On top at last
MURRYSVILLE The mob of Freeport girls volleyball players was huddled together, hugging each other under the net at Franklin Regional High School Saturday afternoon.
They had just proveneveryone wrong. They heard that they were too small and that they had lost too much to graduation.
But the second-seeded Yellowjackets (19-0) used a strong defensive effort to defeat No. 1 seed and previously undefeated Indiana (17-1) 3-2 to win the first WPIAL title in school history.
“It was a great, hard fought match tonight,” Freeport coach Tom Phillips said. “These girls really wanted to win and they never got rattled after going down 3-0 in the fifth set.”
It was the third consecutive round of the playoffs where the Yellowjackets had to play five sets to win. The Yellowjackets needed five sets to beat Mars in the quarterfinals and Hopewell in the semifinals.
“I can't remember the last time I played in three consecutive five-set games,” Phillips said. “It's been a long time.”
Freeport was led by sophomore outside hitter Ashley Sample, who had 15 kills. She said that the team wasn't intimidated by the Indians' larger size.
“We know that we're a good defensive team,” Sample said. “The important thing for us was to control the momentum.”
The Yellowjackets controlled the first and third sets, winning 25-15 and 25-17. The Indians dominated the second and fourth sets behind the strong outside hitting from Leslie Stapleton, who led both teams with 19 kills.
“She's a great ballplayer and we knew that she likes to hit to the seams,” Phillips said. “But we got some big blocks on her and were able to slow her down.”
The fifth game was where the Yellowjackets showed their mettle. Freeport fell behind 3-0 after a Stapleton kill, a blocked shot and unforced error.
“It didn't matter because we felt that we could come back,” Sample said. “Coach always said if we can get the momentum then we can win the game.”
Freeport also had to fight back later in the set, when the Yellowjackets were called for a rotation violation and fell behind 9-6. But Freeport rallied back and took a 11-10 lead when junior opposite hitter Taylor Schrecengost got her sixth kill.
The Indians made three unforced errors in a throw, and Freeport was one point away from its first ever championship.
“We made too many mistakes tonight,” Indiana coach Malinda Oesterling said. “The team's hurt and disappointed right now. We're looking forward to going to states.”
After Alexandra Libowski extended the game with a kill, Schrecengost ended the game with her seventh kill.
“I can't say enough about these kids,” Phillips said. “These girls wanted a new identity from last year's team. I was worried because the best team doesn't always win the fifth game, but we did it.”
