Council Rock-North middle hitter Layne Adams didn’t bother to take a break this year.
After her junior high school season, Adams went right into club volleyball and then attended two camps during the summer.
All her hard work is paying off for the Indians. Adams has helped CR-North win its first 10 matches, including a three-game victory over perennial power Villa Maria on Monday night.
Adams, a 5-11 senior, had five kills vs. Villa. Last week, she had nine kills and two blocks in a win over rival CRSouth and 13 kills and four blocks against Souderton.
"[Adams] is a firecracker," CR-North coach Kinsey Finn said. "Any ball she can get her hands on, she delivers. She worked incredibly hard in the off-season."
Adams had 176 kills, 47 blocks and 46 aces as a junior to earn first team all-SOL and third team all-District One honors.
So far this season, she has 160 kills, 31 blocks and 24 aces.
"She really wanted to make an impact as a senior," Finn said. "People look up to her on and off the court. She’s funny, too. Her humor really gets us out of tough situations."
CR-North senior setter
Gloria Kim has played a big role in the team’s success, as well.
In the last week, Kim had 23 assists against Villa Maria, 24 assists against CR-South and 29 assists vs. Souderton.
"She’s not even five feet (tall)," Finn said, "but she plays volleyball like she’s 6-feet-2. She plays with such enthusiasm and intensity.When she steps on the court, she’s all business. She’s really stepped up as the on-court quarterback."
Stephen Cornell can be reached at stephen.cornell@gmail.com.
HOW THEY RANK
Team Record
1. Pennsbury (10-2)
2. Archbishop Wood (10-0)
3. CR-North (11-0)
4.
CR-South (7-6)
5. William Tennent (9-4)
Girls volleyball
CR-North 3, Villa Maria 0
NEWTOWN - Cheryl Yohannan had six kills, 11 digs and six aces, Christina Dollings contributed seven kills with 14 digs and Courtney Rice added 12 digs for Council Rock-North as the Indians won Monday for the first time ever over perennial state powerhouse Villa Maria.
CR-North remained undefeated on the season, improving to 10-0.
"Villa Maria has a tremendous program. Unfortunately, we never won in the past [against Villa Maria]," Indians coach Kinsey Finn said.
"Tonight we played very consistently during the match. We played with confidence and went out assuming it was going to be an all-out battle. Tonight was making history for [us]."
Villa Maria has won two state titles, in 1996 and 2002. The Hurricanes were the state runner-up in 2005.
CR-North 3, CR-South 0
NEWTOWN —Senior Gloria Kim had 24 assists, and senior Layne Adams added nine kills and two blocks for Council Rock-North in a 3-0 Suburban One League Continental Conference win over Council Rock-South on Thursday.
Junior Christina Dollings also had five kills and 10 digs for the Indians.
The win kept CR-North perfect on the season at 9-0, and it also marked the first time that the Indians swept the two-match season series since the Council Rock School District split into two high schools in 2002. CR-North defeated the Golden Hawks, 3-2, in the first match of the season on Sept. 6.
For the Indians, all six of the team's seniors saw action, including Cheryl Yohannan, Kerri Rabberman, Courtney Rice and Jenny Pan.
“We have a strong core group,” CR-North coach Kinsey Finn said. “As a team and coaching staff we wanted the girls to be in focus and set goals for themselves this season, and they're accomplishing them one by one.”
Still remaining on the Indians' schedule are two tough nonleague matches against traditional volleyball powerhouses Pennsbury and Villa Maria.
“Both are very strong teams,” Finn said. “The girls know our biggest matches are coming up.”
Archbishop Wood coach Susan Kim didn't land the head coaching job in time to have input in the 2006 schedule.
Given the chance to mold the 2007 schedule, however, she worked to place Wood in some solid tournaments in order to beef up the regular-season slate.
So far, so good. The Vikings reached the semifinals of the Creason Classic in Harrisburg earlier this season, and followed that up with a second-place finish at the Quakertown Invitational last weekend.
