Delone Catholic hasn't spent much time on the volleyball court as of late.
Getting a first-round bye in the District 3 Class AA tournament is one thing. The Squirettes (19-0) haven't played in a week.
But missing two days of practice Monday and Tuesday of practice because of Hurricane Sandy is another. When the Squirettes last met on Friday, they had no clue what school they would face in a quarterfinal matchup.
Recipe for an epic upset? A dominant team with rust issues?
Forget about it.
The Squirettes rolled over West Perry in straight games, 25-13, 25-9, 25-17, on Wednesday night at Dallastown, earning a semifinal showdown with Palmyra at 7:30 tonight at Wilson.
It took Palmyra
But the Squirettes would prefer to leave the undefeated talk back in the regular season.
"I know there are a lot of people who say it's good to lose one. I never bought into that," Delone Catholic coach Jason Leppo said. "We don't really like to lose. At this point, all the other junk before that, the undefeated -- it doesn't mean anything now. Now, the next time you are not undefeated in this, one-and-done, you're out."
It's a feeling Leppo's team knows all too well. Last year, the Squirettes lost in
Palmyra (18-2), the No. 4 seed in the tournament, isn't looking for another loss anytime soon, either, although Eastern York did put a bit of a scare into the Cougars early Wednesday night.
The Golden Knights (9-7) cruised to an easy 25-15 win in the first game, behind senior Lexi Rhein.
Rhein, a senior with a scholarship to the College of Charleston, made it seem like she has never seen a dig she couldn't get or an angle she can't hit from.
Both teams struggled to find momentum in the first game. Then Rhein hit an over-the-back, out-of-bounds dig that landed inside Palmyra's far sideline. It seemed to energize the Golden Knights.
"I feel like every time we come together as a team and get those hustle points, it helps our momentum," Rhein said.
She finished the match with 11 digs, nine kills, three aces and 10 assists.
Palmyra coach Clark Sheaffer said his team had not faced such a talented setter as Rhein and needed time to adjust to how she dumps the ball.
"She saved balls that you would think
But as strong as Rhein was in the first game, the Golden Knights lost their momentum and appeared dazed through the next two games, miscommunicating and unable to fend off Palmyra's serves at times.
"What you saw is pretty much what we did earlier in the season, a lot of miscommunication, a lot of hesitation, a lot of looking around," Eastern York coach Jennifer Reichard said. "That was my frustration. It was stuff we did earlier in the season and kind of got past it, and it sort of resurfaced tonight. And you can't do that. Not at this stage of the game."
The Squirettes will get their shot at the Cougars tonight.
"They are just a pretty balanced team," Leppo said. "I couldn't even tell you their best player. They just all seem pretty consistent and pretty steady and played well together."



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