Knoch repeats; NC wins 1st
O'HARA TWP — Hannah Rowe clutched the WPIAL championship trophy tightly and close to her.
The junior on the Knoch volleyball team wasn't going to easily let it go — just like she wasn't going to easily leave the volleyball court despite a knee and ankle barking at her with pain.
Rowe had 14 kills while playing hurt and Kennedy Christy added 12 kills as the Knights celebrated their second consecutive WPIAL 3A title after a 25-21, 25-21, 25-21 win over Thomas Jefferson Saturday at Fox Chapel High School.
“I wasn't feeling too hot out there,” said Rowe, a junior who has battled a balky left knee throughout her career and wears a heavy brace to protect it. “It was hard to power through it. I just try not to think about it too much and just play the game. I know people around me are going to pick me up and that was a big thing.
“If I don't have the team I have right now telling me, 'It's going to be OK. It's going to be OK. You can push through it,' I don't think I'd be able to do it.”
Knoch (22-0) also pushed through some adversity in all three sets against Thomas Jefferson.
The Knights trailed late in the first set, but scored seven of the final eight points to secure the 1-0 lead.
It was a key comeback for Knoch, which hasn't faced many deficits like that this season.
“We've been working really hard on staying calm in those situations,” said Knoch coach Diane Geist. “I think they have enough confidence deep down that when push comes to shove, they can pull through.”
Rowe said she and her teammates never felt like they would lose — even when facing that deficit in the first set, even as Thomas Jefferson cut an 18-11 lead to 21-20 in the second set, or even after trailing 15-11 in the third set.
Knoch overcame every obstacle thrown at it.
“I never lost faith in us,” Rowe said. “We have a lot of trust within our team and I think that's a big factor. It's one of the big keys to winning. Even if we are behind, we don't get down on ourselves and we always lift each other up.”
A new rotation has also lifted Knoch — and the player it has impacted the most, senior Kerrie Fitzpatrick, has made the most of the change.
Fitzpatrick, predominantly the No. 1 setter, had three kills as a new weapon at the net for the Knights.
“Kerrie has always had really good control and makes good decisions with her hits,” Geist said. “It's a safe bet when you get the ball to her.”
As the lone senior on the team, Fitzpatrick has also filled an important leadership role on a team that has now won 46 consecutive matches and is seeking back-to-back PIAA 3A titles.
“I try so hard to be positive and lift everyone up and it works,” Fitzpatrick said. “But I couldn't do it without them because they treat me the same way.”
Serving proved to be important for Knoch in the win.
Skylar Burkett had four aces with a potent jump serve and Christy also added a pair of aces for the Knights.
Burkett, a junior, has crafted that serve since her freshman year.
“Any chance I had before practice or after practice, I'd go in and start wailing up my toss and practice getting it over and hitting spots,” Burkett said.
Even when she wasn't getting aces, she was keeping the Jaguars out of system.
“Serving is so important,” Geist said.
So has been Knoch's ability to stay in the moment — something Fitzpatrick said hasn't always been easy coming off a state title.
Winning the WPIAL title was a testament to that ability to remain focused.
“We worked so hard,” Fitzpatrick said. “Our goal from day one was to compete to repeat — that is our slogan this year.”Now Knoch will open the PIAA playoffs against Elizabeth Forward, the fourth-place team out of the WPIAL, at 7 p.m. Tuesday at North Catholic High School.A scary thought for the rest of the state: Fitzpatrick said she thinks Knoch is only getting better.“We're not leveling off,” she said. “We keep building. There's no stopping point for us. We're getting so much stronger.”North Catholic 3, Frazier 0Ring that bell.It was the first thing Amanda Fetter heard from her players when she walked into the North Catholic gym in July to assume her role as the head volleyball coach for the Trojanettes.“There's literally a bell outside of the chapel and the only time anyone is ever allowed to ring it is if you win a WPIAL or state championship,” Fetter said. “And it's only the seniors. It's a big deal.”North Catholic made sure its seniors would ring that bell with a dominating 25-13, 25-11, 25-20 victory over Frazier in the WPIAL 2A championship match.It was the first WPIAL title for the Trojanettes' volleyball team in school history.Dominique Felix had 19 kills as North Catholic (19-0) was never threatened and trailed for the first time only briefly in the third set.“When I walked into the gym this year in July and met these kids, I knew there was something special,” Fetter said. “You could just feel it.”At first, Felix said she wasn't as sure as her coach.“I honestly came in thinking, 'Oh, I don't know. Maybe we'll do well,'” the junior said.Then the wins came. And they kept coming.“We just all clicked,” Felix said. “It all came together and it's been amazing.”North Catholic will play District 5 champion North Star at 7 p.m. Tuesday at North Allegheny High School in the first round of the PIAA 2A playoffs.“Honestly, this whole year has been a delight,” Fetter said. “These girls are so fun to be with. They are something special. They really are. I know this is an opportunity that doesn't come around very often.”
