Philipsburg-Osceola finishes as runner-up in PIAA Class 2A state volleyball championships
The Philipsburg-Osceola Mountaineers girls’ volleyball team came up just short of the program’s first state title in school history Saturday afternoon in Cumberland Valley. The Mountaineers fell to the Trinity Shamrocks in four sets, 25-19, 23-25, 25-23, 25-19 in the PIAA Class 2A state championship match.
The two teams were fighting for each school’s first girls’ state volleyball title, with the Mountaineers making their first appearance in the state championship game.
Philipsburg-Osceola struggled to get going early in Saturday’s championship match. The Mountaineers traded points with Trinity in the first set, but the Shamrocks pulled away late. They were up 19-8 before going on a 6-1 run to close out the set and build a 1-0 lead on the Mountaineers with a 25-19 victory in the first set.
The second set looked eerily similar to the first. The Mountaineers and Shamrocks went back-and-forth, but this time it was the Mounties who started to pull away. P-O built an 20-16 lead but Trinity stormed back to knot the score up at 21. The score was then tied at 23 before the Mountaineers were finally able to string together back-to-back points and close the set out, 25-23 to tie the match at one through two sets.
Philipsburg-Osceola dug itself in a hole at the start of the third set, falling behind 5-1. The Shamrocks were able to find opening on the Mountaineer side of the court all the way to an 18-12 lead before they faced resistance. The Mountaineers were able to reel of seven of the next nine points to finally bring the set close at 20-19, but it wasn’t enough. Trinity closed out the set with a 25-23 victory and a 2-1 lead in the match, putting P-O’s backs against the wall.
The fourth set began with plenty of momentum in Philipsburg-Osceola’s direction. The team built a 9-3 lead and looked to be in control early before sputtering in the middle of the set. The Shamrocks knotted it up at 13 and never turned back on their way to the school’s first volleyball state title with a 25-19 victory to close out the win.
The loss was the Mountaineers’ first on the season and brings their record to 20-1. They’ll return most of their key players next year as they look to build on the state championship game appearance.
This story was originally published November 21, 2020 at 5:05 PM.
