Uniontown ends season with win over playoff-bound Belle Vernon
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Uniontown just missed out on qualifying for the WPIAL volleyball playoffs in Class 3A, but coach Paulina Nottingham’s team finished the season with a 3-2 victory over playoff-bound Belle Vernon in Section 3-3A play on Thursday night at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
The Lady Red Raiders had a section record of 5-7 and an overall mark of 10-7, which is an eight-win improvement from last year. Nottingham just completed her first season at the helm.
“Finishing the season with a 10-7 record is a tribute to the hard work, coaching ability and willingness to trust the process that this varsity group showed throughout the season,” Nottingham said. “Our captains, Maggie Campbell and Ava Livingood, showed fantastic leadership and set an example. This season, wins and losses, weren’t what mattered, development and consistency was our goal.
“We wanted to peak at the end of the season, and I think last night proved that. I couldn’t be more proud of all of the girls who have been putting in the hours, building their volleyball IQ and strengthening their skill sets.
“I’m glad we got to go out on a win for our seniors. They have been an integral part of helping set the foundation for the future of this program. I couldn’t have been more blessed to have such a great group of seniors for my first season as a coach at UT. They have helped form a culture that Coach (Ryan) Wagner and myself are excited to continue to build upon.”
The Lady Leopards tied Laurel Highlands with an 8-4 mark in the section. Belle Vernon carries a 14-4 overall record into the playoffs.
Uniontown won the first two sets by scores of 25-16 and 25-17 before the Lady Leopards forced a fifth set with victories of 25-18 and 25-21. The home team won the fifth set, 15-7.
“There was no better way to wrap up our season than with a big, five-set win over the No. 2 seed in our section,” Nottingham said. “After taking the first two sets, losing the second two and coming out to win by eight in the last set just shows how much grit this group has. They came out strong and finished strong. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Campbell and Livingood were instrumental in the Lady Red Raiders pulling out the victory, as Campbell had 19 assists and eight kills, and Livingood led the team with nine kills and tied her sister Tessa Livingood, in blocks with four.
Hallie Campbell added 10 assists. Lyric McLee led the home team in digs with 29. Teammate Addison Majoros added 18. Kathleen Orendorff led Uniontown in aces with four.
As a team, the Lady Red Raiders had 82 digs, 34 kills, 30 assists, 15 blocks and nine aces.
Ringgold 3, Laurel Highlands 1 — The Lady Rams earned a Section 3-3A triumph over the Mustangs in the last match of the regular season at Ringgold High School.
Ringgold (7-5, 11-5) won the first set, 25-23, but Laurel Highlands (8-4, 9-7) took the second, 25-18. The home team won the third (25-20) and fourth (25-22) sets.
Both teams have qualified for the WPIAL playoffs in Class 3A.
Mustang senior Sara Reed, fresh off recording her 1,000th-career assist on Tuesday, set-up her teammates 39 times. She added 31 digs, two kills, and one ace and block apiece.
Fellow senior Diondra Brown had 28 digs, 13 kills and four blocks. Teammate and senior Harlie Dirda contributed 31 digs and nine kills.
Senior Addie Ciez chipped in with nine digs, seven kills, and two aces, assists and blocks apiece.
Kayla Howell continued the trend of Laurel Highlands seniors contributing with 13 digs and five aces.
Sophomore Esher Waqanivalu (13 digs, 7 kills, 3 blocks) and freshman Brinley Duncan (7 kills, 2 digs, 1 block) also made the stat sheet for Laurel Highlands.
Waynesburg Central 3, McGuffey 0 — The Lady Raiders concluded their regular season undefeated in a sweep over the Lady Highlanders in Section 3-2A play at Waynesburg Central High School on Senior Night.
Waynesburg (14-0, 18-0) won by set scores of 25-10, 25-16 and 25-23.
Both teams will return to the court in the WPIAL Class 2A playoffs.
