However, on every occasion, the Eagles locked in and responded, culminating in them scraping out all three sets. Outside hitters Leah Bryan and Emily Smith combined for 27 kills, often coming up big in crucial moments. And setter Casey Angelotti set them up time and time again, finishing with 25 assists, as Bald Eagle defeated Richland, 3-0, behind set scores of 25-23, 25-18 and 26-24.

The victory pits the Eagles (17-2) up against Central Cambria for a shot at a Laurel Highlands title, with that championship match set for 6 p.m. at Saint Francis University on Saturday. It was an optimal way to win ahead of the postseason, as the team fought its way out of multiple tough spots.

“I’m super proud of them. This was definitely a great team, but I think we’re also a great team,” said Bald Eagle Area volleyball head coach Taylor Giedroc on the win. “We came out strong against them, a little nervous but also excited. And I feel like we took it and ran with it.”

“We came in with a game plan, cited them pretty hard, came out and battled,” said Angelloti. “We accomplished a big win. I know they’re higher than us in the district, so I’m glad we got to face a great team before playoffs come around.”

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bald Eagle Area's Casey Angelotti (22) celebrates with Leah Bryan (4) after Bryan secured the match-winning hill during a LHAC semifinal volleyball match against Richland on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, at Bald Eagle Area. The Eagles won 3-0 behind set scores of 25-23, 25-18, 26-24.

Bald Eagle Area came out of the gate rolling in first and second, at one point leading the former 15-7 and the latter 11-5. But on every occasion where it picked up its biggest lead of the set, the Rams responded swiftly, cutting both leads down with runs of 6-0 and 5-0 and ultimately stealing the lead late in the first.

However, just when it seemed like the Eagles were going to let the first slip away, their stars responded with great plays. Bryan put together a string of kills to give them the lead back at 21-20, a block from her and Rory Gilham broke the final tie (22-22) of the set and two more kills from Bryan got them to 25, as they scraped it out, 25-23.

“I knew that as a leader, we had to step up,” said Bryan when discussing those tense moments. “All of us have performed together for each other, so we just needed to find ways to score, stay confident in each other and trust ourselves.”

Then, when the Rams cut BEA’s lead to 12-11 in the second, it was Smith who came up big.

Behind a service error from Richland and back-to-back kills from Smith, the Eagles quickly replenished their lead back up to four. And when the Rams quickly cut that lead in half (16-14), another Richland service error and back-to-back aces from Smith got it back up to five.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bald Eagle Area celebrates a point during a LHAC semifinal volleyball match against Richland on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, at Bald Eagle Area. The Eagles won 3-0 behind set scores of 25-23, 25-18, 26-24.

From there, Bald Eagle would respond as a whole to outlast one last run from the Rams. Nora Eppley posted an ace and five straight service points and three combined kills from Bryan and Addelyn Fisher helped the Eagles close the set on a 6-0 run, as they won the set, 25-18.

Both sets warranted late timeout from Bald Eagle Area. And each time, it came out of those breaks and attacked, shifting the narrative swimmingly.

“Just to not let up. Keep the energy high,” said Giedroc on the message within those timeouts. “They’re gonna have good swings here and there and they’re gonna get balls up, but we just need to respond and do the same, and I think they did an amazing job.”

From there, it was just a matter of closing things out, which Richland, of course, didn’t make easy. In a third set that was riddled with early service errors, it’d get out to a 6-2 lead before remaining a step or three ahead for much of the stanza.

However, with its deficit at 16-13, Bald Eagle would begin to make up ground. Bryan followed up a kill with an ace to cut the deficit to one, and a Richland service error and Smith kill would tie it up at 17-17 moments later.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bald Eagle Area's Leah Bryan (4) hits the ball over the net during a LHAC semifinal volleyball match against Richland on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, at Bald Eagle Area. The Eagles won 3-0 behind set scores of 25-23, 25-18, 26-24.

Five more ties would follow as the teams traded points all the way to 24-24. Back-to-back blocks involving Rory Gilham gave the Eagles a 23-21 lead, a Kendall Gavlock kill made it 24-22 and the Rams responded with two straight points to even it back up.

But as the first set had concluded, Bryan once again stepped up, firing two straight kills into the middle of Richland’s defense to effectively close out the set, 26-24, granting the Eagles the hard-fought sweep.

“We knew going into it that it was going to be a pretty tough matchup, so we practiced really hard on swinging away from their middles and putting the ball down smartly,” said Bryan. “We tipped them a lot and roll shot it just to be able to find spots.”

With the win, Bald Eagle Area picked up its 17th win in match play this season and is now set for one last match on Saturday before shifting their sites to districts. For now, it’ll look to take home an LHAC title against Central Cambria, who defeated Hollidaysburg 3-2 on Thursday.

Bald Eagle Area 3, Richland 0

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bald Eagle Area's Emily Smith (16) celebrates a point during a LHAC semifinal volleyball match against Richland on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, at Bald Eagle Area. The Eagles won 3-0 behind set scores of 25-23, 25-18, 26-24.

(25-23, 25-18, 26-24)

Bald Eagle Area service points: Nora Eppley 9, Emily Smith 8, Kinsey Clark 7, Casey Angelotti 6, Leah Bryan 5, Harlee Witherite 4. Bald Eagle Area kills: Leah Bryan 16, Emily Smith 11, Addelyn Fisher 2, Kendall Gavlock 2, Rory Gilham 1. Bald Eagle Area assists: Casey Angelotti 25, Nora Eppley 6. Bald Eagle Area aces: Emily Smith 3, Nora Eppley 2, Leah Bryan 1, Kinsey Clark 1, Harlee Witherite 1, Casey Angelotti 1. Bald Eagle Area blocks: Rory Gilham 6, Leah Bryan 5, Kendall Gavlock 2, Addelyn Fisher 2.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bald Eagle Area's Nora Eppley (19) celebrates with Riley Housel (28) during a LHAC semifinal volleyball match against Richland on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, at Bald Eagle Area. The Eagles won 3-0 behind set scores of 25-23, 25-18, 26-24.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bald Eagle Area's Kinsey Clark (9) performs a return during a LHAC semifinal volleyball match against Richland on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, at Bald Eagle Area. The Eagles won 3-0 behind set scores of 25-23, 25-18, 26-24.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bald Eagle Area's Addelyn Fisher hits the ball over the net during a LHAC semifinal volleyball match against Richland on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, at Bald Eagle Area. The Eagles won 3-0 behind set scores of 25-23, 25-18, 26-24.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bald Eagle Area's Kendall Gavlock (18) dives for the ball during a LHAC semifinal volleyball match against Richland on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, at Bald Eagle Area. The Eagles won 3-0 behind set scores of 25-23, 25-18, 26-24.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bald Eagle Area's Emily Smith (16) performs a return during a LHAC semifinal volleyball match against Richland on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, at Bald Eagle Area. The Eagles won 3-0 behind set scores of 25-23, 25-18, 26-24.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bald Eagle Area gathers in celebration following the team's 3-0 win over Richland in the LHAC semifinals on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, at Bald Eagle Area.