Moments after his New Hope-Solebury girls volleyball team fell in overtime of a five-set match to District 11 champion Notre Dame Green Pond, all head coach Chris Marchok could do was ponder the future without them, or at least some of them.
This was the first group he mentored as a head coach for the Lions all four years.
“I sat on the side of that court just heartbroken and it wasn’t for a win, it was heartbreak because this group of kids has been so special and you just know that it’s over,” said Marchok.
“The set’s over and boom, that group of kids is done.
“I was heartbroken. I told the kids I don’t feel that way because someone scored more points, I felt that way because of who these kids are and I will miss the privilege of coaching them.”
Battling right to the end, in addition to those who will return next year, were seniors Mia Chuma, Lilly Kraemer and Chloe McMillen.
Nursing an injury, Chuma missed parts of the postseason including New Hope’s District One Class 2A title win over MaST Charter, a duel the Lions swept, 3-0. Chuma also sat out the first game with Notre Dame, a pairing New Hope lost, 25-16.
The Lions rebounded however with a 25-20 victory in game two followed by a 25-19 triumph in the third set.
“They (Notre Dame) finished the first set on a pretty good run so they had a lot of momentum heading into set two,” added the coach.
“And our girls, much to their credit, calmed things down.
“We came back in the second set and took (game) two and then (game) three.
“I give our kids a ton of credit for the maturity to do that.”
The Crusaders answered with a 25-20 victory of their own in the fourth set before taking the rubber match 17-15 in overtime. With the win, ND Green Pond advanced to the PIAA tournament, which began Nov. 8.
New Hope actually held an 11-7 edge in the fifth set before Notre Dame responded with four straight points to draw even.
“Anytime you go to overtime in the fifth set, you have two very good squads,” commented Marchok.
“Notre Dame is a very good squad. Were they better than us? No!
“There were just a few points at the end where they executed better than we did.”
Leading the way in New Hope’s final match of the season was Kraemer with 21 kills, a dozen digs and three service aces. Lilly also came through with a hitting percentage of .226.
Chuma did her part with 11 digs and 13 kills. McMillen contributed with a block and four kills. Junior Aubrey Turner chipped in with six digs and two kills. Sophomore Emma Viehweger clocked 15 digs in the playoff pairing. Classmate Sabrina Fitzsimmons added a block and four kills.
Playing her first varsity match in place of junior Anna Leasure – out with an illness – was younger sister in freshman May Leasure.
“She did everything you want,” added Marchok. “She played tremendous defense. She was setting the ball.
“May Leasure stepped up big when we needed her to step up.
“There are not a ton of 15-year-old women who could step up in a pressure situation like that.”
Part of what the coach was referring to was the fact that the Lions were forced to play the regional qualifier on the Crusaders’ home court. To compare, New Hope took on MaST Charter in the D1 title tilt Oct. 27 at William Tennent, a neutral location for both sides. ND Green Pond also had to travel to a neutral location in its D11 championship with Panther Valley.
The Lions were not given the same consideration in the regional playoff, however. Nevertheless, Leasure came through with 15 digs, 39 assists, a pair of kills and a hitting percentage over .250.
“May stepped in with her first varsity start at setter and competed in front of a loud, unfriendly gym and performed fantastically.
“I’m so proud of her. I’m proud of every one of my kids.”
New Hope finishes its 2022 campaign with a record of 14-8 including its second straight District One Class 2A crown.
The Lions defeated Abington, Upper Dublin and Hatboro in the first half of the campaign only to see those squads battle back to win the late-season rematch.
The coach says the girls from New Hope battled a host of setbacks including bouts with COVID-19, Mono and influenza in addition to injuries to key players.
“I used to believe adversity builds character,” he said. “I don’t necessarily believe that anymore. I think adversity reveals character.
“We had adversity this year and we had multiple kids across the spectrum of this team who stepped up.”
Moving forward to next season, Marchok and his staff will look to rebuild a roster that waves goodbye to Chuma, who has exchanged strong mutual interest with Georgetown University and the prospect of playing for the Hoyas. Kraemer would also like to play in college and is looking at Rochester. McMillen doesn’t think she’ll play at the NCAA level but has interest in attending academically at South Carolina.
Meanwhile, May Leasure’s performance in the regional has given the coaching staff hope for the future and they’ll look to defensive specialist Samantha Metzger to take a step forward next year as a sophomore. Turner and Viehweger are two players the team could look to step forward to the front line.
Fitzsimmons, a middle hitter this season, could also move to an outside position.
The team will look to Turner and Lauren Savitsky to provide senior leadership in 2023.
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