WARMINSTER – It was THE match of ALL matches…
Cardinal O’Hara and Archbishop Wood girls’ volleyball teams put on an electrifying show for all fans in attendance on Wednesday evening at Archbishop Wood High School, enduring 5 sets in the Philadelphia Catholic League volleyball semifinal.
2017 PCL Semifinal Highlight Video: Wood vs. O'Hara
The Lady Vikings took the first two sets 25-23, 25-20 and were hopeful that their championship berth was in close grasp.
“We knew that if we lost this game then we would be done our high school career, and none of us wanted that to happen,” said Archbishop Wood senior co-captain Molly Prior.
However, the Lady Lions were just getting started.
O’Hara won the third set 25-17, forcing a fourth, in which the Lady Lions also came away victorious, 25-12.
“I told my girls from day one, I don’t care if we win or lose, I care about the way you play, the way you conduct yourself, the way you represent the school,” said O’Hara’s head coach Bill Collins. “This, being down two nothing, they could have folded up, they could have quit in the third set, it was a tight game. But they won the fourth set. They came out with a lot of energy.”
Cardinal O'Hara seniors Megan Carroll & Breanna Hickey pass their senior wisdom to their returning teammates
Wood Senior Captains Exclaim Their Excitement Heading to the PCL Finals:
Heading into the fifth set, both teams desired a victory and both teams rightfully deserved it. Unfortunately, at the end of every contest, no matter the sport, no matter the importance, someone has to be named the winner – this year it was the Lady Vikings.
Archbishop Wood prevailed in a gracious manner, winning in a nail-bitter 15-13.
“I’m so excited!” exclaimed Wood senior co-captain Laura Prajzner. “Last year we lost to O’Hara in the semifinals, so I think winning just solidifies how hard we worked and how much we want this.”
Looking ahead, No. 2 Archbishop Wood will advance to the Philadelphia Catholic League championship against No. 1 Archbishop Carroll on Sunday, October 29 at 6:00 PM at Neumann University. For Wood, the key to coming away with the coveted PCL plaque is to leave all of their energy on the court.
“We have to be energized,” said Prior. “We are a very emotional team, nobody likes to admit it, but we are. So we just have to have high energy the whole time.”
As for the Lady Lions, while their PCL season has come to an end, their road to the state finals continues. O’Hara will play for the district title on Wednesday, Nov. 1.
“We are going to take this as a learning experience. Our team bonded really well tonight, we talked well on the court. So we will take this and learn from it and cover the mistakes we made on the floor going forward in our district game,” said O’Hara senior co-captain Breanna Hickey.