Chambersburg volleyball team falls short vs. CV
The Chambersburg boys volleyball team had manufactured a five-match winning streak and climbed to No. 5 in the District 3 Class 3A power rankings thanks to wins over Red Land and Carlisle this week.
But Thursday marked the beginning of as tough a stretch as could be for the Trojans.
Although Chambersburg played well, Cumberland Valley rallied for a win in game four and earned a 3-1 Mid Penn Commonwealth victory at CASHS Field House.
It doesn't get any easier for the Trojans. CV was ranked No. 3 in the district. Saturday, Chambersburg (7-3, 5-3 MPC) plays in the Central York Tournament, which has a strong field. The Trojans host No. 1 Central Dauphin on Tuesday and later take on No. 2 Central York.
"Yes, the schedule is pretty hard," Chambersburg coach Marta Helfrick said. "That's just the way it is. I thought we played well tonight, but we couldn't get the win."
The difference in the teams can be traced to No. 6 wearing the Eagles jersey, Blake Liprando. The 6-foot-1 sophomore causes problems for every team he faces. Thursday, in 55 attempts, he produced 26 kills.
"By the end, Blake had nothing left in his arm," CV coach Terry Ranck said. "He had some trouble because it was so hot in the gym."
But Chambersburg caused some of that heat, too. The Eagles ran away with the first game, 25-16, but the Trojans battled hard to take a 25-20 win in game two. Cumberland Valley gradually pulled away for a 25-17 verdict in the third game and was tied 10-10 in the fourth.
But a kill by Nate Walker, another by Dalton Strite and four consecutive kills by Aaron Myers gave Chambersburg a 19-10 lead.
Myers said, "That stretch made me feel good. I think the guys saw I was hot and they kept feeding me until I messed up."
But with a fifth game looking like a sure thing, suddenly, it turned around.
Ranck said, "We finally decided to play some defense."
Helfrick said, "They did turn on the defense, but we got a little timid, too. Against good teams you have to keep the pressure on."
With Josh Titus serving, the Eagles took 11 of the next 12 points to go ahead 21-20, then it was back-and-forth. Chambersburg served for game point twice, but CV prevailed, 28-26.
Myers said, "We played one of our better matches, but we just need to fix some of our errors. And the first game we could have played better."
Against the upcoming schedule, they'll have to.
Walker (10), Myers (9) and Strite (9) led the Trojans in kills. Trey Stepler had 20 digs, Kellen Stepler had 36 assists and Myers made two blocks.