Clutch Commodores
Frazier earns key points at crucial times to fend off B-C
PERRYOPOLIS — Frazier and Beth-Center battled each other in a tense, tight girls volleyball match for the second time in eight days on Wednesday night.
The Commodores had won a reverse sweep, five-set clash at Beth-Center last Tuesday to prevent the Bulldogs from earning a share of the Section 4-2A title with them.
There was even more on the line in the rematch which was a WPIAL Class 2A quarterfinal meeting with the winner not only advancing to the final four but also securing a spot in the PIAA tournament.
The two teams were evenly matched again, as expected, but one key factor tilted the result Frazier’s way as it claimed a hard-fought 3-1 victory.
The third-seeded Commodores (16-3) came up with the clutch points when they needed them most.
Frazier weathered a furious start by Beth-Center then reeled off the final four points to pull out the second and fourth sets to advance by scores of 24-26, 35-23, 25-13 and 26-24 at Henry DiVirgilio Field House.
Frazier will play second-seeded Fort Cherry at a time and place to be determined on Nov. 3.
The sixth-seeded Bulldogs (13-3) were on the verge of forcing a fifth set as it seized a 24-22 lead in the fourth set when Frazier coach Mandy Hartman called a timeout.
“I told them that we’re not talking about X’s and O’s, this right here is just going out and don’t play afraid to lose, don’t play afraid to make a mistake,” Hartman said. “You’ve got to go out there and have fun, be aggressive and play to win. You’ve got to take what’s yours.
“And they did just that.”
The Commodores did just that, winning the final four points to close out the match.
Beth-Center couldn’t handle a strong serve by senior Addison Hiles with the ball going out of bounds to get Frazier even at 24-24, and freshman Gionna Rumbaugh’s kill set up match point. Again Hiles’ serve was deflected out of bounds by B-C and the Commodores had the victory.
“Addison, it’s unique with her serving because she’s our pitcher on our softball team and she sees serving as she sees pitching,” Hartman said. “It’s all about location. She can serve pretty much anywhere on the court at any time, and I think it’s her pitching mentality.
“They went out there with a different attitude, I felt, and were able to win the set.”
Beth-Center coach Steve Beyer said his players were well aware that teams call timeouts at certain junctures, “to try to swing the momentum.”
“We pride ourselves on coming out of a timeout and executing to win this point,” Beyer said. “But we had some serve-receive errors, unfortunately, and couldn’t take advantage of a couple opportunities to win the game.”
Beyer commended his players.
“This was a great, coachable team,” he said. “They listened to everything that we presented to them. They were prepared tonight. It just was going to come down to the team that made the least amount of mistakes, and we had a few mistakes at crucial times in those games we lost.
“You can’t do that against a team like Frazier.”
The Bulldogs came out on fire, winning the first four points of the opening set and never trailing, although Frazier did rally from a 22-15 deficit to pull even at 23-23 before a 3-1 burst capped by senior Ella Sims’ kill ended it.
Beth-Center looked like it would go up 2-0 when it took the first four points of the second set in surging to a 9-4 advantage.
When the Commodores regrouped and took a 13-12 lead, the Bulldogs answered with a 6-2 run to go up 18-15 and after an accurate shot by Sims made it 23-21, Hartman called timeout.
Frazier, as it would also do in the fourth set, took the next four points to even the match at 1-1. Monack’s kill put the Commodores ahead 24-23 and senior Grace Pokabla followed with a perfectly placed ace.
Frazier rode the momentum from that comeback into a dominant performance in the third set as it rang up the first 10 points in cruising to a 2-1 set lead.
Beth-Center refocused and fought back with a solid fourth set in which neither led by more than three points but the Commodores rose up in the end.
Hartman pointed out how difficult it is to beat a good team three times in the same season.
“I’ve been in this situation too many times that I care to even think about and it probably has not turned out well for me most times,” Hartman said. “But tonight, this was a big one and it really could’ve gone either way. They have a great team.”
Beyer gave kudos to junior Jenna Pohill for effort in the loss.
“I thought she played an outstanding game tonight,” Beyer said. “Coming down the stretch she really improved her game. She has never been nervous about any situation and has been so positive. She’s been playing the game to have fun. She always has a smile on her face and did a great job.”
Monack led Frazier with 21 kills and 14 assists.
“At the end of the day, you have an Allie Monack who comes out and, I think I heard her say on the court at one time, ‘refuse to lose,'” said Hartman, who also praised Grace Polkabla, who contributed 17 service points and 10 digs.
“I thought Grace Polkabla had a great game herself. She did some things offensively at the net which were really smart.”
The Commodores also got 13 kills and 10 blocks from senior Mia West, 25 assists and nine kills from junior Morgan Fisher, 16 digs from Hiles and four blocks from sophomore Emma Essington.
Hartman said her team was aware that a loss ended their season where a win would put them into the state playoffs.
“It’s always comforting, too, when you know that, OK, Tuesday we’re playing but the ramifications aren’t what they were tonight. We lose tonight, our season’s over. When you have that hanging over you, especially as a senior, this could be it.”
Monack added, “Thinking about this could be our last game, it was really hard, especially for the seniors, it really motivated us.”
Hartman lauded her senior class.
“I’m thrilled for them,” Hartman said. “I said all along, this senior class is outstanding. I can’t say a bad word about them and their leadership on and off the court. They’ve worked, they’ve put in the time, they’re just a bunch of good kids.”
Beyer gave credit to his senior group of well, which included Sims, Novotney, Olivia McNett, Kendall Welsh and Maddison Chisler.
“Most of these girls that are seniors have been starters since their sophomore year,” Beyer said. “You look back on last year and this year, we lost a total of five games and we got to the quarterfinals twice. That says a lot about our leadership and the type of girls that we have.”
Beyer pondered what could have been.
“On the bus ride home I looked at my assistant coach and said, ‘We’re a really good team,'” Beyer said. “I wonder what we could’ve done had we won tonight.”