Tom Phillips couldn’t hold back his emotion.

Diane Geist had trouble believing it was real.

When those two longtime Butler County girls volleyball coaches won PIAA championships Saturday at Richland High School in Johnstown, it was a reward of sorts.

A reward for decades of hard work, for years of cultivating great players and great teams, for a volleyball court full of shed sweat and tears.

Phillips has guided the Freeport volleyball program for 16 seasons. He’s won four WPIAL titles and 13 consecutive section crowns.

But had never reached a state final let alone win one.

Until now.

Geist has been at the helm of the Knoch volleyball program for 31 years and has had a tremendous run of success over those three decades.

But had never won a WPIAL or state title.

Until this year.

Knoch won both.

It was a coronation for two royalty in the sport in the area.

It was also a coming-out party for volleyball in western Pennsylvania.

A western team won the state title in all four classes: District 10 Maplewood (1A) and the three WPIAL teams, Freeport (2A), Knoch (3A) and North Allegheny (4A).

It’s also interesting to point out that four public schools toppled four private schools.

Pedal to the Metal

There was little doubt who the heart of the Freeport volleyball team was this season.

Senior libero Claire Crytzer.

And when she made a statement after a WPIAL title match loss that the Yellowjackets should just go out and win a state title instead, it resonated with her team.

Freeport had a mantra of sorts originating after that heartbreaking loss, “Pedal to the Metal.”

And they got a gold medal for their efforts.

Pancakes. It’s all about the pancakes.

Knoch was good at coming up with themes this season. Stairway to States was its favorite one, but the “pancake” took on a life of its own.

A pancake is when a player slides her hand on the court and hits a volleyball with the back of the hand to keep a point alive.

The Knights did that four times this season, none more important than junior Kerrie Fitzpatrick’s pancake near the end of the first game against Allentown Central Catholic that led to a pivotal point and win.

As was tradition, Geist made her team a plate of pancakes as a reward for one of the rarest of digs in the game.

Geist didn’t do anything special when she prepared her pancakes — she admitted they were merely microwaved. But that was hardly the point.

“Each time we got pancakes, we’d share our favorite things about each other or what our favorite memories of the season were,” said Knoch senior Sarah Armahizer. “So it was nice being able to share that with each other.”

Mike Kilroy is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.