Nov 2, 2017 3 min read

McMURRAY – At Bishop Canevin, volleyball is a 5-letter word.

P-o-w-e-r.

The Crusaders have great leaping ability and can send a shot across the net that one would swear left singe marks.

The type of attack worked well against a game but overwhelmed California team, which fell 25-21, 25-19 and 25-14 Thursday night at Peters Township High School.

The victory sends Bishop Canevin to the WPIAL Class A finals at noon Saturday against Our Lady of Sacred Heart at Baldwin. California will play in a third-place match against Frazier for the third and final berth into the PIAA playoffs. That match, also at Baldwin, begins at 2 p.m.

“We knew they were a good team and we would have to play them hard, but they just hit the ball on us,” said California head coach Rene Pascoe. “They don’t let the ball drop and when they do, they hit it. No matter what pass they get off, they are hitting it hard. You have to have good blockers and we did our best, but it wasn’t good enough.”

Bishop Canevin, the No. 1 seed, made it to this point by defeating Beaver County Christian, 3-1, and shutting out Rochester, 3-0.

California’s path left Carmichaels (3-2) and Trinity Christian (3-2) in the dust. The Crusaders (15-7) defeated the Trojans (13-6) in last year’s quarterfinals.

“I’m so proud of my girls,” said Pascoe. “I couldn’t ask any more of them. They left it all out on the floor.”

Annalise Gillespie had 11 service points and 10 kills, Hanna Engel had nine points, and Ina Helmick had 44 assists for California.

For Bishop Canevin, Alexa Malloy had 19 kills, Kylie Airesman had 18 kills and Maddie Maziarz had 43 assists.

Airesman is one of three Washington County players on the Crusaders’ roster. The other two are Rutanya Taylor and Caroline Colantonio, both of Washington. Airesman is from Hickory and came to BC because of the program and academics.

“We wanted to play our game against them and not get distracted,” said Airesman, a junior and third-year starter. “Lately, we were bumpy in the playoffs. We knew serving would be a big part in pushing the lead so we made sure we focused on our serves, getting them over and into good spots.”

California gave up damaging runs to BC in all three sets. An 8-0 run in the first provided the cushion needed for a four-point win. In the second set, the Crusaders jumped to a 9-3 lead, then scored seven of the last 12 for a six-point win. They capped the third set by winning the final five points.

“If you asked me two, three years ago – California? What are you talking about,” said BC head coach Kevin Walter. “But these teams are getting better and better. Every time you go out, you’ve got to play hard.”