Mounts have paid their dues

When the Ephrata Mountaineers take the floor tonight in the first round of the Lancaster-Lebanon Boys' Volleyball League playoffs, the seniors may harken back just two seasons ago, when the playoffs may not have seemed possible.

Two seasons ago, when the current seniors were sophomores, many of the players saw action in both the varsity and junior varsity matches due to a thin roster.
 

That season, the Mounts finished 0-12 in Section Two play.

Last season, Ephrata saw improvement, finishing 3-9. But coming into this season, there was trepidation in that (1) the Mounts were losing First-Team All-Star Daniel Witwer to graduation, and (2) they were moving from Section Two to Section One.

The seeds of their struggles of the past two seasons paid off this season, in which Ephrata fashioned a 7-5 league record and got into the league playoff field.

"I wasn't real sure how the season would go,'' said Ephrata coach Bob Witwer, who took over at the start of the 2009 season. "It's been nice to see them develop as players.''

Ephrata is one of eight teams to make the L-L playoffs, which get underway tonight. The Mounts, the Section One fourth-place team, meet Section Two champ Manheim Central at 6 p.m. at Central [directions]. After that match (at approximately 7:30 p.m.), Penn Manor, the second-place team from Section One, meets Garden Spot, the Section Three third-place team.

The other quarterfinal doubleheader will be played at Hempfield. In the first game at 6 p.m., the Section One champion Knights play Elizabethtown, the Section Two fourth-place team, and in the nightcap, Lancaster Mennonite, the Section Two second-place team, plays Warwick, the third-place team from Section One.

Tonight's winners advance to Wednesday's semifinals, scheduled for 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at Ephrata Middle School. The title match is set for 7 p.m. Friday at Conestoga Valley.

The Mounts' strength is their height. They boast senior middle hitter David Witmer (6-foot-6; blocks leader) and outside hitter Chris Prosser (6-2; kills leader). Matt Bartow and Jordan Shultz (6-4) share the setting duties.

"We're not just relying on one player,'' Witwer said. "Everyone has been accountable and has played well.''

Ephrata played Manheim Central (12-2 league) in a nonleague match this season with the Barons winning, 3-1. Prosser had 15 kills in the match and Witmer had six blocks.

"Our players have really competed at a higher level than many people would have thought from an Ephrata team,'' Witwer said.

The Barons are led by Joel Harnly, Aaron Swarr and Josiah Hershberger.