Warwick, Manheim Township reach L-L League girls volleyball semifinals
ATGLEN — As runs go, this one was a doozy.
Warwick earned a 3-0 sweep of Northern Lebanon in the first of two Lancaster-Lebanon League girls volleyball quarterfinal matches held Wednesday at Octorara High School.
The match was highlighted by Katie Burr's marathon service run in the second set. The Warriors raced to a 17-1 lead and cruised from there.
"It was really high pressure, but that's a privilege," Burr said. "I have to thank my team because every time I put the ball over, they made sure that it stayed down and that I could get the opportunity to keep serving."
Game scores were 25-21, 25-8 and 25-20, with Warwick advancing to its first league semifinal since 2017.
"This is the first time I got to do this," Burr said. "And our team, for a lot of them, it's the first time, too, so it's a really great feeling."
Warwick, the Section Two runner-up, will meet Section One champion Hempfield in the second of two semifinal matches Thursday at Landisville.
The first semifinal will feature Section One runner-up Manheim Township — which swept Octorara 3-0 on Wednesday — against Section Two champion Garden Spot.
The doubleheader will get underway at 5 p.m. The section champs received quarterfinal byes.
To get to the semis, Warwick (12-6) had to survive a tough first game versus Section Three runner-up Northern Lebanon (13-6).
Taylor Grove put Warwick in front with a couple kills, and the Warriors proceeded to serve nine aces to hold the Vikings at bay.
Northern Lebanon responded with a 7-0 run midway through the game. Rylee Sellers scored on a roll shot and Claire Borcky served an ace to knot the set at 15-15.
Junior setter Lyndsie Bomgardner then dished to Daisy Patrick on the right side to give the Vikings the lead.
Warwick quickly regrouped, with Claire Diffenbach assisting on a kill by Allison Kulas. Burr served a pair of aces, the latter finding the far corner, for a 20-16 advantage.
Grove added two more kills, answered by Vikings' hitter Shea Moyer. But the Warrior closed on swings by Kira Abers and Kulas for a 1-0 match lead.
"We were really smooth with our passes, and we put the ball down really well," Burr said of the offense.
The Warriors capitalized on Burr's service run in Game Two, getting a block by Riley Good, a pair of kills by Karissa Abers and an ace by Kira Abers to clinch the set.
Warwick took a 10-3 lead in Game Three. The Vikings responded behind Moyer and Sellers, but the Warriors held on to complete the sweep.
In the second quarterfinal, Manheim Township (15-2) utilized a total team effort to defeat Section Three champion Octorara. Game scores were 25-16, 25-13 and 25-8.
Gracie Reinhart led the Blue Streaks with nine kills, and Danee Engroff had 22 assists and six aces.
Game One was back-and-forth until Engroff's 7-0 service run put Township ahead for good. Aidyn Lefever (10 digs) added a couple of aces for a 22-12 advantage.
Octorara (14-5) responded with a block from Alexis Landis (eight kills) and an ace from Abby Pointek (23 digs), but swings from Mackenzie Wagner, Emily Edelman and Sofia Koeppe helped the Streaks win the set.
Township libero Sara Lehman led a steady service run in Game Two, and a pair of business-like kills by Edelman extended the lead.
Chloe Koontz had consecutive blocks for the Braves, but Reinhart tallied two kills to help seal the win.
Another lengthy service run by Lehman gave Township a commanding lead in Game Three, and Cala Miller sent the Blue Streaks into the semis with an ace.
