Freeport, Knoch volleyball teams rounding into playoff form

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, October 14, 2018 | 10:57 PM

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When Knoch and Freeport met in Saxonburg on Wednesday for their annual rivalry match, it became a microcosm of each team’s season.

Knoch displayed the athleticism and powerful hitting of Hannah Rowe, Kennedy Christy and Skylar Burkett in a 3-0 win. While Freeport has been strong all year, too, the injury bug that has been a problem all season struck again when standout middle hitter Sarah Hettich went down with a foot injury in the first set.

As reigning state champions, the Knights and Yellowjackets are preparing for the challenges of defending their titles.

Class AAA No. 1 Knoch (15-0) is working on limiting unforced errors, and Class AA No. 1 Freeport (11-2) is focusing on getting healthy.

Hettich became Freeport’s third key player, along with Haley Graham and Tori Radvan, to suffer an injury. Yellowjackets coach Tom Phillips said he’s hopeful Hettich can return for playoffs. Graham, who had a knee injury, saw her first action of the season Thursday against Burrell, and Radvan is out for the year after injuring her knee in the first match of the season.

“For 17 years, I’ve been pretty blessed that I have had very few injuries, and most of them were minor,” Phillips said. “This year, we’ve had three injuries. It’s one of those things, but we go hard every day in practice. We haven’t changed. We’re probably better conditioned this year than ever.”

Despite the injuries, Freeport has continued to dominate Class AA opponents and has been ranked No. 1 all season. The Yellowjackets’ only losses came against fellow defending state champions North Allegheny (Class AAAA) and Knoch. Freeport clinched its 15th consecutive section title with a 3-0 win over Burrell on Thursday and has not dropped a set in section play all season.

Mackensey Jack and Lauren Lampus have stepped in to the outside hitter role left by Radvan’s injury. Jack had to move again to the middle on Wednesday after Hettich’s injury, and libero Erica Lampus moved to the outside. Isabella Russo has stepped up to help fill the middle hitter role all season, and Ally DeJidas is the opposite hitter who plays all six rotations.

With Graham, who started at middle hitter in the state title game last year, working her way back into game shape, the Yellowjackets are starting to get pieces of the puzzle back and are hopeful they’ll have less lineup shuffling once the postseason starts.

“The injury bug is a tough thing, but I do feel good about where we at right now,” Phillips said. “I like this team a lot, but we have to get healthy. I think we’re playing at a pretty decent level. When you have to move your libero (Erica Lampus) to the outside, it’s tough. Erica does a really good job back there, but she can swing, too, and she’s a good server. It’s a tough situation. Hopefully Sarah can get back, and we can continue to battle.

“This is what playoff teams are made of. It’s about finding that mojo, strengthening things up and seeing what you can do.”

Knoch (13-0) has been the top-ranked team in Class AAA all season and has dropped only two sets. Both came in 3-1 wins over Central Valley. The Knights clinched their third straight section championship with a 3-0 sweep of Ambridge on Thursday. They also have a 3-0 win over Armstrong, who was the Class AAAA runner-up last year before dropping down to AAA this season.

The Knights had to replace some key players, including Sarah Armahizer, who’s at Edinboro.

Rowe and Christy have been a lethal combination at outside and middle hitter to soften the loss of Armahizer, last year’s kill leader. Christy had 19 kills against Freeport, and Rowe added 15. Kerrie Fitzpatrick, the Knights’ lone senior, has been setting up both all year. She had 40 assists Wednesday.

Knoch coach Diane Geist admitted the team isn’t as deep as last year, but it’s more athletic.

“We’re in a good spot,” Geist said. “We still have a few issues we have to work on. It’s different. There are some spots where we are still a little shaky in a couple rotations, but overall we feel pretty confident.”

Knoch showcased its athleticism against Freeport, diving all over the place to keep the ball off the floor. On several occasions when it looked like the Knights were about to lose a point, one of their players — whether it was Christy, Rowe, Fitzpatrick or defensive specialist Mackenzie Kerkan — found a way to keep the ball from hitting the ground.

Rowe and Christy said unforced errors have been the team’s weak spot this year. They did a good job curtailing the mistakes Wednesday, with only five service errors overall and two in the first two sets.

“At this point of the season, we trust the girls around us more, and that’s why we’re progressively getting better,” Christy said. “We’re working up to where we need to be to get to where we were last year.”

Jerin Steele is a freelance writer.

Tags: Freeport, Knoch