End of the line
WEXFORD — A trip to the district semifinals came down to just five points.
And Ambridge prevailed in that short but decisive race.
Seneca Valley and Ambridge had split the first four games of their WPIAL boys volleyball quarterfinal Monday night at North Allegheny High School.
The fifth game was tied at 10 before the Bridgers claimed the match, 3-2, by scores of 23-25, 25-22, 22-25, 25-19 and 15-12.
With the score knotted at 10, Ambridge received three offensive points, thanks to a kill and a block from Charlie Goodell and another kill from Matt Sutton to take a 13-10 lead.
The Raiders forced a side out, but the Bridgers recaptured possession with a kill from T.J. Daniels to make it 14-11.
Seneca Valley went back on the offensive after Ambridge was called for an illegal touch, but Daniels' 18th and final kill of the night ended the Raiders' season.
Raiders coach Jeff Beavers had called a timeout with the score tied at 10.
"I told the kids that they couldn't play not to lose, but play to win," he said. "We had to stay aggressive."
"Seneca Valley didn't deserve to lose tonight," said Ambridge coach Dennis Damp. "Nobody deserved to lose this match. It's a shame somebody had to. Seneca Valley's a great team."
The Raiders were aggressive the entire match, and that's why they were able to push the Bridgers, who entered the night having lost only eight sets all season and were ranked No. 5 in the state, to the edge of elimination.
SV held a 2-1 edge after three games, but Ambridge responded by jumping out to a 14-7 lead in the fourth set.
From that point on, neither team was able to establish much offense, and the Bridgers won the set in large part due to nine side outs they forced on the Raiders (13-3).
Leading SV's effort was junior outside hitter Dan Follett, who tallied 17 kills and was the catalyst behind several offensive runs and defensive stops.
The match began with the Raiders winning a close first game. The score was tied at 16 before kills by Justin Hoffman and Follett earned the Raiders a 1-0 lead.
Ambridge dominated early on in the second set, leading at one point 11-3, before the Raiders rallied but lost by three points.
Follett tallied six kills and two blocks to lead SV to the third-set win.
"This program is just in its fifth year," said Beavers. "Show me another program just five years old that could get this far and give the No. 1 ranked WPIAL team the kind of match we gave (Ambridge) tonight.
"And we have almost everybody coming back next year," he added. "This experience can only help the team."
