BEA volleyball survives scare from Dallastown

By Kenny Varner Jr.
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Updated: August 30, 2019

Bald Eagle Area 3 , Dallastown 2

DAL 25 18 17 25 12

BEA 23 25 25 20 15

By Kenny Varner

WINGATE – Pushed to the brink.

The Bald Eagle girls’ Volleyball team picked up where it left off last season as they topped Dallastown 3-2 in a marathon match.

Bald Eagle started its defense of its PIAA State Title Friday and looked primed and ready to go as the first serve was hit.

So did Dallastown.

In end, it would be Bald Eagle Area that would take the five-game set.

“They served better than we did tonight. Defensively, their (Dallastown) pretty special. We had a chance to scrimmage some very talented teams and that was the best defensive team we played this year. They are going to be very successful this year,” Bald Eagle coach Lawrence Campbell said. “That’s something that we need to do a better job with. Last year I thought we won on how we played defensively. It was good to get tested like that.”

Leading the way for Bald Eagle were Grace Hugar with 17 kills, Lacee Barnhart with 13 and Taylor Kilmer with 10.

Kilmer led the way in blocks with five while Madison Rockey and Katelyn Smitchko had two.

Rockey had 46 assists.

Skripek, Barnhart and Hugar tallied 34,21 and 20 digs, respectively.

Rounding out the stat leaders were Alita Brown with three aces and Hugar with two.

In the final game, both teams were neck-and-neck for most of the contest.

With the game going into double digits, tied at 12, Lexi Skripek stood tall at the line and put her team ahead 15-12. Taylor Kilmer’s play at the front line led to the Eagles building up the lead and the win.

After dropping the first game, the Eagles needed a spark as it got behind 13-10 early on.

Skripek and teammate Lacee Barnhart has the one-two punch, putting the Eagles in the lead 17-14.

Skripek had five service points and Barnhart was strong plastering shots from the left corner in the comeback attempt.

That would be the break Bald Eagle would need as they took advantage and captured the game as Samantha Arens-Ennis collected five consecutive service points, tying the match at one with the 25-18 victory.

Again in the third, the Wildcats pushed the Eagles to their limits, refusing to intimidated.

Bald Eagle built up an 11-7 advantage and started to try to pull away.

Midway through, the Eagles started to find its continuity as it built a 15-11 advantage.

But back came the spunky Wildcats as they closed it to 15-13.

But the ball got back in the hands of Skripek again and her and her offense rolled off three consecutive service points, upping it to 19-13.

Barnhart and her front line put the game on the verge of ending with three consecutive service point at 24-16.

Teammate Maddison Rockey ended the game with a solid block at the net.

Holding a 2-1 advantage, the Eagles found itself trailing early on 3-1 before starting to heat up.

But much like the first three games, the Wildcats made a comeback and moved ahead,13-10.

This time, Dallastown’s Sydney Ohl tallied five consecutive service points to put her team up 16-13.

The Wildcats continued to hit everything the Eagles threw at them building a 22-17 lead.

In the end, the Wildcats forced a fifth and deciding game, winning 25-20.

In the first game, the Wildcats played the Eagles strong the entire time and gave Bald Eagle a surprising 25-23 victory of the defending state Champions.

Sparking the come from behind win for the Wildcats was the serving of Abby Herbert. Herbert scores the last three service points to take the 25-23 win.

Bald Eagle Area will be back in action Thursday as it hosts Central.