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Upper St. Clair concludes volleyball season

By Eleanor Bailey 3 min read
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Sam Amos (No. 17) and Leah Kern (No. 11) attempt to block a hit by Baldwin. The Highlanders swept Upper St. Clair, 3-0, in a PIAA Class AAA quarterfinal volleyball playoff match at Bethel Park, ending the Lady Panthers’ season.

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Sam Amos (No. 17) spikes the ball during WPIAL playoff action. Despite her efforts, Upper St. Clair fell to Baldwin, 3-0, and ended its season in the PIAA quarterfinal round of the girls’ volleyball playoffs.

Despite having a bad day, the Upper St. Clair girls’ volleyball team can look back on a very good season. The Lady Panthers ended their 2015 campaign with a 3-0 loss to Baldwin this past weekend in the PIAA quarterfinals but with their best year ever.

“The overall season was a tremendous success,” said USC head coach Alex Hinsey. “The girls went further than any USC girls’ volleyball team in program history and they had a lot to be proud of. We talk a lot about leaving a legacy when you leave the gym and move on in life and this year’s senior class certainly did that.”

Sam Amos, who will play next year at Duke University, Emily Kennedy, Leah Kern and Emma Galligan spearheaded a program that in four years finished no lower than second place in section. The foursome led USC to back-to-back undefeated section championships. This fall, the Lady Panthers finished third in the district and qualified for the state tournament.

After beating Allderdice, 25-3, 25-10, 25-10, in the first round of the PIAA championships, USC succumbed to its nemesis, Baldwin. The Highlanders used five games to defeat the Lady Panthers in the WPIAL semifinals. However, on Nov. 14 at Bethel Park High School, Baldwin made quick work of USC, winning in three sets, 25-14, 25-19 and 25-11.

Maddi Sgattoni led Baldwin with 18 kills. Sierra Colbert, Mac Voelker and Syd Wanchik added seven kills each. Voelker finished with 15 digs.

“That was a very good Baldwin team we played and they caught us on a very bad day,” said Hinsey. “All in all it didn’t turn out well for us.”

The future, however, should turn out well for the Lady Panthers as they return a good core for next season, including sophomores Alex Amos, Sam’s younger sister, and Isabelle Walsh. Both are strong outside hitters.

While Leslie O’Malley, Cara Zollars, Cam Shaffer and Abby Coggins are also sophomores, juniors Kindler Norman, Lilly Drucis, Claire Zalla, Elia Kallick and Alexa Segura are expected to step into leadership roles. Brynn Foster, Kaitlyn Kanas, Lauren Wieczenski and Maryn Foster, all freshmen who completed the varsity roster, should also be big contributors.

“We had a lot of young players in our line up throughout this season and return a lot of talent,” Hinsey said. “We also have a very good JV team and feel that we have players ready to step up and fill in to these spots. We’re excited about the future.”

The future was now for Bishop Canevin. The Crusaders advanced to the PIAA Class A semifinals. They faced Cochranton last night in Slippery Rock for the right to compete in Saturday’s (Nov. 21) championship match. (The match was played after The Almanac went to press.)

Canevin, which captured the WPIAL title, defeated Purchase Line, 3-0, in a quarterfinal match played at Greensburg Salem. The Crusaders won the three sets, 25-11, 25-20 and 25-17.

Canevin opened PIAA tournament action with a sweep over Cambridge Springs at Seneca Valley. The Crusaders won the three sets, 25-15, 25-22, 25-14.

In Class AA first-round competition, Fort LeBoeuf eliminated South Fayette, 25-15, 17-25, 25-21, 25-18. The Lions were co-Section 6 champions with Seton-La Salle and finished third in the WPIAL.

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