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GIRLS' VOLLEYBALL: Cardinal O'Hara Will Compete for the PCL Championship After Defeating Lansdale Catholic in Semifinals

By Dan McCarty (photos- Dan McCarty), 10/26/18, 6:30PM EDT

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SPRINGFIELD, PA--It is off to the Philadelphia Catholic League (PCL) championship game for the Cardinal O’Hara High School volleyball team. The second-seeded Lions dominated the Lansdale Catholic Crusaders, 3-1, in the semifinal round of the PCL playoffs Wednesday, October 24, at Cardinal O’Hara.

It did not happen easily. Lansdale Catholic upset O’Hara, 28-26, in the first round of the match. The Lions (23-1) managed to come back and sweep the Crusaders by scores of 25-15, 25-13 and 25-22 to earn their opportunity to try and capture the league trophy.

“You’re playing to prove what everyone knows,” said Cardinal O’Hara head coach Bill Collins.

In addition to moving on to the finals, O’Hara also made history as Sarah McGarrity set a school record for aces with a total of 12 on the evening.

Cardinal O'Hara vs. Lansdale Catholic PCL Semifinal game highlights (video- Dan McCarty for PSD).

“It’s really a great honor to have done it when we really needed it,” said McGarrity.

McGarrity also came up big on defense with 13 digs.

“In a match like this, that’s just awesome,” said Collins.

The Lions held a 2-1 advantage after three rounds and were looking to win the fourth. This one proved to be much tighter than the previous two. O’Hara trailed, 22-21, late in the match but a 3-0 sprint put the team one point away from sealing the victory. Lansdale Catholic used a time out to keep the game alive but senior captain Maeve Boylan (14 assists, eight digs) stepped it up at an opportune time and the Lions came through.

“She really stepped it up in the fourth,” said Collins.

Effort combined with enthusiasm helped O’Hara get the victory it was looking for.

“The skill is there,” said McGarrity. “If you don’t have the effort, you’re not going to get anywhere.”

Several other teammates contributed including Lauren Garvey (13 digs, three aces, eleven kills), Reagan Hickey (ten kills) and Maura Kelly (three aces, four kills). Garvey had a great game after missing some prior ones due to an ankle injury.

“They came loaded and ready to win,” said Collins.

Cardinal O’Hara is all set to take on top-seeded Archbishop Carroll in the league title game Sunday, October 28, at Neumann University (4:00 PM).