Freeport volleyball team prepares for state semifinal matchup

By: Michael Love
Monday, November 14, 2022 | 5:01 PM

Purchase Photo Options

Normally, team banquets are designated for the end of a high school season when the program looks back at all its accomplishments.

The Freeport volleyball team held its team banquet Sunday. While coach Tom Phillips said the evening was a perfect time for fellowship and reflection on what the Yellowjackets have achieved this season, it certainly wasn’t a capper.

Freeport is back in the PIAA Class 2A semifinals as it hopes to keep rolling toward its second state title.

The WPIAL champion Yellowjackets face District 6 champ Philipsburg-Osceola at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at Punxsutawney.

“The banquet was absolutely fantastic,” Phillips said. “At first, I wasn’t sure about having the banquet before we’re done playing. But I think we used the banquet as a pep rally. It was pretty emotional from the standpoint of the seniors all giving their speeches.”

“The general feeling and consensus were that we still have things to accomplish, and we relish that opportunity.”

Phillips said he worked on researching the Mounties (19-1) to prepare a gameplan for Monday’s practice, a quick turnaround from Saturday’s 3-0 quarterfinal victory over WPIAL No. 3 Quaker Valley.

The team celebrated Saturday’s triumph with a stop for dinner Luciano’s in Cranberry Township.

“When you get to this point, you are down to the final four, and you have the elite in the state playing,” Phillips said. “No matter who we face, they are worthy opponents for sure.

While Philipsburg-Osceola is squarely in the sights of the Yellowjackets players and coaches, the other half of the bracket features a pair of district champions. District 11 champion Notre Dame Green Pond (17-4) will meet District 3 champion York Catholic on Tuesday at 7 at Reading High School.

“Tuesday will come down to staying motivated and playing our game. We have to concentrate on doing the things well which got us to this point. I am really proud of these girls. They played so well and with such motivation Saturday.”

Phillips said he hopes it is not Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney, a allusion to the movie staring Bill Murray where his character woke up each day, and it was the same day over again.

Freeport hopes to get past this round and into the finals. Last year, the Yellowjackets saw their season end in the Class 3A semifinals with a four-set loss to WPIAL rival and PIAA runner-up Hampton.

“We look at this run as having unfinished business after last year,” Phillips said. “The girls are very goal-minded, and they know what’s at stake. But we certainly know that this Phillipsburg team is very good.”

Phillips knows very well about the power of teams from District 6. The year after Freeport won the Class 2A title in 2017, District 6 champion Bald Eagle Area stopped the Yellowjackets with a 3-1 semifinal victory.

The current group of Freeport seniors experienced a trip to the PIAA semifinals as freshmen in 2019. North Catholic ended the Yellowjackets’ run that year en route to the state championship.

P-O has experienced its own brand of PIAA success in the past couple of seasons.

The Mounties, who won their third District 6 title this year, played for the Class 2A state title two years ago in the covid-affected 2020 season. They lost 3-1 to District 3 champion Trinity.

Last year, P-O reached the PIAA semifinals before bowing out to eventual state champion North Catholic in a match that finished 15-12 in the fifth and deciding game.

The Mounties, who swept WPIAL runner-up Shenango in three games in Saturday’s quarterfinals, are a relatively young team with no seniors in their rotation.

“With the state playoffs the way they are, it doesn’t leave a lot of time to really dig in and dissect your next opponent,” Phillips said. “But we know they are very solid and very balanced with a lot of weapons. They have a 6-foot-4 outside hitter who is pretty dynamic. They mirror us a lot in the fact that they run a 6-2 system with two setters like we do.”

Junior Reese Hazleton, a Big Ten commit to Indiana, owns 608 kills over 89 games, an average of 6.8 a game.

“She is such a good, sound player at the net for them,” Phillips said. “But it’s not just her. It’s one of those things where we just have to be on our game and be ready for everything they will throw at us.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Freeport