Wood went 6-2 in pool play, including a close loss to Merion Mercy, currently the No. 1 Class AA team in the state, according to the Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association.
The Vikings defeated state-ranked Brandywine Heights (No. 6 in Class AA by the PAVBCA) and beat Avon Grove in the best-of-three semifinals, winning the third game, 15-10.
In the final, Merion Mercy downed Wood in two games, 25-14, 25-14.
“The semifinal was an intense, three-game match,” Kim said. “We lost the first game, but we bounced back in the second and third games to advance to the finals. It was an excellent tournament for the girls to showcase their talents against some of the better teams [in the area].”
Junior outside hitter Meghan Cook led the Vikings with 30 kills in the tournament. Wood also got contributions from junior outside hitter Angela DiMaria (28 kills, 20 digs), junior middle Nikki Barker (24 kills), junior setter Jen Mastantoni (107 assists), freshman outside hitter Sarah Brady (15 kills), senior right-side hitter Courtney Abel (13 kills, 14 digs), senior outside hitter Megan Brady (22 digs, six kills), senior middle Samantha Mancuso (six kills) and sophomore libero and outside hitter Dana Markol (49 digs).
Digs
* CR-North (4-0 SOL) defeated previously unbeaten CB East on Monday night in three games, 25-14, 25-23, 25-22. Senior right-side hitter Kerri Rabberman had four kills and six aces, senior outside hitter Cheryl Yohannan had 11 kills and 13 digs, senior middle hitter Layne Adams finished with 11 kills and senior setter Gloria Kim added 29 assists.
* Pennsbury setter Kristin Hannings had 27 assists and 11 aces in a win over Bensalem. Hannings had been sharing setting duties with Kaitlyn Wylie, but she is now the team's primary setter following a season-ending injury to Wylie. “Kristin is doing a great job running the offense,” coach Tim Paulson said. Gillian DeSantis had seven kills vs. Cardinal O'Hara, and Shelby Aleksejczyk added five kills and a block.
* Council Rock-South's Melissa Miguelez had 14 kills and three blocks in a win over CB West, and Ann Silverthorn added eight kills and seven digs. In a victory over Souderton, Anna Buonomo totaled 11 kills and 11 aces, while Chelsea Allen added seven kills and three aces.
Player of the week
Wood's Meghan Cook was exceptional while sparking the Vikings in the Quakertown Invitational.
“Coaches have a number of qualities they look for in a player, and many of those can be found in Meghan Cook,” Wood coach Susan Kim said. “She is dedicated, coachable, and a team player. Her skills are exhibited both on and off the court. Meg is always proactive about encouraging other players, and though her time on the court may be short, due to the incredible talent on the bench, she makes a huge impact on the success of the team.”
Stephen Cornell can be reached at stephen.cornell@gmail.com.
HOW THEY RANK
1. Pennsbury 4-1
2. Archbishop Wood 5-0
3. CR-North 4-0
4. William Tennent
5. CR-South 3-4
HONORABLE MENTION
VOLLEYBALL
Cheryl Yohannan, Council Rock-North: Had nine kills and 19 digs in a victory over Council Rock-South.
North edges South in CR showdown
By JASON HASLAMThis wasn't a playoff game.
This contest wouldn't clinch the league title for either team.
But the Council Rock-North-South volleyball rivalry has spawned an intensity around this area. When the neighboring schools meet on the court, records and league standings don't matter.
“The game is so early in the season that no matter what, this game is a big one,” CR-South coach Scott Hibbs said Thursday after his Golden Hawks lost a tough one, 3-2 (25-15, 22-25, 18-25, 25-18. 15-9) to the Indians at home.
“I told the girls this is good motivation for [today, when they play Archbishop Wood,] and it's a learning experience for them and a chance for them to see where they are with competitive volleyball,” Hibbs said.
