GIRLS VOLLEYBALL:Pennsbury loss to CouncilRock South was a lesson learned

Pennsbury came in second place this year in the SOL National Conference.

By Steve Sherman
Sports Editor
Defending Suburban One League (SOL) National conference champion Pennsbury won the league title last year, losing only one league match along the way. So going into the stretch run of this season, there was no reason to doubt they Lady Falcons would do it again.
After all, they’d rebounded from an early season 3-1 loss to Council Rock North, taking the ensuing matchup, 3-2.
But a funny thing happened on the way to the end of the regular season. Pennsbury lost a league match to Council Rock South, a team they defeated handily by a 3-0 score the first time the sides squared off.
While Pennsbury won their home match against the Golden Hawks 25-11, 25-15, and 25-14, when the sides squared off Oct. 15 in enemy territory, South took the upper hand and crushed the Falcons in game one, 25-8. Pennsbury rebounded in time to take game two, 25-20, but the Falcons lost the next game, 25-22.
While the Falcons locked it up at two games apiece with a 25-22 win of their own in game four, the Hawks won the rubber match easily, 15-7.
The heartbreaking loss to South, left the door open for CR North to take the league title. And the Lady Indians walked right through that opening, defeating the Hawks Oct. 19 in a battle of their own with South.
The Indians outpaced the Hawks in three straight sets 25-19, 25-18, 25-17, finishing the regular season at 11-1 and the SOL National Conference trophy in hand.
In a recent interview, Pennsbury senior opposite Drew Jolly gave her thoughts on that fateful loss to CR South.
“We didn’t come out our best,’ stated Jolly. “We came out thinking we were going to win.
“We played down to their level and they came up.
“They just hustled more than us.”
While the girls lost their first duel with CR North in their very first league match in Newtown, to their credit, the Falcons rebounded by taking the final match between the schools, winning three games to two.
Trailing, 2-1, midway through the match, Pennsbury won the last two games, 25-22, 18-16.
In that Oct. 1 matchup at home, Jolly led the Falcons with 21 kills, one ace, two blocks and 10 digs. Sydney Aizen had 14 kills, three aces, two blocks and six digs.
“We played really well that match,” explained senior libero Paige Hensor. “We stuck it out to the end and came out with the win.”
While Pennsbury won its last two matches via shutout wins over league foes Truman and Neshaminy, some of the girls can’t help but wonder about the one that got away.
Here, Hensor gives her thoughts on that late season loss to CR South.
“We didn’t play up to our potential at all,” stated Hensor. “We played down to their level; we didn’t play up to our level.”
“We didn’t play the way that Pennsbury should play.”
Nevertheless, the girls believe the lessons learned can play dividends as the team advance through the postseason. Last year in district play, the Falcons won a pair of districts before falling in a D-I quarterfinal match to Upper Merion, 3-0. Along the way, they blanked St. Basil’s Academy and Villa Marie Academy before reaching the D-I quarters.
But in losing to Upper Merion, Pennsbury was kept from states and that is a place the Falcons want desperately to reach this year.
“Before the season, we set goals. Getting to states is one of our biggest,” stated Hensor. “Being a senior it’s something that I’d like to see happen.
“To get back there would be a big highlight to our season.
Pennsbury got off on the right foot yesterday (Oct. 27) in a first round district pairing with CB East, defeating the Patriots, 25-11, 25-9, 25-20.
From here it gets harder. Tomorrow, the 8th-seeded Falcons face No. 9 seed Kennett. To reach states, Pennsbury must beat Kennett and win an ensuing quarterfinal matchup.
Hensor thinks this team has the potential to reach the PIAA tournament.
“We can do it if we play our hardest and put everything we have into it.
“If we play each game like it’s our last game, then we can make it.”
But that’s as long as the girls don’t come out expecting their opponent to hand them the ‘W’ before the game begins, said Paige.
“We can’t come out playing like we expect to win,” stated Hensor. “We have to come out and play better than the other team.”

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NOTES: Jolly leads Pennsbury in kills. Hensor is the digs leader and junior Juliana Slaven leads the Falcons in assists.