Greencastle-Antrim’s girls volleyball squad has spent the entire regular season building a convincing playoff resume.
Now it’s time for the Blue Devils, seeded No. 1 in the District 3-3A Tournament, to prove their worth on the postseason stage.
Following a bye in the first round, Greencastle begins its playoff journey on Thursday with a quarterfinal game against No. 9 Susquehannock. We’ve selected this pressure-packed elimination contest as our Match of the Week.
In the weeks and months to come throughout the high school sports season, we plan on spotlighting multiple teams and sports with our Match of the Week. Any big upcoming games we should know about? Send suggestions to Andy Sandrik via email at big_andy76@yahoo.com.
Susquehannock at Greencastle-Antrim
Start time: Thursday, 7 p.m., at Greencastle-Antrim
Records: Greencastle-Antrim, the No. 1 seed in the District 3-3A Tournament, comes in at 16-2. Susquehannock, seeded No. 9, enters at 12-5.
Last match: The Blue Devils topped Shalom Christian by a 3-0 score in their regular season finale, while the Warriors opened districts with a 3-0 win over No. 8 Octorara.
What’s at stake: The winner advances to the district semifinals on Tuesday, Oct. 29, to face either No. 4 Big Spring or No. 5 York Suburban. The season is over for the loser.
Meet the Blue Devils: Madee Goodwin’s Greencastle-Antrim potent and playoff-hardened squad enters the postseason aiming to go even deeper than last year, when they Blue Devils advanced to the district semifinal round. Greencastle, which hasn’t lost since a match since Oct. 3, is led by a pair of 2023 Colonial Division First Team All-Stars: Abby Eagler and Kylie Kerns. Eagler, a 5-foot-8 outside hitter, has stacked up 288 kills, 51 aces, 238 digs, and 11 blocks, while Kerns, a 5-foot-8 setter and middle hitter, has logged 151 kills, 39 aces, 382 assists, 190 digs, and 20 blocks. The Blue Devils will be relying on the 5-foot-10 Emma Pool, a Colonial Second Teamer last fall, to protect the net after a regular season that saw her produce 79 kills and 39 blocks. Just in case those three girls can’t to the opponent, Alaina Garling (107 kills, 52 aces, 302 assists) and Wren Roberts (128 kills, 192 digs) have both proven that they can. Greencastle is favored to win this match, and if the Blue Devils can stay cool under pressure, they should be able to do just that.
Meet the Warriors: Susquehannock lost three YAIAA II All-Stars from last year’s playoff team, but Jackie Saad’s Warriors haven’t missed a step this fall. As a matter of fact, Susquehannock has taken a step forward by winning its first-round district game, something it couldn’t do last year. If there was just one word used to describe the Warriors, it’s tall. Susquehannock brings to the net a trio of towering players, including a pair of 6-footers in Sophia Apostolov (121 kills, 53 blocks) and Olivia Fried (78 kills), as well as the 5-foot-10 Ariana Pecunes (178 kills, 33 aces). The Warriors offense runs through setter Mackenzie Turk (259 assists, 32 aces), while Lily Morton (288 digs, 34 aces) guides the defense. Claire Somerville does a little bit of everything for Susquehannock with the setter/outside hitter registering 74 kills, 34 aces and 107 assists this season. Greencastle will be a tough matchup for the Warriors, but if they can stand tall at the net, they’ve got a puncher’s chance of knocking off the Blue Devils.
Sandrik’s pick: Blue Devils in 4.
