Philipsburg-Osceola girls’ volleyball returns to state tournament in quest for redemption

A little less than a year ago, Janey Johnson and her Philipsburg-Osceola teammates walked out of the Cumberland Valley High School gym wondering what could have been.

As they loaded the bus for the two-hour trip back home after their 3-1 loss to Trinity in the state championship, though, the Lady Mounties determined their fate for the next season: They’d be back in the PIAA tournament and ultimately come out as the top team in Class 2A.

“We went in super confident and we just had high expectations, so we were obviously discouraged — it was our first loss of the year,” Johnson said. “But within the next hour, and especially on the bus ride home, our moods kind of changed. We still weren’t happy with how we played or the result, but we were just so happy and excited for the next year because we knew what we could do.”

P-O coach Dave Eckberg remembers his players quickly lifting their heads up in pursuit of a common goal, even if it was directly after an unfit ending to the squad’s previously undefeated run.

“I saw the looks on their faces after the state-championship game last year,” Eckberg said. “But then I saw the resolve within 10 minutes with them saying: ‘We want to come back here again, and we want to have a different result.

“That’s been a motivating force since we stepped on the court together in August.”

The Lady Mounties ended that season with an unwanted late blemish on their 20-1 overall record, and it left a bitter taste in the mouth of a team set to return all but one of its players for the 2021 campaign.

Enter this year’s squad, which currently sits 18-0 on the season with the No. 2 seed in the upcoming PIAA tournament and a home matchup with No. 15 Avonworth on the immediate horizon.

With nine seniors on the veteran Lady Mountie roster, many of the girls have extensive experience playing with each other, dating as far back as elementary school.

“This team has honestly become like a family to me,” senior Jayden Perks said. “I hang out with these girls on and off of the court all the time and just being able to get along so well is amazing.”

Three of P-O’s players — sophomore Reese Hazelton and seniors Kalista Butler and Janey Johnson — hit major individual milestones in the Lady Mounties’ District 6 semifinal on Thursday.

Hazelton recorded her 1,000th kill, while Butler and Johnson set all-time team records for assists and digs, respectively.

Butler said she’s proud to have shared that moment with her teammates.

“It’s really cool, because it shows how we’ve all developed over the years and how well we’re doing,” Butler said.

As a whole, this specific group of players has impressed Eckberg with the team’s drive during each point, set and match. With two of his players now making program history and the rest playing integral roles in a title chase, he’s glad to be their coach.

“I couldn’t ask for a greater group of kids to work with,” Eckberg said. “They deserve every accolade they get.”

That respect isn’t unreciprocated, either, as the Lady Mounties come to practices and matches with plenty of appreciation for the man who sets P-O’s serving zones.

But to the players who play for him day in and day out, Eckberg isn’t just someone who draws up the Xs and Os on the bench.

He’s more than that.

“He just does such a great job of keeping our energy calm,” Johnson said. “We love how much he appreciates us and the work that we put in, and we appreciate him and the work that he puts in.”

And with Eckberg’s guidance, P-O is back to the PIAA tournament for the second time in two years after previously not making the state bracket since 2013.

Johnson said that the team came into last season “not really having many expectations” and certainly didn’t expect a run to the state final.

This year, the expectations are higher than ever and there’s a clear consensus regarding the team’s target: It’s championship or bust.

“To win states is definitely the goal, get that gold,” Hazelton said.

The shift in ideology is partly because of the team’s unexpected success last year, according to senior Jayden Perks.

“I don’t think any of us really knew just how good we were until states,” Perks said. “This year, we know, and we’re ready. We want to go even farther.”

“Part of it is just the chemistry they have together, because we do have nine seniors that have been playing volleyball all the way since fifth or sixth grade,” Eckberg said. “So they really know each other very well, and they push each other and hold each other accountable.”

Standing at 6-foot-2 as a sophomore, Hazelton is an X-factor who can cause problems for teams unfamiliar with the Lady Mounties in the playoffs.

“We have a really star player in Reese Hazelton, who is really tough to defend and complements our game very, very well,” Eckberg said.

Hazelton tallied 15 kills and seven digs in the district final against Central Cambria and picked up 29 kills and 16 digs in the match two days prior against Bald Eagle.

One step closer to getting over the hump, P-O will look to expand on its identity at 6 p.m. Tuesday against the Antelopes.

That identity? Winning, of course — but also having a good time while doing so.

“I mean, we have fun playing with each other,” Hazelton said. “After we get a big point, we like to scream in each other’s faces and jump up and down… we enjoy it.”

1st-round PIAA matchups for Centre County teams

Boys soccer

1A: Saint Joseph’s Catholic Academy vs. Mercer at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Slippery Rock High School

4A: State College vs. Peters Township at 6 p.m. Tuesday at State College Area High School

Girls volleyball

2A: Philipsburg-Osceola vs. Avonworth at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Philipsburg-Osceola Area High School

4A: State College vs. North Allegheny at 6 p.m. Tuesday at North Allegheny High School