York Suburban, Central York travel different paths in District 3 volleyball semis

One YAIAA boys' volleyball team knows it will be playing in the state tournament.

Another has one more match to win to extend their season another week.

York Suburban must win their third-place match on Thursday after falling to Class 2A top-seeded Lower Dauphin 3-0 on Tuesday night. The Trojans will play at No. 3 seed Manheim Central at 7 p.m. Thursday.

In Class 3A, third-seeded Central York defeated Warwick 3-2 to reach Thursday's final against Cumberland Valley. The Panthers won the match 25-23, 24-26, 29-27, 23-25, 19-17.

Donovan Burris led the Panthers' attack with 22 kills. Mason Boyer wasn't far behind with 18 kills, and also served 11 aces. Lance Shaffer fed the attack with 52 assists and Ryan Roberts had 19 digs.

Central York will be going for their 25th district title at Cumberland Valley.

Class 2A: Lower Dauphin sweeps York Suburban

Top-seeded Lower Dauphin has a lot of fire power, and they used it to their advantage. The Falcons had nearly 20 more kills than the Trojans in their 25-15, 25-16, 27-25 home win.

"We wanted to change the block and use a rotational defense, but we started a little slow," York Suburban setter Luis Montalvo said. "We started better in the third set."

Toby Waters and Arun Gopinath provided the big arms for the Falcons, finishing with 13 and 15 kills, respectively. Eight Lower Dauphin players combined for 46 kills.

York Suburban coach Oliver Good knew what his team was up against, but thought they had a good plan coming into Tuesday's match.

"We have a good team with lots of players who know their roles," Good said. "In the second set our serve and pass game wavered a bit and it's tough to stay in system when that happens."

The first two games were similar. The teams hung close until they reached double digits and Lower Dauphin pulled away. The third game was different.

With their backs against the wall, the Trojans led by several points until the Falcons pulled even at 19. Nathan Efiom-Ekaha caught fire in the third game, when he recorded most of his team-high 12 kills.

The teams leapfrogged each other until Lower Dauphin earned the two-point advantage.

Kevin Bryant had six kills and Matthew Torres had four kills for the Trojans. Montalvo recorded 23 assists and Connor Hayes handled the defense with 16 digs.

Joey Doll, Montalvo and Bryant have a bit of work to do before their match on Thursday. They will be graduating on Wednesday.

"Sometimes it is hard to focus," Montalvo said of keeping his mind on volleyball with his high school education coming to a close. "But then I think about the work I put in and show it on the floor."