The Indians were led by Layne Adams' 15 kills with two aces, Cheryl Yohannan's 19 digs and nine kills, Sara Kiely's 10 kills and Gloria Kim's 33 assists.
“I think near the end, it was all about momentum, so when one player contributed and put a ball away, then it triggered everyone else to play the same way,” CR-North coach Kinsey Finn said. “We stayed aggressive, high tempo and it rubbed off on all the other girls.”
Behind Adams, one of District One's most-feared players, the Indians jumped out to a one-game lead in the match.
CR-South rebounded, taking the next two games. The Golden Hawks almost gave away the second game, committing five service errors, but held on to go up, 2-1.
The Indians broke open the set in the fourth game. And in the final game, with the teams knotted at 9-9, Yohannan held her serve and finished off the hosts.
Jason Haslam can be reached at jhaslam@phillyBurbs.com.CR-South hits the road early
By STEPHEN CORNELLCouncil Rock-South started off the season with a long road trip.
We’re not talking about a "long trip" to Quakertown at rush hour, either. The Golden Hawks took a 6˝-hour bus trip to the Butler tournament in western Pennsylvania, about an hour north of Pittsburgh. They left on Friday, played all day Saturday and returned very late that night.
"We wanted to make a little trip for the girls, and they had a great time," CR-South coach Scott Hibbs said. "The girls played well and got some experience."
CR-South reached the tournament final before falling to host Butler.
Junior middle Melissa Miguelez and sophomore middle Chelsea Allen played particularly well.
"Our middles were dominant," Hibbs said.
Senior setter Sam Gatti and junior opposite Anna Buonomo also had solid performances.
The Golden Hawks will follow up that trip with two important home matches this week. CR-South hosts Council Rock-North on Thursday at 7 p.m. On Friday, Archbishop Wood visits the Golden Hawks at 7 p.m. for an interesting non-league match.
Digs
* Archbishop Wood reached the semifinals of the Creason Classic at Central Dauphin on Saturday. The Vikings went 9- 3 in two pools and defeated Wyomissing in the quarterfinals before losing to Garden Spot in the semifinal match.
"We played really well, considering that we haven’t been to a lot of tournaments," said coach Sue Kim, who has tried to beef up Wood’s tournament schedule this season. The Vikings will play in the Quakertown Invitational on Sept. 15 and in the Rally in the Valley at Cumberland Valley High School on Oct. 6. At the Creason Classic, junior outside hitter Angela DiMaria and senior outside hitter Megan Brady stood out.
"They played consistently well throughout the day," Kim said.
* Pennsbury rotated 14 varsity players during the Susquehannock East-West Challenge on Saturday. Coach Tim Paulson, whose team reached the tournament quarterfinals, is trying to figure out the best combinations for his team. Junior middle hitter Emily Merrick had five kills and two blocks, while senior opposite hitter Aileen Reilly had 13 kills and two blocks.
* Council Rock-North coach Kinsey Finn thinks that visiting archrival CR-South on Thursday night in just the second Suburban One match of the season will be good for her team. "The girls are very excited," Finn said. "They know that they have a big week ahead of them." North and South meet again on Sept. 27 at CR-North.
Player of the Week
Pennsbury senior outside hitter Maddie Rosnick had 16 kills and five aces at the Susquehannock East-West Challenge on Saturday. Rosnick, an All-SOL middle hitter in 2006, moved to outside hitter for her senior season.
Match of the Week
CR-South hosts CR-North on Thursday at 7 p.m. The Golden Hawks and Indians have developed a spirited volleyball rivalry over the last few years. They are always two of the top teams in the area, as well as two of the better programs in District One.
Stephen Cornell can be reached at stephen.cornell@gmail.com.
HOW THEY RANK
Team Record
1.
Pennsbury 0-0
2. CR-North 0-0
3. CR-South
0-0
4. Archbishop Wood 0-0
5. William Tennent 0-0