What to watch: Knoch girls volleyball needs surge to make WPIALs; Seneca Valley vs. Fox Chapel soccer Round 2
Knoch didn’t draw the best of straws being in the same WPIAL girls volleyball grouping as Mars, last year’s PIAA Class 3A runner-up and WPIAL champion; and Freeport, a perennial district title contender.
That doesn’t mean Diane Geist’s Knights are out of it. Section 2-3A carries three teams to the postseason. Knoch (3-6, 2-3) will have to put together a late-season surge to get back in the race.
As of Saturday, Knoch trailed Freeport (7-3, 3-2) for the No. 3 spot in the standings. The Yellowjackets were looking up at Hampton (7-3, 4-1), who sat behind the Planets (9-2, 5-0).
“It's just a process of just trying to get people up to speed, but we just don't have a lot of time to do that,” Geist said.
For a young team, confidence and a competitive edge are coming along. The Knights have a pair of non-conference tune-ups against Armstrong and Laurel, on Monday and Wednesday, respectively, before hopping back into section competition.
Knoch faces Highlands on Thursday and has rematches with Mars, Freeport, Hampton and Valley after that.
“We have been able to play well in sports, but we have trouble playing well throughout the whole match,” Geist said. “It looks like we're coming along, we're doing real well. We've scored 20 points on Mars. We've scored 20-some points on Freeport, but we just can't close it out. And so we're just working on that.
“We're trying to find ways to finish games.”
Senior setter Alena Tekely has been the team’s vocal leader on the court. Geist can count on her to put in 100% effort.
“One thing we're trying to work on is to hit more shots, rather than hitting right to a middle back player,” Geist said. “We hit the ball, but we don't get a lot of kills. We don't have a lot of power hitters.”
Sophomore Maelan Bajuszik is one of them, however, attacking primarily from the right side when in the front row. Senior Ally Godot is trying to strike the ball with more force down the stretch.
"We learned that we can play with all these teams," Geist said. "It's just a matter of putting a finishing touch on it."
Fox Chapel (10-1, 6-0 in WPIAL Section 3-4A) hasn’t dropped a match since its opener Aug. 26. That 10-game stream includes a 2-1 overtime victory over Seneca Valley (10-1, 5-1) a little over three weeks ago.
They’ll face off again Tuesday at NexTier Stadium.
George Williams’ Raiders, who have won four in a row since by a combined 9-2 score, haven’t forgot. This one will go a long way in deciding who finishes atop their division.
Freeport (10-1, 6-0 WPIAL Section 2-2A) could inch closer to securing its third section crown in a row by beating Valley on Monday and North Catholic on Wednesday. Those are two opponents they beat by a combined 15-0 count during the first half of section play.
The Yellowjackets would earn the distinction outright with a win over Burrell next week.
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