Waynesburg makes case for No. 1 seed
Raiders complete undefeated regular season
CLAYSVILLE — Waynesburg has done all it can to be the top seed in the WPIAL volleyball playoffs when the Class 2A pairings are released this afternoon.
The Raiders finished with a record of 14-0 in Class 2A Section 3 play and are 17-0 overall, including a non-section victory over Class A powerhouse Frazier (15-3).
Waynesburg completed its perfect regular season in a 3-0 triumph at McGuffey on Thursday night, winning 25-20, 25-20, 25-21.
The Raiders are the lone undefeated team in Class 2A, but that doesn’t necessarily mean coach Dan Higinbotham’s team will be awarded the No. 1 seed.
“We did everything we could do, and then some,” said Higinbotham in regard to his team being the top seed. “I think we are one of two completely undefeated teams in the WPIAL, and I feel like that has to carry a little bit of something. I would love to see us get a top-four seed and get a home game for the playoffs. That would be really special.”
The Highlanders (9-5, 11-5) have also qualified for the playoffs, and veteran coach JoAnn Harshman expects her team to play early in the tournament.
“There were five play-in games last year, and those were more evenly matched teams,” Harshman said. “I hope they do the same format as they did last year. I have no say in what seed or game they give us. I just hope it’s early enough in the day that we can practice and get ready.”
Waynesburg won the first match against McGuffey in a sweep, but McGuffey didn’t hand over the second contest by any means, and had a 16-15 lead in the first set before the Raiders went on a 10-4 run for a 1-0 lead. The Highlanders fought off two set points.
McGuffey had a five-point advantage at three different instances in the second set before Waynesburg started to find its game. The Raiders won the second set, 25-20.
Waynesburg jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the third set and had a 7-2 advantage, but the Highlanders battled back and took a 14-11 lead. The Raiders outscored the home team, 14-7, to earn a 25-21 victory in the third set.
“The strong part of our team is they never fight or blame each other,” Higinbotham said. “They just keep playing, and you can see it in the camaraderie with each other.”
Despite being swept, Harshman was pleased with her team’s effort against the section champion.
“This will be our learning experience tonight to get ready for the playoffs,” Harshman said. “We had leads in each set, but we just couldn’t finish it out. That’s all part of the game.”
Ani Cree and Railey Bochna led Waynesburg in kills with nine apiece, and Bochna had 10 digs. Emily Rafferty had six digs, five kills and three aces. Chatham Knight and Leila McCollum each had two aces.
Bailey Rafferty had 21, six digs and two blocks.
McGuffey’s Faith Ealy had 10 service points. Teammate Sarah Brownlee had seven service points and five aces. Nicole Klages had 22 digs.