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Wellsboro volleyball falls to Bald Eagle, closes campaign in first round of states

By HENRY HUBER 7 min read

WELLSBORO - Bald Eagle volleyball faced a fair share of adversity in Tuesday's states opener. Its road contest against District 4 champion Wellsboro was over 90 minutes away from home, and the Hornets were accompanied by a large, rowdy student section. And each time it gained an edge, Wellsboro showed how it was able to rack up 19 wins.

However, adverse scenarios are something the Eagles have grown used to through the past few weeks. Five of their previous six matchups came against state-ranked opponents, a span that saw them go 3-2.

That grueling stretch built up their tolerance to tension heading into Tuesday's matchup, and their talent and trust in each other did the rest. Bald Eagle used that experience to weather three separate rallies to sweep the Hornets, 25-18, 25-20 and 25-19, as the storied program advanced to its second straight quarterfinal and third in four years.

"We've played a lot of quality opponents in the last month, most of them being state-ranked teams, so when you're in that environment, it makes you able to respond a little bit better," said Bald Eagle volleyball head coach Larry Campbell following the win.

"They (Wellsboro) did some things that were a little out of character for them as we put pressure on them. At this time of the year, it's good to get a win and now, you're in the Final Eight with a chance at gold."

The first challenge the Eagles had to overcome was adjusting to Wellsboro's crowd. While they had a student section of their own, featuring seven avid supporters, it didn't quite match up to the dozens - perhaps 100 - of Hornets standing to its left.

Nonetheless, Bald Eagle handled that pressure swimmingly.

Junior outside hitter Emily Smith finished the first set with eight kills, many coming in close succession early, alongside two aces. And Kinsey Clark controlled things from the service line with eight service points and three aces through the first.

"It kind of gives me motivation and confidence," said Smith on the crowd noise. "They're trying to get in my head and I don't allow it. It's great that they have that section, but I don't let it affect me."

"I always just take a deep breath before my serves, reset and regroup," emphasized Clark. "Even if I miss my serves, I know it's gonna be okay because we've got the next point, it's just like, 'Go out there and have fun.'"

Four of those kills from Smith came in a row, and her pair of aces followed them to up Bald Eagle's early lead to 11-5. Clark took the service line at 14-11 and left it at 19-12, aided by a trio of kills from Addelyn Fisher. And while Wellsboro cut the deficit down to five twice late, three more Smith kills helped the Eagles maintain that cushion and win the set, 25-18.

It was a similar story in the second.

Wellsboro's Kendall Sweet notched three straight kills and a block to help the Hornets turn a 6-3 deficit into a 10-8 lead. But as quickly as they turned things around, Bald Eagle responded right back, as Kendall Gavlock took the service line and dished out five service points, including two aces. That put it up 14-10, a lead it would maintain to 19-15.

The Eagles would have to weather a strong late effort from the Hornets, as they cut that deficit to 19-17 and 21-18. And they'd do so swimmingly with a five combined kills from Clark, Fisher and Smith, winning the closest set of the night, 25-20.

Within that closing span, Smith logged a kill she considered her most important on the night. At 19-17, she adjusted to account for a defensive change from Wellsboro, picking up a kill that ended a 5-1 run from the Hornets.

"I saw their big right side come in and I was like, 'Okay, I've got a bigger block I've got to hit around,' and I hit a great line shot right in the middle of the 16," said Smith. "I was really proud of that one."

Heading into the third, it seemed like Bald Eagle had knocked the wind out of Wellsboro, as it quickly got out to 9-3 lead before expanding it to 15-6. However, its opponent's last gasp proved to be a notable one.

Adelyn Frantz logged two kills and a block, and an Eagle miscue and Gena Fleming kill turned that spurt into a 5-0 run. Off the heels of that surge, the Hornets were able to get within two on two separate occasions at 18-16 and 19-17, getting their home crowd back into it in the process.

Ultimately, Bald Eagle locked in just before its lead reached tying range, closing the set on an 8-2 run to secure the sweep. A sweep is a sweep, but Wellsboro had a lot to be proud of when it came to the effort, and the Eagles found negatives to build on moving into Saturday's quarterfinal.

"I don't think we showed up 100 percent from what we've seen, but to play a team that is a different level, it's nice for us to hang with them for a while there," said Wellsboro head coach Darci Pollock. "The girls have had a phenomenal season, and I couldn't be prouder of what they've accomplished."

"I thought we didn't do a great job at the service line," said Campbell. "At this time of the year, most of it, if you win the serve and pass, you win the match. I thought we won it today, but not by a very big margin."

That's something Bald Eagle will look to work on in its practices leading up to Saturday, but there were plenty of positives to build off as well.

Smith and Fisher finished with 14 and 13 kills to lead the team respectively. Clark added seven alongside her team-leading 11 service points, five aces and 12 digs, freshman setter Ella Simpson logged a match-high 29 assists and Gavlock, Fisher and Smith combined for seven aces to give the team a combined 13.

With the win, the Eagles will face District 11 champ Allentown Central Catholic (17-4) at a neutral site in Saturday's PIAA Class AAA quarterfinals. The time and location for that match are to be determined.

Bald Eagle 3, Wellsboro 0

(PIAA CLASS 3A FIRST ROUND)

(25-18, 25-20, 25-19)

Bald Eagle service points: Kinsley Clark 11, Kendall Gavlock 8, Emily Smith 8, Addelyn Fisher 4, Anna Taylor 4, Lily Harter 1. Bald Eagle kills: Emily Smith 14, Addelyn Fisher 13, Kinsey Clark 7, Ella Simpson 1. Bald Eagle assists: Ella Simpson 29, Anna Taylor 1, Riley Housel 1, Lily Harter 1. Bald Eagle aces: Kinsey Clark 5, Kendall Gavlock 3, Addelyn Fisher 2, Emily Smith 2, Anna Taylor 1. Bald Eagle digs: Kinsey Clark 12, Emily Smith 12, Kendall Gavlock 11, Anna Taylor 10 Riley Housel 8, Lily Harter 2, Claire Thompson 2, Ava Nolten 1. Bald Eagle blocks: Addelyn Fisher 1.

Wellsboro service points: Kendall Sweet 6, Ellie Largey 5, Jill Mickey 4. Wellsboro kills: Kendall Sweet 7, Peyton Keane 6, Ady Frantz 3, Gena Fleming 1, Teagan Novinger 1, Blake Eckart 1. Wellsboro assists: Ellie Largey 12, Jill Mickey 7. Wellsboro aces: Ellie Largey 1. Wellsboro digs: Maddy Cruttenden 18, Peyton Keane 11, Jill Mickey 7. Wellsboro blocks: Ady Frantz 3, Gena Fleming 1.

Starting at /week.