LANSDALE, PA – Yesterday afternoon, Lansdale Catholic hosted the Philadelphia Catholic League boys’ volleyball semi-final game against St. Joseph’s Prep. Through the powerful hits, accurate serves, and competitive sets, it appeared as if either team could be heading into the finals, however St. Joe’s Prep was ultimately victorious.
The first set showed that both teams were fighting for their spot in the finals, but St. Joe’s Prep won with a final score of 25-21. Lansdale Catholic dominated during the second set, thanks to their incredible team work and strategy, and beat St. Joe’s Prep 25-9. Both teams were running on adrenaline going into the third game, and the competition was fierce.
The score was constantly tied during the set, but at the end the Hawks pulled through with a close score of 27-25. St. Joe’s Prep had a steady lead during the fourth set because of their communication and hustle, but Lansdale Catholic was not giving up easy. The Crusaders gave fans a glimpse of hope as they started to come back, however St. Joe’s Prep was determined to make it to the finals and won 25-18.
Scott Murphy, head coach of St. Joe’s Prep, spoke highly about his team’s determination and communication during the game.
“I kept telling the guys that we needed to play with passion and energy. They definitely brought that to the court today - it was a total team effort. Every guy on the court contributed and stepped up when we needed a big play,” said Murphy.
St. Joe's Prep secures berth in PCL final vs. La Salle - photo courtesy of SJP Athletics
The Hawks know that the finals will bring tough competition as they face rival La Salle College High School, but they know what they need to work on to win.
“Obviously, La Salle is a really strong team. We are going to need to play our best game to win, but I think that we have the talent and tenacity to get the job done. We just need to cut down on our mistakes and make sure that we get good blocks up against La Salle's hitters and try to take them out of their game,” said Murphy.
Brian Shields, senior captain of St. Joe’s Prep, also spoke optimistically about his team’s skills looking ahead to the finals.
“I think the biggest obstacle our team will face will be our serve receive. La Salle is a strong serving team but if we can get nice passes to our setter and if we can stop La Salle from going on multi-point serving runs, then we should be able to keep them from getting the edge on us,” said Shields. “Finally, we need to capitalize on good bumps to our setter. We have been told since the season has started that we cannot run our offense without a good first pass.”
The PCL finals between St. Joe’s Prep and La Salle will take place at Neumann University this Monday at 6:00pm.
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