UNIVERSITY PARK —
Somewhere in the Meadville Area High School gymnasium lobby there are three PIAA boys volleyball trophies: One gold and two silver. Just where? Meadville head coach Doug Nelson isn’t so sure.
On Saturday, he and the Bulldogs brought home a new one.
Meadville became the second District 10 team in as many years to capture the PIAA Class AA runner-up trophy as it dropped a tough 25-20, 21-25, 25-12, 25-13 loss to an outstanding Northeastern team yesterday at Penn State University’s Multi-Sport Indoor Facility.
The finish wasn’t the one the Bulldogs’ had been working toward all season long. But it was an impressive finish for a team making its first appearance in a state title match since 1965 and just its fourth overall.
“We played a good team,” Nelson said. “Our legs got a little tired. But bottom line, we played a good team and we put everything we had out there on the court.
“Our goal wasn’t completed, but it sure was awful close.”
What a day the Bulldogs had yesterday.
After surviving elimination with a 25-18 win over Bethlehem Catholic in a tiebreaker game on Friday, the Bulldogs entered the semifinals Saturday with even greater determination. And the victim wound up being defending state champion Ambridge.
Meadville opened the semifinals with a hard-fought 25-22 loss to the Bridgers in Game 1, which was heavily dominated by Penn State recruit Nick Goodell. But like the ’Dogs did all throughout the regular season, they rebounded with a vengeance, winning the next three sets to send the Bridgers packing and the Bulldogs into the championship match.
Meadville won the second game, 33-31, in thrilling fashion, followed by wins of 25-21 and 28-26. Momentum was on the Bulldogs’ side.
Unfortunately, it didn’t last for long. After a tough 25-20 loss followed by an emotional 25-21 win over Northeastern in the state title match, the ’Dogs were exhausted. The Bobcats, meanwhile, never let up.
“We were really hoping to carry that excitement over to the Northeastern match,” Meadville junior libero Chad Smith did. “We were able to steal a set. But we’re only human. The emotional level, the adrenaline. This was our first trip to states. It definitely wore on us.”
In the end, though, the Bulldogs can be nothing but pleased about how their season went. It may take a few days for the District 10 champions to realize just what they accomplished this season, but they are confident that time will come.
“We’ll appreciate the good things we did,” Meadville senior outside hitter Tyler Banks said. “It’s hard right now. It’s upsetting to get this far and then fall short. But we still wound up with a trophy and that’s a big thing for us.”
Smith agreed it will take some time.
“It won’t sink in for a while,” he said. “Some of us are upset, but we don’t really know why. It’s all a haze right now. We worked hard; we played well. We just lost to a good team that had the momentum early and we couldn’t get it back.”
Meadville finished its season at 19-3. All three of its losses came at the state tournament.
The Bulldogs entered the tournament ranked No. 1 in the state in Class AA by the Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association. Northeastern, which lost to Maplewood in the semifinals of last year’s championships, was ranked second.
“It was all a matter of team,” Nelson said. “The guys pulled together. They believed in the system I had in place. A lot of kids have sacrificed, my son (Dan) was one of them. Everybody knew what they had to do and what their roles were.
“I’m very, very proud of them. They did everything I ever asked of them.”
And all of it may just be a sign of things to come. After all, MASH’s junior varsity team was also unbeaten during the regular season. And the experience they got being at the state tournament will be huge.
“Now we have to go back and work hard to get ready for next season,” Nelson said. “They know now what it takes.”
Meadville will have to do so without five exceptional seniors: Dan Nelson, Tom Hillwig, Tyler Banks, Josh Dolnosich and Adam Barba.
Lisa Byers can be reached at 724-6370 or by e-mail at lbyers@meadvilletribune.com.
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