For the second straight season, Homer-Center knocked off West Shamokin to win the Heritage Conference volleyball championship, breaking open a tight match with a crushing win in the fourth set to win the title, 3-1.
West Shamokin prevailed in a tense opening set, 32-30, but the Wildcats took the next three. Homer Center won the second set, 25-21, then built a ten-point lead in the third set and were up 21-13 before the Wolves went on a run to take the lead. But Homer-Center rebounded. Tied at 28, Meegan Williams blocked two straight shots at the net to put the Wildcats up one before Ali Schmidt’s service winner gave them the set, 30-28. The final set began with Homer-Center jumping to a 10-3 lead and they continued to pour it on, winning it 25-10 on Anna Cutshall’s serve and the resulting rally.
Homer-Center coach Beth Cutshall says her girls were determined after losing that first set.
The Wildcats’ Macy Sardone has a lot of respect for West Shamokin.
Libero Anna Cutshall was on the receiving end of blasts by West Shamokin’s Maddie McConnell all night long. She says the Wolves are really good.
West Shamokin had beaten Homer-Center twice in the regular season. Meegan Williams says they were a big hurdle to overcome.
In the semifinals, West Shamokin swept Northern Cambria from the floor, 25-13 and 25-19, while Homer-Center took down Portage, 25-10, 25-20.
The teams move on to the District 6 playoff, which start today. In Class A, Homer-Center is the number three seed and will get a first round bye, awaiting the winner of today’s matchup of Claysburg-Kimmel and United. Portage is the second seed and will play the winner of today’s game between Ferndale and Bishop Guilfoyle. West Branch is the top seed in Class A.
In Double-A, Philipsburg-Osceola is the top seed. West Shamokin is number two. The Wolves will play the winner of tomorrow’s game between seventh seed Marion Center and number ten Richland.
WPIAL
Fresh off their 3-0 win over Woodland Hills in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs on Monday, the 13th ranked Indiana volleyball team plays at number four Thomas Jefferson tonight.
