This is the season the Central Bucks West girls volleyball team has been waiting for.
And’s it’s going well for them.
The Bucks defeated visiting Quakertown, 3-0 (25-9, 25-15, 25-21) on Tuesday night in a Suburban One League Continental Conference contest. The third game was a tight one, with the Panthers tying the score several times.
”We didn’t panic when they started to come back,” said CB West senior Alexis Barklage. “I think we communicated as a team and we have this thing where we come together and we just take a breath together. We don’t even talk, we just stand together and take a moment to remind ourselves that we’ve got this.”
The Bucks are in first place in the SOL Continental at 8-0 in league play and 10-2 overall.
“We have a target on our backs but we have to just keep doing our thing,” said Barklage, who finished the night with nine kills and two blocks. “There’s definitely a lot of pressure being first in the conference, but I think that’s what keeps us going. That pressure lights the fire for us and being in first place is a great opportunity for us. Our opportunity was cut short last year and this year we’re going to take full advantage of everything.”
Last season the Bucks were seeded 12th in the District One Class 4A tournament but were upset in the opening round by No. 21 Spring-Ford.
“When I was a sophomore I thought our team had a lot of potential,” CB West senior Rachel Hu said. “Last year we had a really good season, but we had one bad day and that ended it. This year, we have 10 seniors so that’s 10 out of 12 of us. That gives us a lot more experience, and we’ve been bonding for so long. The skills are important but coming together is what we do best and that’s really important, too.
“I really see us making a good run this year. We’re ranked seventh in the district and hopefully we’ll be able to hang in the top group and get a bye. If we keep our mental game up, we can do it.”
Hu had 11 kills, 10 digs, four aces and three assists in the match.
Also for CB West, Hollis Walton made five kills, had three blocks and three aces, Lily Rasnake nailed four aces, Erin Ferello had nine assists, four digs, two kills and one ace, Elisa Kremser added 14 assists, three digs, two blocks and one kill, Amber Woodring helped out with seven digs and three aces, Alexa Lee had eight digs, four assists and two aces and Stephanie Bahner added one kill and one block.
CB West returns to action on Thursday, hosting district rival Central Bucks South (5-9 3-5) in an SOL Continental match at 6:30 p.m.
After struggling in the first two games, the Panthers (3-10, 1-7) came alive in the third, but they were never quite able to capitalize on their opportunities.
“If we had played the whole night the way we played that third game, it would have been different,” said Quakertown senior Grace White, who ended the evening with 10 digs, three kills and three blocks. “We definitely stepped up our intensity. We all just worked really hard. We were determined to win that one, even though it didn’t happen.
“A lot of our players are freshmen and sophomores so we’re pretty young. Things just haven’t quite jelled yet for us, but we’re still working on it. I think the girls playing now are definitely going to improve so I see good things for them in the next couple of years.
“I think we have a very positive mindset. We’re all friends on and off the court and I think that’s good for us. I think we’ll continue to improve.”
Also for Quakertown, Ellie White had four blocks, three kills, three digs and two aces, Cece Bates had 14 digs and three kills, Krysalyn Juchno contributed three kills, two aces and a dig, Mia Handschumacher added two blocks, two digs and a kill, Genevieve Clark had 11 assists, seven digs and an ace, Colleen Gallagher chipped in four digs and Ally Cole and Zoe Hartley had two digs apiece.
The Panthers host SOL Continental foe Souderton on Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
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