Top-seed Freeport still perfect
BUFFALO TWP — Freeport girls volleyball coach Tom Phillips wanted his team to find itself during the first round of the WPIAL Class playoffs Thursday nigth.
That allowed senior defensive specialist/outside hitter Angela Hewitt to put all of her work in practice to use.
With regular starter Macy Smolic out with an ankle injury, Hewitt helped fill in during the top-seeded Yellowjackets' workman-like 25-19, 25-15, 25-14 win over 16th-seeded Kittanning at Freeport High School.
Hewitt registered nine service points, two kills and seven digs.
“I know I had a role to play and I know coach has wanted me to do the passing,” Hewitt said. “I wanted to do what (Macy's) able to do.”
Defending WPIAL champion Freeport (18-0) will play Montour at a site and time to be determined Tuesday.
Phillips played Hewitt, Nicole Lesko and Maggie Ward at Smolic's spot.
“We're trying to find ourselves,” Phillips said. “Macy's a big component for us and she'll be ready for Tuesday. This gives Nicole a little bit of time and when someone goes down like that, someone has to step up.”
Kittanning (10-6) wanted to prove it deserved a higher seed.
The Wildcats led the first set 8-7, before Freeport started to take over. Zoe Pawlak, who finished with 14 kills, put eight away in the first set.
A Kittanning service error put the Yellowjackets ahead 9-8 and was the start of a 5-1 run for Freeport.
“Today, (Kittanning) showed that they wanted this game,” Wildcats coach Kara Klingensmith said about her team. “The level they played showed their ranking was nowhere near where it should have been. They have the ability to play consistently against a solid team. They made them work for this one.”
The Yellowjackets and Wildcats went back-and-forth in the second set before a Jessica Kelley kill followed by a Kittanning attack error put Freeport ahead 10-8.
Phillips, who was worried about complacency before the playoffs started, was pleased with the effort.
“I think matches like this are good for you. It's the first step for us. Hopefully, there will be a couple more steps,” Phillips said. “We came out and were flat and did a lot of things we didn't do well in Game 1. I think as the games went on we were crisper.”
Hewitt felt she and her teammates passed the first test. Playing a scrappy Wildcats team helped.
“I think it's something that will motivate us to keep pushing and playing as hard as we can,” Hewitt said.
