Hurricanes Let Chance for League Top Spot Slip Away

MALVERN—Following a four-year reign by Merion Mercy, who claimed four consecutive PIAA class AA state volleyball titles, the rest of the Athletic Association of Catholic Academies (AACA) breathed a collective sigh of relief as most of the culprits responsible for unseating the Hurricanes as the best in show, an honor that Villa held for years, graduated in June.

As Villa Maria head coach Joe Boland and his experienced squad took the floor to start the season, the landscape of the AACA may have changed. Specifically the Golden Bears head coach resigning, opening the window for the Canes to re assert themselves.

Following a 3-0 rout of much-improved Gwynedd Mercy Academy on Tuesday, the stage was set for an epic battle Thursday afternoon, pitting Villa Maria with perennial league contender Mount St. Joseph Academy. Senior outside hitter Lilly Spinler and her mates did not disappoint the almost capacity crowd that packed the gym at Villa.

Contrary to the nearly flawless performance earlier in the week when they defeated the Monarchs by a combined score of 75-31, Villa Maria (4-2 overall, 3-2 AACA) saw an early lead evaporate as several unforced errors helped the Magic snag a 26-24 tie-breaker win in game one.

After switching sides, the Hurricanes stormed in front, largely on the outstanding serves of Rebecca Bates. They rattled off six straight points to claim a 12-6 edge, en route to a 25-20 win evening the match at one game apiece.

Mount (4-2 AACA) took control of game three early on, as they coasted to a 14-6 lead before gaining the momentum in the contest with a 25-14 win. That put the Hurricanes collective backs to the wall as the Magic had a 2-1 edge in games.

Propelled by the large home crowd, Villa battled back from an early 5-2 deficit, scoring four consecutive points as Sinler served to take a brief 9-8 lead. The Mount responded with a seven-point run of their own, reclaiming the lead at 13-9.

Setter Janelle Furia continued to do an outstanding job finding Dana Reigner, Beth Egan and Danielle Hillman, giving them an opportunity to blow by the Magic defenders.

If the Hurricanes had one aspect leading to Mount coming back on them on several occasions, it was probably that Villa was overly aggressive on long hits. They kept drilling the ball, but just a smidgen long of the end line, fueling the Magic offense.

Villa again rallied, scoring six-of-seven points, posting the hosts to a 14-12 lead. It looked as though a decisive fifth game was in the making, but Mount seized the lead for good in the pivotal game, scoring a 25-21 win in the game, securing a 3-1 team victory, and setting themselves ahead of the pack as the team to be in AACA title race, at least for now.

Notes: Mount, who defeated Villa 3-1, dropped their match with Gwynedd Mercy on Monday by a score of 3-1, prompting GMA senior Molly Coor to dub the Hurricanes as the team to beat.

“Villa just played unbelievable, said Corr. “They hit well, they defend well, they don’t make mistakes. They are no doubt the best team we have seen all season.”

With seemingly every team throwing their hat in the ring, as the playoff hunt heats up, one thing is for certain—whoever emerges from the fray to claim the number one seed for the AACA tournament will have to earn the right to be called champions.

Mount St. Joseph 26 20 25 25 - 3

Villa Maria 24 25 14 21 - 1