In PIAA girls volleyball quarterfinals, Beaver beats Mars for second time in postseason to end Planets’ run
Beaver girls volleyball has dropped just three sets this postseason — two of them against Mars.
But despite those small victories, the WPIAL third-seed Planets once again could not knock off the WPIAL champion Bobcats in two playoff matchups, falling 3-1 Saturday in the PIAA Class 3A quarterfinals at North Allegheny High School. Set scores were 25-20, 25-21, 23-25 and 25-11.
The Planets (18-6) lost to Beaver 3-1 in the WPIAL semifinals nearly two weeks ago. Only Ringgold, in the WPIAL first round, has also taken a set from the Bobcats (23-1). Of Mars’ six losses, three came against Beaver, the No. 1-ranked team in the state.
“It was almost (Beaver’s) entire team from last year (and they only replaced their setter),” Planets head coach Tami Caraway said on the phone. “So they have a lot of experience, they have size in the middle. It’s not just one tall middle, it’s two. ... I think today, where we got beat, we did a really nice job at the net but they served really tough.”
Caraway said the third-set win was a product of executing the game plan by tightening up the blocking and defensive issues. But in the fourth set, the Bobcats went on an 8-0 run, largely off tough serving, that was too much to recover from.
Cecilia Christy had 13 kills and four blocks in her final game for Mars; senior Rylee Wooldridge had a double-double of 15 kills and 10 digs; and sophomore Gabi Weidemann also had a double-double with 34 assists and 15 digs.
Alaina Graham had 18 digs, and Kate Southwell added 10 kills.
Mars made the PIAA final for the first time a year ago after winning the WPIAL championship. The Planets lose five seniors, headlined by middle back Christy and outside hitter Wooldridge, who were a key part of that run and this year.
“The senior class itself was a remarkable class,” Caraway said. “They have worked hard and been competitive ... from the minute they put their foot on the floor as freshmen.”
Caraway said the seniors did a particularly good job helping ensure everyone on the team “had a role to play and felt seen and valued.” She hopes next year’s seniors and rising underclassmen “carry the mantle.” Part of that core will be returning setter Gabi Weidemann, who had 870 assists this year and is already at 1,752 in two seasons.
Beaver will face another WPIAL team it beat just a week ago on the way to district gold, runner-up Oakland Catholic (22-2), which swept District 3 champ Greencastle-Antrim 3-0 Saturday, in a Tuesday semifinal at a site and time to be announced. The winner makes the state championship Nov. 15 at Cumberland Valley High School.