Ani Creed led the home team with 14 kills, and she added 11 digs, nine assists, one ace and a block. Teammate Chatham Knight had four assists and a dig.
The Lady Raiders’ Emily Rafferty contributed with nine digs, seven kills and one ace. Gina Tedrow had a team-high 21 assists and shared with Lelia McCollum for the high-mark in digs with 13. Tedrow served for an ace three times, plus added one kill. McCollum had two helpers and an ace.
Waynesburg’s Harper Grimes had five successful attacks, plus two aces and blocks apiece. Railey Bochna scored from the outside with 12 kills. She added eight digs and two aces.
Linzy Rush (7 digs) and Emma Blair (2 kills) also contributed for the Lady Raiders.
Brownsville 3, Chartiers-Houston 1 — The Lady Falcons lost the third set after building up a 2-0 lead, but were able to win the fourth set for a win in a Section 3-2A win over the Lady Buccaneers at Chartiers-Houston High School.
Brownsville (12-2, 16-2) won the opening set, 25-19, and the second, 25-22, before Chartiers-Houston (9-5, 11-8) won the third, 25-16. The Lady Falcons won the fourth, 25-17, to clinch the match.
Both teams have qualified for the WPIAL playoffs in Class 2A.
Mapletown 3, Avella 1 — The Lady Maples finished their season on a high note in a Section 3-1A triumph over the Lady Eagles at Mapletown Jr./Sr. High School on Senior Night.
Avella won the first set, 27-25, but Mapletown (4-6, 6-10) won the next three by scores of 25-17, 25-13 and 25-11.
The Lady Maples’ Marley Shiflett had a team-high 36 assists. She also recorded the 500th-career helper of her career. The senior accomplished the feat in two seasons as a varsity setter.
Shiflett added seven digs, three kills, two aces and a block.
Teammate Treslee Weston had 19 kills, nine digs, three aces and an assist. Mapletown’s Rowan Eisiminger added 16 kills, eight aces, seven digs and a block.
Leona Liggett helped the home team to victory with 13 digs and one assist. The Lady Maples’ Makenna Lotspeich contributed with 10 digs, two aces and a kill.
Reagan Rankin (2 aces, 2 digs), Sophia Vanata (2 kills, 1 block) and Leah Williamson (2 aces, 2 digs) also made it into the statistical column for the home team.
Cross country
Tri-State Invitational — In a final tune-up before the WPIAL championships next week at the same course, local runners put down some solid times at White Oak Park.
Laurel Highlands senior and Fayette County Coaches Association (FCCA) champion Isabella Baker broke her personal record (PR) in running 19:13.22 to finish in fourth place in the Class 2A girls race.
Belle Vernon sophomore Brooklyn Steeber finished in fifth place in a PR of 19:28.65. Steeber was the runner-up in the FCCA girls race.
The Lady Leopards finished in fourth place in the team standings with 139 points. Bella Tatar came in second for Belle Vernon in 21st place with a time of 20:53.56.
Heidi Beitler (21:36.58), Lily Walsh (21:52.57) and Delaney Fretts (22:00.51) rounded out the top five for the Lady Leopards.
Uniontown’s Charley Murtha was 15th overall in a time of 20:23.73.
Geibel Catholic senior Emma Larkin was ninth in the Class A race with a time of 21:17.96.
Uniontown’s Ethan Syner dropped 18 seconds off his PR that he ran at last year’s WPIAL championships in Class 2A with a fifth-place finish in a time of 16:00.27.
Belle Vernon’s Leonidas Soto broke his PR in a time of 16:33.52. The junior finished eighth in the Class 2A race.
The Red Raiders’ Logan Davis finished 14th with a time of 17:06.31, which was a PR.
Uniontown was third in the team standing with 136 points. Following Syner and Davis was Matthew Page, who ran a PR of 17:51.80 to finish 34th.
Chase King (18:09.28) and Donte Rugola (18:09.29) placed 41st and 42nd.
The WPIAL championships will be contested on Oct. 23 at White Oak Park.