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Mars girls volleyball loses to Pope John Paul II in first PIAA championship appearance

SILVER SPRING TWP, Cumberland County — The Mars girls volleyball team showed flashes Saturday afternoon, glimpses of the kind of play the Planets needed to sustain to knock off a two-time defending state champion.

But consistency against Pope John Paul II is very difficult to achieve, and the Planets spent most of the afternoon searching in vain for it, dropping a 3-1 decision to the Golden Panthers in the PIAA Class 3A championship game at Cumberland Valley High School.

Mars was defeated by Pope John Paul II in the PIAA Class 3A girls volleyball championship game Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, at Cumberland Valley High School. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle

Mars fell to 21-5 on the season by scores of 21-25, 25-21, 17-25 and 18-25.

The Panthers (24-0) capped their third straight perfect season.

“We just didn’t have the kind of runs that we needed,” Mars coach Tami Caraway said. “We pushed back and we went out hard, but there were times today when it seemed that our girls were trying to do everything at once.”

Related Article: How Mars girls volleyball made coach’s bold prediction come true, despite PIAA championship loss Related Article: ‘We all ended up at the same spot’: Family support helped Mars’ Duker twins make state playoff runs Related Article: Mars girls volleyball confident, ready to ‘see what we can do’ vs Pope John Paul II for PIAA title

The apex of Mars’ first ever trip to the state final came in the second set, when they built an 11-1 advantage, putting the Panthers in a very unfamiliar spot.

Blocks from Cecilia Christy (10 kills) and Rylee Wooldridge and an ace from Ella Nicotra contributed to the 9-0 run. Freshman setter Gabi Weidemann finished with 33 assists on the evening.

“After dropping the first set, we needed that,” Wooldridge said. “Facing a team that had won 73 straight games, that was huge.”

Even though his team lost the set, Panthers coach Ryan Sell saw improved play.

“We had some uncharacteristic hitting errors in the first set, and they carried over into the second,” he said. “Mars put a bunch of pressure on us, and I called a timeout. We weren’t going to win the set, but I told the girls to focus on winning one point at a time, try building some momentum into the third.”

Related Article: Mars books first PIAA championship appearance with sweep of Beaver in Class 3A semifinal Related Article: How Hailey Duker, Gabi Weidemann’s selflessness is powering Mars girls volleyball’s playoff run
Mars volleyball coach Tamara Caraway hangs medals on her players' necks after their loss against Pope John Paul II in the PIAA Class 3A girls volleyball championship game Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, at Cumberland Valley High School. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle

The Panthers trailed by 10 points early in the second set, but lost by just four. And they were fast out of the gate in the third, with Maeve Gallagher and Josie Arezina tallying a combined 10 kills to help their team take a 2-1 set lead.

Norah Busch, a 6-foot-2 junior middle hitter and North Carolina State commit, had a team-leading 18 kills for the Panthers.

“There were times when we were able to slow her down, but they had others who stepped up,” Caraway said.

That included Gallagher (15 kills) and Arezina (10).

Lily Javor paced Mars with 13 kills, 11 of them coming in the third and fourth set. The Planets were even with the Panthers at 9-9 in the fourth when Busch and Gallagher began dropping kills, each one pushing the Planets further away from a state championship.

Sell was impressed with Mars’ effort.

“They have a great libero (Alaina Graham), a great setter (Weidemann) and a bunch of kids who challenge you at the net,” he said.

Mars was defeated by Pope John Paul II in the PIAA Class 3A girls volleyball championship game Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, at Cumberland Valley High School. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
Related Article: PIAA volleyball: Kate Southwell leads clutch rally, Mars fends off Hampton in Class 3A quarterfinals Related Article: PIAA girls volleyball: Mars dominates Central Mountain to make Class 3A quarterfinals Related Article: Mars girls volleyball earns 2nd WPIAL championship with win over Beaver

Mars tallied 31 digs in the match.

“That’s about 25% of what we usually have,” Caraway said. “This was the first time our girls had played in a state championship. They (Panthers) have been here before. I think our lack of experience had an effect on us today.”

It was a sour ending to an otherwise sweet ride for the Planets.

“This was our first time to the state championship, and I’m so proud of what we accomplished,” Wooldridge said. “Hopefully, it can inspire future teams at Mars.”

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