PENINSULA — Perry made history Wednesday night at Woodridge High School, sweeping Hubbard, 25-22, 25-14, 25-19, to advance to the regional tournament for the first time since 1988.
The Pirates set the tone early, racing out to a 10-2 lead behind four kills and a block from Tatum Christian. Hubbard battled back to close within two at 15-13, but Christian sealed the opening set with her sixth kill for a 25-22 victory.
Perry dominated the second set, jumping ahead 18-7 and never looking back in a 25-14 win. The Pirates carried that momentum into the third, opening a 14-10 lead and stretching it to 19-10 before fending off a late Hubbard rally to close out the sweep, 25-19.
“We’re really excited. We have a really great group of girls — the seniors are awesome,” said Perry head coach Chakib Hraga. “I told them at the beginning of the year that we don’t want to lose the seniors. We’re going to extend the season as long as we can. They are great kids, leaders, and they embrace everybody. They are passing the torch nicely to the young group of freshmen and sophomores to carry the legacy. I am really having fun with this team.”
Hraga credited his team’s consistency and focus for the victory.
“We stayed steady. Everything we did was consistent,” he said. “Even when we made one mistake, the girls bounced right back up and corrected it. We tend to forget about what happened, and we just keep moving forward.”
Perry will face Holy Name in the Division IV, Region 13 semifinals next Wednesday at Alliance High School.
“We’ve played tough competition this year, so we’re not worried about who’s on the other side. We can control the controllables,” Hraga said. “Holy Name is definitely a good team, but we are going to go play our game. If we do that, we can win; if (Holy Name) plays their game, they are going to win. We’re just going to try our best.”
Ari Rogers led the Pirates with 13 kills, while Christian added 12 kills and two blocks. Emily Mechenbier contributed seven kills and four blocks, Camryn Zgrebnak and Emma McGonnell combined for 12 kills and six blocks, and Kendra Konrad tallied 27 assists and two service aces — including the match-winning ace in set three.
The Pirates (19-6) will face Holy Name on Wednesday, Oct. 29, at Alliance High School. First serve is set for 6 p.m.
Edgewood falls to Holy Name in five-set thriller
While Perry celebrated its regional berth, Edgewood’s season came to a heartbreaking end in a five-set battle with Holy Name, 25-20, 25-23, 20-25, 20-25, 5-15.
The Warriors jumped out to a 2-0 match lead but couldn’t maintain momentum as the Green Wave surged back to take the final three sets.
“We were focused in the first two sets compared to the third, fourth, and fifth,” said Edgewood head coach Kyra Vencill. “We didn’t keep the same energy level, and we just can’t let up on a team like Holy Name. In the first two sets, we were rolling, while (Holy Name) was having trouble finding that rhythm, and we were trying to keep them in that spot. However, we just couldn’t hold it; we needed to trust our offense, and we started slowing things down, and we can’t do that.”
Edgewood took an early 6-4 lead in the first set as Faith Vencill recorded her first kill of the match. The Warriors extended their advantage to 20-14 before Reagan Bibler finished the job with a kill to secure the 25-20 opening-set win.
In the second, Holy Name went up 8-5 before Edgewood tied it at 8-8. The Green Wave responded with a four-kill run from Allison Orzech to go up 14-10, but the Warriors rallied late. Addy Lamson closed out the frame with a kill for a 25-23 win and a 2-0 match lead.
From there, Holy Name regrouped, winning three straight sets to complete the reverse sweep and eliminate the Warriors.
A year after capturing their first district title in 30 years, Edgewood fell just short of repeating. Still, Vencill remains encouraged by her team’s growth and future potential.
“I have a nice group of freshmen coming in, and it’s nice to have a lot of returning players as well,” she said. “We have a lot of young girls who got to play this year, so our future does look bright. We have a lot of kids that are coming back.”
Her message for next season is simple.
“It’s going to come down to effort. At the end of the day, I’m a coach that plays by effort, energy, and for the love of the game,” Vencill said. “If the girls come in doing that, it doesn’t matter what grade they are; they’re going to play.”
Faith Vencill finished her standout junior season with 25 kills. Lamson added 18 kills to cap off her career, while Summer Matthews dished out 44 assists.
The Warriors finish the season 20-5, earning a co-CVC championship, sectional title, and district runner-up trophy.
