Beaver County Christian Ends Ambridge’s WPIAL AA Volleyball Run

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, May 28, 2016 | 12:03 AM

The narrative was all too familiar before the championship of boys’ volleyball in Class AA. For the fifth straight season and for the eighth time in nine years, the Bridgers of Ambridge were in the house competing for a championship. They had won seven titles in the previous eight seasons, going 7-7 in their opportunities.

But all good stories in sports come to an end eventually, and when the final volley was complete at Baldwin High School on Friday night, a new champion was crowned. A champion, in the Eagles of Beaver County Christian, whose name probably isn’t all too familiar for followers of the WPIAL.

It was the first appearance for the team that hails from a school that has 33 male students enrolled in a volleyball championship game.

To put that 33 into perspective, Ambridge carried 21 boys on its volleyball roster. Beaver County Christian had three all-playoff selections for first team and one for second-team.

But the number that mattered for the Eagles was one. It was a night of firsts for BCC.

It was the first championship for Beaver County Christian in boys’ volleyball, the first title for head coach Christen Adels and the first time a team other than Ambridge won a Class AA boys’ volleyball championship since 2011, when Deer Lakes did it, beating Montour.

The match started quickly for the Eagles, who raced out to a 4-0 and then 13-5 lead in the first set on the back of middle hitter Quinn McCracken, among others.

Beaver County Christian would win the first set in extra points 29-27 after senior Bridger Anthony Baronio and Ambridge battled back in. Contributions from juniors Daniel Townsend and Matt Knab helped as well as did contributions from junior Adam Shaw for BCC.

Set two was the definition of back-and-forth, as was set three. McCracken, Knab, Shaw and Townsend continued to be solid passing, blocking, attacking and defending for Beaver County Christian, while for Ambridge, Baronio, Adam Fryer and Derek Kuhn, whom all ended up with all-tournament honors as well, tried to will the Bridgers to the five-peat.
Set two went 25-20 to BCC, and the book was closed with the final chapter, set three, with a 25-23 Beaver County Christian win for the title.

Coach Adels said after the game that first and foremost she was shocked it went straight sets and the players echoed that but reference how hard Adels pushed them every day at practice and on game days as one of the biggest reasons why the small school in Beaver County became so successful.

Both teams will compete in the PIAA tournament next week, but for now and for the next 365 days, it’s time for Ambridge to move over.

It’s time for a new era in WPIAL boys’ volleyball and Class AA, and that is the era of the reign of the Eagles. Yes, the school of 33 males, Beaver County Christian.

Tags: Ambridge, Beaver County Christian