Hampton girls volleyball uses big rally to defeat Plum

By: Michael Love
Tuesday, November 2, 2021 | 9:17 PM

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In a Section 5 match with Armstrong late in the regular season, the Hampton girls volleyball team found itself down 2-0.

The Talbots were able to mount a rally that night and pull out a win. It helped them finish in a tie for the section title.

Hampton was in the same situation Monday as it fell behind Plum, 2-0, in a WPIAL Class 3A semifinal matchup at Gateway.

But the No. 3 Talbots drew on the experience from the Armstrong match and came back. Hampton scored a 16-14 victory in Game 5 to finish off a 3-2 win and punch its ticket to the WPIAL championship game for the first time since 2016.

“The girls did have confidence that they could fight back,” said Hampton coach Annie Bozzo, who saw her team improve to 16-2 overall. “We’re a good enough team to rely on our skill and rely on each other. We had the experience of the (Armstrong) game before, but we definitely don’t want to put ourselves in that position Friday.”

Hampton, seeking its first WPIAL title, will face No. 1 Freeport/No. 5 Armstrong in the title clash at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Robert Morris’ UPMC Events Center.

“These girls have worked hard, not only throughout this season but in the offseason. It means so much that all of the hard work is paying off, and the girls get the opportunity to earn that WPIAL title.”

Plum, the No. 2 seed, rallied for a pair of 26-24 wins in Games 1 and 2, but Hampton took Game 3, 25-16, and scored a 25-10 triumph in Game 4.

Hampton went up 5-2 in Game 5 on a kill from senior middle blocker Kai Herchenroether.

The Talbots held an 8-4 lead before Plum rallied to tie the score on a Kai Johnson hit that fell just inside the Hampton end line.

The teams went back and forth after that. Plum held leads of 11-10, 12-11, 13-12 and 14-13.

But Hampton, on a kill from senior Taylor Fiscus, took a 15-14 lead.

Then a hit from sophomore Kendall Kozel at the net was not returned by the Plum defense, and the Talbots players mobbed each other to celebrate the victory.

“We really believed in ourselves,” sophomore outside hitter Emmy Schrom said. “We didn’t want to put ourselves in a deep hole like we did, but there was time for us to come back, and we showed a lot of mental toughness. That all dates back to what we do in practice and how we prepare.”

Plum, despite the semifinal loss, is not done. All four semifinal teams qualified for the PIAA playoffs, which begin next Tuesday. The Mustangs (17-3 overall) qualified for the semifinals with an upset win against No. 1 Thomas Jefferson.

“There’s nothing to be ashamed about,” Plum coach Kelsey Bonk said. “I don’t think anybody, including myself, thought we would be at this point. We played a tough game against a great Hampton team. They just played better when it mattered. They have an outstanding outside (hitter), and they are big across the front. We are the exact opposite.

“The girls are sad right now, but the season is still alive, and we’ll prepare really hard and be ready for states.”

A combination of Hampton hits and Plum miscues helped the Talbots build a 7-1 lead in Game 1. But Plum rallied to tie the score as the Mustangs front line put up a block to make it 12-12.

The Mustangs advantage grew to as much as four at 16-12 with a 9-1 run.

The teams went back and forth the rest of the game with Hampton tying it at 23 and 24 before Plum got the final two points. Libero Mya Nonnenberg, with her back to the net, lifted a ball over the net and into the right corner of the Hampton zone to finish off a 26-24 win.

Just as in Game 1, Hampton opened Game 2 strong, building a 6-0 lead. Plum called a timeout to try and stem the Talbots’ momentum.

And again, Plum rallied.

It took the entirety of the game to battle back, but the Mustangs tied it 24-24. A hit long by Hampton’s Abby Stevens and a kill from Plum’s Dannika Susko gave Plum its second 26-24 triumph.

Susko finished the match with a team-best 13 kills.

Game 3 was close at the start as the teams reached 10-8.

But that is where Hampton started to take control.

Plum got to within four at 19-15, but the Talbots used a 6-1 run to finish off the 25-16 victory.

A kill from Schrom ended it for Hampton.

Hampton kept up its momentum from the Game 3 win as it built leads of 12-5 and 20-8 en route to a 25-10 victory in Game 4. Herchenroether ended the game for the Talbots with a powerful kill at the net.

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: Hampton, Plum