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Two teams that have already succeeded in expanding beyond their local dominance will try to conquer the entire state when they meet today at 1 p.m. at Cumberland Valley High School in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class 2A girls volleyball championship match.
Holy Redeemer arrives in Mechanicsburg with 12 District 2 championships and 11 Wyoming Valley Conference titles in the school’s 12-year history.
Bald Eagle Area’s success has been a bit more recent. The Eagles have won four straight Mountain League titles.
By the time the state tournament arrived, Holy Redeemer was already moving up through the state ranks. Many of the players in a deep senior class had played in the state semifinals two years ago and the quarterfinals last season.
With that background and a one-loss regular season, Holy Redeemer ascended to the top of the Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association Class 2A state rankings before the start of the tournament.
Bald Eagle Area was still looking for the first state win in school history at that point. Now, the Eagles have three, including Tuesday’s victory over defending state champion Freeport.
Both teams will have many of weapons to turn to in their first state final.
Skylar Osenkarski repeated as Wyoming Valley Conference Player of the Year, but it is not automatic that she will be the primary focus of the Holy Redeemer offense.
Madison Rockey is the Mountain League Most Valuable Player, but although she can finish at the net, she generally spreads the ball around to her teammates.
Senior setter Korren Hicks and junior outside hitter Liv Moore joined Osenkarski as first-team WVC all-stars. Senior libero Sarah Kuderka and senior hitters Sarah Liskowicz, Samantha Carr and Julia Andrejko were all second-teamers.
“Too many hitters from too many angles,” Holy Redeemer coach John Kablick said in explaining what makes his team so difficult to stop.
Maddie Lewis, another senior, has been valuable for her clutch serving during the playoffs.
Grace Hugar was a first-team league all-star for Bald Eagle Area while Lexi Skripek and Lacee Barnhart were second-teamers.
When Bald Eagle Area avenged a first-round state tournament loss by beating Freeport in four sets Tuesday, Hugar had 16 kills while Barnhart and Taylor Kilmer had 13 each
Rockey has been credited with 85 assists in the last two rounds and had seven aces in the quarterfinals. She also has been a factor for the Eagles defensively, both in the back row and with blocks.