included five lead changes and six ties.
Once the teams got rid of the opening-game jitters, they were nearly flawless in the final four games.
The wildest set was the second as Abington and Crestwood went back-and-forth with 21 ties and 11 lead changes, eventually pulled out by Crestwood in overtime, 30-28. Jake Prohaska (10 blocks, five digs, five points) led the way for Crestwood in the stanza with four of his match-high 20 kills.
“It was an awesome match,” Crestwood coach Mike Williams said. “I think we got better today. This is one of the top teams in the conference and we knew coming in it was going to be tough and we stuck with them. We had a chance to win. A couple mental mistakes, but we played awesome.”
Game 3 went to Abington Heights by the minimum two points as lefthander James Connolly (13 kills, 10 service points, four digs) blasted more than a third of his team-high kills in the match in the third game when he posted five. The largest margin for Abington (5-1) was three points in the game, but Crestwood only led once by one and couldn’t overtake the lead.
The fourth game was all Crestwood (5-1).
After a slow start had Crestwood up 6-5, it went on an impressive 19-11 run to force the fifth game with the 25-16 win.
Williams smelled victory at that point and Phillips was concerned.
“I think we all kind of thought we had it after Game 4,” Williams said. “Then when they jumped out on us we got the jitters and we had a couple mistakes here and there.”
“Yeah I was definitely concerned,” Phillips said. “It’s nice to win the first game but then when you second, the door’s open it’s even Steven now. Once you drop one game you’re worried.”
But after another seesaw game with 10 ties and nine lead changes, Abington came out victorious with another two-point victory, 15-13 as senior Andrew McLane (12 kills, 18 service points, 4 aces) clinched the win with a kill at the end. Eric Wasser (30 assists, two kills, six points) and Drew Shumaker (eight kills, three points, three blocks) also helped in Abington’s victory.
“I’m happy with the win, just not satisfied,” Phillips said. “There’s some stuff we have to work on to get better.”
Nick Banos (12 points, six digs, six kills), Pat Henry (11 points, seven kills) and A.J. Krysicki (nine kills, four digs) were contributors for Crestwood.
Holy Redeemer 3, Dallas 0
The Royals remained unbeaten at 5-0 winning by scores of 25-9, 25-14, 25-16 as Pete Alexis smashed 27 kills, to go with eight blocks and nine points.
Rob Wingert (14 points, 35 assists), John McCarthy (nine kills, five blocks) and Braunsen Bozek (four kills) also helped Redeemer, which is one of three undefeated teams left in the league along with Lake-Lehman (5-0) and North Pocono (4-0).
For Dallas, Aaron Weir (six kills, two blocks) and Kevin Hine (nine digs, 12 assists) posted solid numbers.
Tunkhannock 3, Wyoming Area 1
The Tigers pulled out the victory by scores of 25-7, 25-10, 22-25, 25-12 to improve its record to 3-2.
The Warriors (1-5) were paced by Tony Richards (17 assists, five kills) and Cody Gates (nine kills).