Breaking News
Local sports

Central Mountain volleyball advances to District 5-6-8 Class AAA championship with win over Bellefonte

By HENRY HUBER 6 min read

MILL HALL - Coming off the court for a timeout deep in the second period, Central Mountain co-head coach Jenna Schienke had a simple closing message for her players as they prepared to resume play.

The Wildcats had just watched their four-point lead turn into a match-point deficit. One point separated them from an even match and three stood in their way of a 2-0 lead, and Schienke hoped to see them regain their composure in a pivotal spot of their opening postseason match against Bellefonte.

"We talked in the huddle about controlling what was happening on our side of the court, taking control of that first vault pass and finding a way to score on them," said Schienke. "It was about composure, and I think they did just that."

That, they did.

Out of the timeout, Central Mountain (15-4) immediately forced a Bellefonte error to even the score before back-to-back Sofia Kelley kills helped them scrape out a crucial second-set win. That surge carried into the third set, as the Wildcats went on to defeat the Red Raiders, 3-0, behind set scores of 25-15, 26-24 and 25-14 to advance to next week's District 5-6-8 Class AAAA final.

It was a win that embodied all the progress the team has made in one year under new leadership, marking their tenth in a row outside of tourney play. Kelley finished with a match-high 22 kills, Chloe Confer logged 27 assists while Gracie Grieco led a stout defensive showing, and the team as a whole responded well to a strong opposing effort.

"I have nothing but good things to say," said Schienke. "Bellefonte made it really hard for us to score and played a great game, but I think our girls did great job putting the things together that we've been working on, the pieces we've spent the last two weeks trying to clean up. They came to play and executed, every single one of them."

"That's a very good team," said Bellefonte head coach Dan Kreiger on Central Mountain. "They did a lot of really good things that were more than we could handle at times, but I was proud of our fight. Their record is better than ours, but we got it there and did a lot of really nice things. Just not enough, but kudos to them."

Weathering that second set proved to be the match's most pivotal moment, as the Wildcats took home a set that featured eight ties and five lead changes to put themselves a set away from the championship. But it wasn't the only challenging set they endured.

After Central Mountain took an 8-3 lead to kick off the first, the Red Raiders (6-12) quickly showed they could hang despite their record discrepancy. Three service points from Sloan Moore, including an ace, helped narrow that gap down to one and two more from Malayna Kuhlman - aided by a Colbie Frailey kill - erased it completely at 12-12.

However, where that 9-4 run might've indicated a turning of the tide, the Wildcats took it as an obstacle to overcome. Allison Koch logged a kill to get the lead and serve back in Central Mountain's favor. Then, she posted three straight service points, including back-to-back aces, to get them back in the driver's seat.

From there, a barrage of kills from Kelley and Koch extended the Wildcats' lead, and Kelley would seal it soon after with three service points, two by way of ace and one by way of Claire Nestor block. Central Mountain closed the set on a 13-3 run to turn a stressful, back-and-forth into a double-digit lead in the blink of an eye, taking it 25-15.

Bellefonte would once again prove to have fight in the second. It immediately took a 2-0 lead behind kills from Frailey and Elise Krouthamel, and after back-to-back Emery Curtin kills gave the team a 6-5 lead, the Red Raiders wouldn't trail again until two kills from Sofia Kelley made it 14-13.

However, continued dominance from Kelley granted Central Mountain its largest lead of the set at 19-15. And once the Wildcats broke out their clutch factor to secure it, the Red Raiders couldn't combat that momentum. Central Mountain took an early 6-2 lead in the third, extended it to double digits at 16-6 and only saw it dip into single figures once from there, winning the final set 25-14 to advance.

For Bellefonte, the loss stings, but it certainly doesn't come without positives.

Senior outside hitter Colbie Frailey finished with a team-high nine kills, fueling the Red Raiders in a competitive, first two sets. Payton Norfolk logged 21 kills at setter, Emery Curtin logged four of her six kills in the second and Malayna Kuhlman and Brayden Mingle combined for 12 service points.

It was a hard-fought end to a tumultuous campaign, one Kreiger and the Bellefonte coaching staff hope to build on in 2027.

"We lose three seniors (Frailey, Mingle, Delaney Gray) that were very big contributors and leaders for us. That's always tough to replace, but the fact that it's three makes it a little bit easier," said Kreiger.

"We had a couple freshman that earned some playing time this season and a lot of kids that are playing travel volleyball and doing things like that. So, I feel confident about the program, and I'm excited to see them grow and develop."

For Central Mountain, the road continues next Saturday at Mount Aloysius.

The Wildcats will face either District 5 representative Somerset or the winner of District 8's Brashear and Obama Academy in the District 5-6-8 championship, with the winner set to advance to the PIAA Class AAA championships. They previously faced the Golden Eagles in September, winning the match, 3-2, and haven't faced the other two teams.

"We played Somerset really tight earlier in the season, so definitely want to get back and find things we need to work on there," said Schienke. "It's nice that we have a week of practice to get ready for it, and I think if we played the way we did tonight, we'll be putting our best foot forward."

Central Mountain 3, Bellefonte 0

(DISTRICT 6 CLASS AAAA SEMIFINALS)

(25-15, 26-24, 25-14)

Central Mountain service points: Gracie Grieco 9, Allison Koch 8, Sofia Kelley 6, Charlee Toner 6, Alana Ingram 5, Chloe Confer 2, Katelyn Walker 2. Central Mountain kills: Sofia Kelley 22, Allison Koch 8, Chloe Confer 4, Claire Nestor 1. Central Mountain assists: Chloe Confer 27, Gracie Grieco 6, Claire Nestor 1, Allison Koch 1. Central Mountain aces: Sofia Kelley 4, Gracie Grieco 3, Allison Koch 2, Charlee Toner 2, Chloe Confer 1. Central Mountain blocks: Claire Nestor 5, Alana Ingram 4, Chloe Confer 4, Katelyn Walker 2, Sofia Kelley 1, Allison Koch 1.

Bellefonte service points: Malayna Kuhlman 7, Brayden Mingle 5, Payton Norfolk 3, Sloan Moore 3, Delaney Gray 2, Colbie Frailey 1. Bellefonte kills: Colbie Frailey 9, Emery Curtin 6, Lily Park 5, Elise Krouthamel 2, Payton Norfolk 1. Bellefonte assists: Payton Norfolk 21, Ainsley McHail 1. Bellefonte aces: Delaney Gray 1, Sloan Moore 1, Brayden Mingle 1, Payton Norfolk 1. Bellefonte blocks: Elise Krouthamel 3, Colbie Frailey 1, Payton Norfolk 1.

Starting at /week.