Freeport claims 1st Class 3A crown after collecting 5 titles in 2A
MOON TWP — If you ask Tom Phillips, he wouldn't say his girls volleyball program is one of the best in the region.
The Freeport coach will tell you it is the best. Period.
At Robert Morris' UPMC Events Center Saturday night, the Yellowjackets (16-1) outlasted Hampton (15-3) in four sets — by the scores of 24-26, 25-22, 25-15, and 27-25 — and staked claim to their sixth WPIAL crown in the last dozen years. The title is their first in Class 3A.
“The only difference between a (Class) 2A team and (Class) 3A is they have more choices,” Phillips said. “They put their spandex on the same way (we) do. I don't care what level it is, you've got to bring your game. Obviously, that's what it's all about.”
The match's first set was just about as even as could be. The score was tied on 16 different serves. There were six lead changes before the teams were knotted at 24 apiece. Hampton's Emmy Schrom put it away for the Talbots with a kill and ace on successive services.
“(We) played some sensational defense today. Schrom is a very dynamic player,” Phillips said of his opponent's outside hitter, who finished the match with 20 kills. “You've got to slow her down a little bit.”
Freeport senior Erica Lampus piled up eight kills in the second set, helping pull the 'Jackets back even.
“Erica is Erica,” Phillips said. “She means so much to our team. She's such a leader and a player from anywhere on the floor .Having that ability to play multiple positions is tough for teams to scout to and say, 'This is what they normally do.' We're not creatures of habit. We come at you from all angles.”
The 'Jackets commanded the third set. Courtesy of junior Cassidy Dell's four kills and three aces, they jumped out to a 22-7 advantage.The Talbots would score eight of the next ten points, but wouldn't overcome the slow start.
“My girls fought, though,” Hampton coach Annie Bozzo said. “We had a little mental lapse in the third set, but we came back really strong in the fourth.”
The Talbots led the whole first half of that fourth set. They'd fall behind, however, and were unable to take the lead back.
“We had to finish that fourth (set),” Bozzo said. “We came up just short. There's nothing to be ashamed of.”
The 'Jackets get Plum in the first round of the PIAA Class 3A tournament on Tuesday. Held in Freeport, the match will start at 7 p.m.
