Dynasty At Work?
WEXFORD — Kerrie Fitzpatrick usually is the one who sets up the potent Knoch hitters.
Now she's getting kills, too.
It's an unusual spot for Fitzpatrick, a senior on the Knoch volleyball team. A setter by trade, it's a role she's relishing with a beaming smile and surprising hops.
“She can jump,” said Knoch junior hitter Kennedy Christy. “People don't realize that about her.”
The Knoch volleyball team unveiled a new rotation against Kiski in the WPIAL 3A quarterfinals Tuesday at North Allegheny High School that had Fitzpatrick at the net for a spell.
She made the most of it with three kills to go with her 29 assists as the Knights kept marching toward another WPIAL championship appearance with a 25-14, 25-11, 25-21 win.
“We changed our rotation up so she hits to get us out of some of our ruts,” said Christy, who had 17 kills herself against Kiski. “She hits in a couple of rotations. She's an excellent hitter.”
Fitzpatrick isn't an imposing presence at the net, but that hardly matters to her or Knoch. In addition to her deceptive leaping ability, she has shown a knack of hitting dead spots on the floor.
It's added an extra wrinkle to an already stellar Knights' attack.
“I'm excited. Every person wants to be the hitter and put it away,” Fitzpatrick said. “This is a new rotation and a new role for me and I've been staying after practice and doing whatever I need to do.”
Fitzpatrick's primary job is still to set and she did that well again against Kiski, even from the front row.
“I get the best of both worlds,” Fitzpatrick said. “I'm only hitting twice, so it goes by fast. I'm just an outlet, but I want to take advantage of my opportunities.”
It was a bounce-back win of sorts for Knoch after beating Ambridge 3-1 in the first round last week in a match that left few, if any, Knights satisfied.
“They really weren't pleased about how we played in the first round,” said Knoch coach Diane Geist. “They didn't even feel like we won, even though we did.”
Knoch (20-0) wasn't about to feel that way again.
The Knights dominated the first two sets and overcame a snag in that new rotation that cost them a point because of an illegal substitution to pull away from Kiski in the third set to move to the the semifinals against either Central Valley or Hampton Thursday at a site and time to be determined.
“I think it was a good sign that we could be completely confused and still stay in the game,” Geist said.
Christy and fellow junior Hannah Rowe have formed a dangerous 1-2 punch at the net. Rowe also had 17 kills against Kiski.
Fitzpatrick, Christy and Rowe are the only returning starters from the 24-0 state championship team from last year.
And, as strange as it sounds for an undefeated, defending state championship team to have a chip on its shoulder, Knoch does.
“They saw the six seniors we lost and automatically thought we're done,” Fitzpatrick said. “I've said this multiple times this year — me, Hannah and Kennedy are returning starters and Kenzie Kerkan and Skylar Burkett would have been starters on any other varsity team last year.”“We have the drive,” Christy added. “That motivates us to prove we're a state team again this year and that, just because we graduated people, it doesn't mean we can't repeat what we did last year.”Knoch has now won 44 consecutive matches. The Knights last loss came 717 days ago.It's not something they let themselves think about, however.“After we win a game, I'll say, 'We're still undefeated,” and they'll cheer and that's all we really say about that,” Geist said. “As long as we're undefeated that night, we'll be all right.”North Catholic 3, Derry 0When Amanda Fetter, the former volleyball coach at Pine-Richland, took the head volleyball coaching job at North Catholic in July, it didn't take her long to discover she had a special group.“We have 20 players who get along in addition to being very good players,” Fetter said.It's been a magical season for the Trojanettes, who kept on rolling with a 25-9, 25-14, 25-19 sweep of Derry in the WPIAL 2A quarterfinals.Dominique Felix had 11 kills and her sister, Alana Felix, added 10 kills as North Catholic (17-0) dominated and remained undefeated.“They're both phenomenal as people and as volleyball players,” Fetter said of the Felix sisters. “It's a blessing to work with both of them.”North Catholic also had 12 service aces against outmatched Derry (17-3).North Catholic will play Serra Catholic or Neshannock Thursday in the 2A semifinals.
