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WILKES-BARRE — Almost a year to the day since Berwick ended up on the wrong side of a five-set championship match against North Pocono, the Bulldogs found themselves in the same spot on Thursday night.
There would be no repeat. Instead, the Bulldogs put together one final run in a game full of them to become district champions once again.
Berwick broke North Pocono’s serve right from the jump in the fifth and final set, outlasting North Pocono 15-9 in the deciding set to win the District 2 Class 3A championship at Wilkes University’s Marts Center.
Angelina Colone, a year removed from an injury that kept her from playing on the district finals stage, made up for the lost time. The junior outside hitter had 18 kills, providing spark after spark for her team in spots where they needed it.
“Coach always told me to have a positive mindset, so I kept that up throughout the whole game,” Colone said. “I wanted the ball, I wanted them to hit to me, I was ready.”
It was defending champ North Pocono that forced a fifth set, and did so in emphatic fashion, winning the fourth set 25-14.
It was the closest thing to lopsided on a night where both teams played remarkably even, and the Trojans were fired up heading to the bench between sets.
But the Bulldogs answered the bell, and delivered a knockout blow to bring the championship back to Berwick.
“The perfect word for it is resiliency,” Bulldogs coach Sarah Warner said. “Many teams would have given up, these girls have had several conversations throughout the season about being mentally tough.”
The two teams traded runs and momentum all night long, starting in the second set.
After North Pocono had won a tight, taxing first set 25-23, Berwick found itself just one point away from falling down two sets, a hole that may have been impossible to climb out of.
Fortunately for the Bulldogs, they didn’t have to find out: trailing 24-20 in the second set, Berwick rattled off six straight points to tie, overtake and beat the Trojans to a second-set victory by a 26-24 final.
The Bulldogs followed it up with a 25-16 win in the third set, sending the Berwick crowd into a frenzy. But North Pocono had the answer in the fourth set, drawing a loud ovation from their own fans that made the trip.
Never fazed, never worried, Berwick rallied and led by as much as 10-4 in the final set, never allowing the Trojans to mount one final run.
Grace Robbins added 15 kills for the Bulldogs, and Lea Adamo had 9 kills from the middle, also contributing a number of blocks as a big part of Berwick’s defense.
Libero Zoey Force was arguably the biggest piece to that defense, getting on the floor countless times to make saves while also having some of the best service games on the floor. She finished with 31 digs.
“I put a lot of hustle into it, I’m always trying to read the ball,” Force said. “I know my team needs me to get those balls.”
Berwick will take on the District 4 champion in the first round of the PIAA Class 3A state tournament on Tuesday.