Sheddy-less Susquehannock earns vital sweep of York Suburban
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With just two seniors, and one out sick, Susquehannock needed a little zip in its step.
Susquehannock's 25-18, 25-16, 25-21 home victory Tuesday on the boys' volleyball court against York Suburban did two things: fastened the Warriors' position in the YAIAA standings, and served as their first regular-season win against the Trojans in about six years.
They did it without senior outside hitter Brian Sheddy. Coach Tim Bonitz said he was "under the weather."
His absence had a domino effect on the Susquehannock lineup.
Senior middle hitter Quinlan Kauffman moved over to Sheddy's outside spot. A 6-foot-3 junior with a red headband and an unrelenting vigor at the net, Kauffman stands out in a Susquehannock crowd.
Kauffman admitted he's not particularly fond of playing the outside. His only experience at that spot came in practice, but he still had seven kills and 20 digs on Tuesday.
The kills were second only to A.J. Schaeffer, the other senior, whom Bonitz still had at his disposal.
The coach also inserted freshman Jacob Williams into the right side of his lineup and rewarded hard-working junior Will Earls for his effort in practice. Williams had an ace, but it was the last point of the game — sending Susquehannock (6-2, 5-2) players into a frenzy one last time.
"It takes a couple of things to happen, stars to align, and here we are," Bonitz said.
The first few points didn't point in that direction.
Suburban (4-4, 3-4), fresh off a solid showing Saturday at Central York's Koller Classic, scored the first five points Tuesday. The Trojans came out swinging behind Sepehr Vakili (14 kills) and Matt Hogg (six kills), but Schaeffer and Kauffman attacked the net and assumed control.
"The energy needs to be up because Brian's a big source of that," Schaeffer said. "I think Quinlan and I tried to distribute the weight of the team."
A loss would have tripped the Warriors back into a pack of three-loss teams chasing them for third place in the YAIAA standings. While everyone pursues defending state champions Northeastern and Central York, there is a sense of pride that comes from staying within a few steps of those juggernauts.
Suburban (4-4, 3-4) seemed to have a piece of that momentum. It won its pool Saturday at Central, but coach Jamie Evans wondered if his team has just played too much recently. It had three matches, plus a tournament last week, and is being put through the same rigors this week.
"We've got to dig deep and find some way to come back," he said. "Our team dynamic has gone away. They're kind of fighting as individuals instead of fighting as a team."
Susquehannock controlled most of Game 2 and held off Evans' crew late in Game 3.
"We needed this win," Kauffman said. "Last year they dropped us in the power rankings after we lost to them."
Bonitz characterized his team as boring when it sets up an attack. However, a few bland volleys sets up an emphatic punch. They mostly came from Schaeffer and Kauffman.
Schaeffer, who supplied a match-best 15 kills, shimmied after a few strikes. He danced around Susquehannock's end of the floor to celebrate momentum in Game 3.
Wait until Sheddy comes back.
Contact Matt Goul at 771-2045.
Susquehannock def. York Suburban, 25-18, 25-16, 25-21 at Susquehannock
York Suburban stats — Sepehr Vakili (14 kills, 3 digs), Kaleb Ansell (28 assists, 7 digs, 1 block), Gavin Dean (17 digs, 1 assist), Josh Upadhyay (11 digs, 1 kill, 1 ace), Matt Hogg (6 kills, 2 digs, 1 block), Liam Ridings (4 kills, 3 digs, 2 aces, 1 block), Jack Schultz (4 kills, 2 blocks, 2 digs).
Susquehannock stats — A.J. Schaeffer (15 kills, 20 digs, 2 blocks, 1 assist), Stephen Rouse (20 assists, 17 digs, 2 kills, 1 ace, 1 block), Quinlan Kauffman (7 kills, 20 digs, 3 blocks), Kurt Eckenrode (15 digs, 1 kill), Matt Barnhart (4 digs, 1 assist), Nick Voltaggio (1 kill, 1 block), Will Earls (1 block).
JV Score — York Suburban def. Susquehannock, 25-23, 25-12.