HS roundup: Philipsburg-Osceola volleyball advances to PIAA Class 2A semifinals

Philipsburg-Osceola had to dig itself out of a little bit of a hole in the PIAA Class 2A volleyball quarterfinals on Saturday at Hempfield High School, but was able to prevail in four sets, handing Harbor Creek its first loss of the season and punching its ticket to the semifinals.

The Mounties rolled to victory in their first two sets, winning 25-14 and 25-11. They then found themselves trailing by as much as 6 points in the third. Down 22-16, P-O was able to close the gap to 22-21 but couldn’t complete the comeback, falling 23-15.

Harbor Creek kept its momentum rolling into the fourth set, jumping out to a 10-4 lead. This time, however, the Mounties were able to erase the deficit, winning 25-17 to secure the victory.

Stat leaders for the Mounties were: Kalista Butler with 48 assists and 10 service points; Reese Hazelton with 28 kills, 3 blocks, 16 digs, 13 service points and 7 aces; London Cutler with 16 kills and 11 digs; Janey Johnson with 12 service points and 18 digs; Josie Tekely with 3 aces; Annie Johnson with 3 aces; Jayden Perks with 3 blocks; Paige Jarrett with 2 blocks and Abby Lumadue with 3 kills.

The 20-0 Mounties will continue their quest to avenge last year’s championship game loss when they play District 7 champ North Catholic (18-0) at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Keystone High School in Knox. North Catholic swept Bedford (25-20, 25-13, 25-8) to reach the semifinals. On the other side of the bracket, defending champion Trinity swept New Hope-Solebury (25-10, 25-19, 25-17) and will play Allentown Central Catholic, which topped Holy Redeemer in three (25-17, 25-15, 25-22) on Tuesday.

The PIAA Class 2A championship game will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at Cumberland Valley High School.

This story was originally published November 14, 2021 at 10:49 AM.