Mounts move onto Semis

ATGLEN — The traditional intensity and atmosphere of the Lancaster-Lebanon League girls volleyball playoffs was met with a high-energy quarterfinal showcase Saturday at Octorara High School.

Credit goes to Section Three runner-up Northern Lebanon for setting the tone.

The Vikings came out swinging in the first match of the day, winning the initial set vs. Section Two runner-up Ephrata and perhaps raising a few eyebrows in the process.

But the Mountaineers showed great poise, meeting and exceeding the Vikings’ energy en route to a 3-1 quarterfinal victory and earning a bid into Monday’s semifinal round at Hempfield High School.

Also advancing to the semifinals was Manheim Township, a 3-0 winner over Octorara in Saturday’s second quarterfinal.

In the semis, Manheim Township (10-5) will meet Section Two champion Elizabethtown (16-0) at 5 p.m., followed by Ephrata (17-2) vs. Section One champion Hempfield (14-0) at 7 p.m.

The league championship match is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday at Conestoga Valley High School.

Game scores in Ephrata’s match were 21-25, 25-17, 2522 and 25-15, as the Mountaineers responded to a 7-0 deficit in the first set and slowly built momentum for the remainder of the contest.

“Once we settled down, we got close in the first set,” Ephrata coach Mike Elliott said. “Right there you could see the girls start to believe they could do it.”

Gaining energy from the block and at the service line, the Mountaineers raced out to a 14-6 lead in set two, an 8-0 lead in set three, and an 11-3 lead in set four, each time holding off Northern Lebanon down the stretch.

Sophomore middles Courtney Smith (five blocks, four aces) and Evelyn Banks (four blocks) played a huge role defensively, slowing down the production of Northern Lebanon’s top hitter, Samantha White.

“We knew (White) was going to get hers,” Elliott said. “With blocks, even if we don’t stuff it back on their side, if we can slow it down it gives our defense an opportunity to make a play. You saw that, we had a lot of really good digs too today.”

Olivia Horst (10 digs, three aces), Grace Farlow (14 assists, 10 digs, nine kills, four blocks), and Taylor Haupt (14 kills, nine digs) led a combined effort both offensively and defensively for the Mountaineers, with Madison Saylor contributing 13 assists.

For Northern Lebanon (114), White finished with 14 kills and seven blocks, while setter Hailey Pierce added 28 assists and 12 digs.

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