TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bald Eagle Area volleyball players gather to celebrate a point during a state tournament matchup against Hopewell on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, at Bald Eagle Area. The Eagles capped their run in state quarters on Saturday, falling to Corry, 3-0.

CLARION – There were many times throughout Saturday’s PIAA Class AA quarterfinal matchup where the Eagles could’ve laid down and given up. Corry – undefeated in match play and a returning state finalist – was everything it was advertised to be heading into the matchup, and Bald Eagle Area quickly found itself with its back against the wall as a result.

However, even after a rough first set, rougher second and a 7-0 Beaver run to start the third, that Eagle energy remained. They fought valiantly to even the third, even taking a lead amidst their last hoorah, creating excitement and momentum both on the court and in the stands.

It didn’t result in a win, as Corry regathered its footing to seal the deal, winning, 3-0, behind set scores of 25-17, 25-14 and 25-15. But it an effort head coach Taylor Giedroc, her players and the fans could be proud of heading into the offseason, one which saw the Eagles hang tough against one of the best teams in the state.

“I think that in the times when we needed to execute, we didn’t, but I would not want to lose with any other people. Those are my best friends out there, and we made it so far and fought and battled hard,” said BEA senior Casey Angelotti on the run. “(Corry’s a) great program, great competitors too. The fans were bringing them to life.”

“That’s a really good team, and I think that we tried our best, but we were never able to get that lead and that was a huge factor,” said Giedroc. “The girls, they’re just amazing, and I told them it’s just an honor to be here in the quarterfinals of states. (Corry) could even go on to win it, so I said they should be so proud of themselves.”

In every set, the Beavers managed to a quick burst early, getting out to leads of 14-4, 11-6 and 7-0 in the first, second and third set respectively.

They appeared borderline unstoppable with Regan Kemp at the service line, who finished with 20 service points and 13 in the third, while Grace Allen and Rylee Nickerson were dominant at the net, consistently posting kills and blocks. That coupled with the roar of the well-traveled Corry crowd made it difficult for the Eagles to gather momentum, instead creating confusion and mistakes.

However, in every bad spot, the Eagles found ways to make them more manageable. They cut those aforementioned deficits to five, two and zilch respectively, trudging their way back into striking distance behind a strong, collective effort.

“I think that we just really, really wanted to win and even though we didn’t, our desire to do that really showed,” said BEA junior Kendall Gavlock on the effort. “Everybody was hustling for the ball, doing what they thought would work better and that really helped us get the points that we did.”

From the moment they went down by ten in the first, senior Leah Bryan was electric, racking up three of her four blocks on the set in close succession to cut the deficit to 20-14 while also adding a service point and kill. Emily Smith and Gavlock added late kills, Gavlock’s which narrowed the gap to 22-17, and Angelotti was there to assist on both.

That steady surge would ultimately be stifled, as a mistake, sound serving from Corry and a Kemp kill helped the Beavers close out the set. Corry then broke out of a back-and-forth start to the second with a 4-0 run before shutting down another mid-set rally from Bald Eagle with a 12-3 run.

But even with the 2-0 deficit heading into the third and 7-0 deficit heading into a timeout, the team’s motivation didn’t dwindle. The Eagles came out of the timeout energetic as ever, creating a memorable final set of the season for the squad.

“It wasn’t like, ‘Let’s just give up and lay down now.’ It was like, ‘Hey, let’s get it moving here.’ We gave up on nothing,” said Angelotti when discussing that motivation.

“We were just looking for different tactics the whole time, and that’s what’s so good about our program. We can make endgame changes. The endgame changes didn’t work, but we kept working and working and working until the very end.”

Coming out of the timeout, five combined service points from Emily Smith and Nora Eppley helped the Eagles cut the 7-0 deficit to two in the blink of an eye. Both logged a timely ace, and Kendall Gavlock posted two kills within the burst.

A service error closed a 4-0 for Bald Eagle, but it kept firing.

Bryan got it the serve back with a timely block before rattling off two service points, including an ace, to tie it up at 10-10. The teams then traded points briefly, with kills from Gavlock, Smith and Bryan giving the team its first mid-set lead of the match at 13-12.

From there, the Beavers would put together a 13-3 run to close out the match, with a kill from BEA’s Rory Gilham producing the final tie at 14-14. But for a brief period of time, a gym that had been all Corry all afternoon had turned the Eagles’ way.

“Any 7-0 lead in any game, especially the state quarterfinals, does a lot of damage,” said Giedroc on the set. “I’m proud of them for closing that gap, and I told them we were right there with them. They could’ve totally wiped us out that third set, but we did not give up.”

It’s still a tough way to end the season, but there were plenty of smiles and laughs mixed in with the tears as the team gathered for one last postgame huddle. The team built around its connection has accomplished a lot, not just this season but throughout its time together.

Through the last three seasons, the Eagles have won 59 games in match play, including two district titles and state tournament wins in 2023 and 2025. In 2025, a strong mixture of senior leadership and promising underclassmen led them to their most wins of the 2020s, as the team finished with a 20-4 record.

“I’m glad that I went out with my best friends,” expressed Angelotti on the run. “We’re all great friends. We stay together and keep pushing until the very end. And overall, over these four years, I have made so many friendships and so many memories, and we’ve won so many games. I think it’s a great program to be a part of.”

Bald Eagle parts ways with a storied senior class, with outside hitter Leah Bryan finishing her career with over 1,250 kills, libero Nora Eppley concluding with just under 750 digs and Casey Angelotti leaving her mark in her lone season at starting setter, where she finished with just under 900 assists.

They’ve been pivotal in getting the program off the ground and keeping it there, a group that will be sorely missed. But under a core of returners consisting of outside hitters Emily Smith, Kendall Gavlock and Harlee Witherite, middle hitter Addelyn Fisher and defensive specialists Kinsey Clark and Riley Housel, the future looks bright.

“The seniors are such great leaders. They’ve worked hard, they never give up and they’re there for each other. They’re not just great athletes; they’re great people too,” expressed Giedroc on the group. “You definitely miss those seniors big time, but I think we have some key young players that will be returning next year and be very solid for our team.”

PIAA CLASS AA VOLLEYBALL QUARTERFINALS

Corry 3, Bald Eagle Area 0

(25-17, 25-14, 25-15)

Bald Eagle Area service points: Casey Angelotti 5, Nora Eppley 5, Leah Bryan 5, Emily Smith 3, Harlee Witherite 1, Kinsey Clark 1. Bald Eagle Area kills: Leah Bryan 6, Emily Smith 5, Kendall Gavlock 3, Rory Gilham 3, Addelyn Fisher 1, Casey Angelotti 1. Bald Eagle Area assists: Casey Angelotti 15, Nora Eppley 3, Leah Bryan 1. Bald Eagle Area aces: Emily Smith 2, Nora Eppley 2, Casey Angelotti 2, Leah Bryan 1. Bald Eagle Area blocks: Leah Bryan 6, Rory Gilham 1, Addelyn Fisher 1, Casey Angelotti 1.