PIAA VOLLEYBALL: NORTH PENN-LIBERTY'S CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON COMES TO AN END IN STATE QUARTERFINALS (2022-11-12)
Northern Tier West Sports ReportBERWICK — North Penn-Liberty put up a fight in their State quarterfinal match here Saturday, coming back to win the third set and cutting Notre Dame-Green Pond’s lead to 2-1, but the Crusaders would take control early in the fourth set and bring the Lady Mounties’ dream season to an end.
ND-GP won the first set 25-19, the second 25-22 and the fourth 25-12, while the Lady Mounties won the third set 26-24.
The first set was a back-and-forth affair as both teams tried to feel the other out, before NPL took the first multipoint lead at 8-6 on a Lexi Kshir kill.
With Makenna Lightner serving, the Mounties stretched the lead to 11-6 on an ace, but the Crusaders clawed back in it, tying the set at 13 and taking a lead at 17-15.
An errant ND-GP serve and a Darby Stetter kill tied it at 17 all, but the Crusaders pulled away and took the first set, 25-19.
In the second set, ND-GP sprinted out to a 7–1 lead. A well-used timeout by NPL Head Coach Mitch Stetter led to a Mountie 5-0 run to cut the lead to 7-6.
The Crusaders would again stretch their lead, however, and go up 16-7, before another Mountie time-out led to another 5-0 run, finished on a Saige Lehman kill to get NPL to within four at 16-12.
A pair of kills from Kshir and Lehman, a push by Lehman and two aces from Lightner cut the ND lead to one at 18-17, but the Mounties would get no closer and fell 25-22 in the second.
The teams traded small runs in the third set, with each team taking leads of four points until ND-GP seemed to take control at 19-13.
NPL used several three-point runs to catch up, and took a 22-21 lead on a Lehman kill. A Pequignot kill and another Lehman kill gave the Mounties a 25-24 lead and an errant strike by ND gave NPL the win, 26-24.
The fourth set started out all ND-GP, as the Crusaders took a quick, 5-0 lead and stretched it to 13-7 before a 6-0 run extended their lead to 19-8.
A Stetter kill got the Mounties to within 10, but that’s as close as they’d get, falling 25-12.
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North Penn-Liberty finishes their season with a 20-2 record, an NTL Championship, a District IV title and a PIAA tourney win.
Three seniors played their final game for the Lady Mounties .. Lexi Kshir, Darby Stetter and Aubrey Pequignot.
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* Look for a recap of North Penn-Liberty’s title-winning season soon.
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PHOTOS: Lance Larcom
