Oct 22, 2018 4 min read

Throughout the last decade, it was almost commonplace for Carmichaels football, baseball, softball or basketball teams to grab a high seed in their respective playoff bracket.

The Mikes’ volleyball program hasn’t been so lucky … until now.

Carmichaels comes into the postseason fresh from a 14-0 mark in Section 2-A and the program’s first section championship under 10-year coach Ashley Shoemaker.

The Mikes will open the playoffs with their highest seed in program history, No. 2 in Class A, and will host No. 15 Burgettstown Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.

“We kind of anticipated getting the No. 2 seed, but you just never know how it’s going to play out before the brackets are released,” Shoemaker said. “It’s very humbling and it just shows you how much all the hard work the last 10 years can pay off. It’s nice to bring volleyball back to Carmichaels.”

This will be the Mikes fifth straight playoff berth and they are 2-2 in the first round. Last year they swept Quigley in the first round, but fell to section rival California in the quarterfinals.

“We are definitely going to take full advantage of being at home in the first round,” Shoemaker said. “Our crowds has been great all season and they bring a very fun energy into games. Burgettstown is a solid team from a very tough section. For us, our defense has to be on point and we have to take advantage of their mistakes. We have to bring our A-game.”

Burgettstown gained the final playoff berth out of Section 3-A with a 6-6 mark.

Jefferson-Morgan and Avella split the regular season meetings in Section 2-A and finished the regular season with identical 8-6 section records.

The Rockets are the No. 14 seed and will be playing No. 3 Greensburg Central Catholic Wednesday at Hempfield High School at 6 p.m. The Eagles got the No. 10 seed and will be playing No. 7 Beaver County Christian Wednesday at Bethel Park High School at 6 p.m.

Fort Cherry amassed a 9-3 record in Section 3-A and finished tied for second with Brentwood behind first place and overall top seed Bishop Canevin. The Crusaders are the defending Class A champions and have won three of the last five Class A titles.

The Rangers grabbed the No. 5 seed and will play No. 12 Vincentain Wednesday at Bishop Canevin High School at 6 p.m.

In Class AA, Waynesburg (9-3) and Beth-Center (6-6) finished second and fourth, respectively, in Section 3-AA.

“We lost a couple of key seniors from last year’s team,” B-C coach Steve Beyer said. “It took us a while to find our chemistry, and it doesn’t help playing the top three teams in the section to start the season. We are definitely playing our best volleyball now.”

B-C will play Ellwood City in the preliminary round today at OLSH High School at 6:30 p.m.

“It all starts with our defense,” Beyer said. “We have two six-footers up front in Noelle Hunter and Toni Elyea. We have to be effective at the net and block their shots. We also have a good libero in Frankie Pryor and she really jump starts our passing attack. It’s the playoffs, so you are going to face better teams and you have to avoid the mental letdowns.”

Waynesburg will play Laurel in the preliminary round today at OLSH High School at 8 p.m.

In Class AAA, South Fayette is the only local team in the bracket and is the No. 7 seed after finishing second in Section 2-AAA behind Chartiers Valley with a 12-2 record.

The Lions will play No. 10 seed Elizabeth Forward Thursday at Thomas Jefferson High School at 7:30 p.m. in the first round.

“We are in a tough section this year, and we couldn’t knock off Chartiers at the end of the season,” SF coach Scott Sundgren said. “I feel like there’s a lot of gray area in Class AAA this year. Seeding doesn’t really matter because every team in this bracket is tough. The key things for us is our versatility and our athleticism. If we play to our strengths, I like our chances.”

Peters Township went 7-7 in Section 2-AAAA and grabbed the final playoff spot in the section after defeating rival Canon-McMillan in the regular season finale Thursday. The Indians are the No. 11 seed in Class AAAA and will play at No. 6 Norwin Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.