PHILIPSBURG — The Philipsburg-Osceola girls volleyball team lost a solid core of senior players from last year’s Pennsylvania state championship team as well as retiring head coach Dave Eckberg.
So it was all new when the Lady Mounties began the 2024 volleyball season against LHAC foe Penns Valley on Tuesday, Aug. 27, in Philipsburg.
It didn’t look much different, though, in the end.
In the same aggressive style and attention to detail that the program has been known for, the Mounties began their season with a 3-0, 25-9, 25-12, 25-19 victory over the Lady Rams.
P-O jumped out ahead in the first set and, except for the start of the second set, played ahead the entire night.
“I think we did really well,” new head coach Annie Kost said after the match. “I think we came out really strong with a lot of energy. There were some miscues, which is to be expected, but overall, I’m really happy with the way we played.”
Philipsburg looked ready from the opening serve. The Mounties raced out to big leads throughout the first set and finally took it, 25-9.
Penns Valley regrouped a bit to begin the second and took early leads of 3-0 and 4-1. But P-O erased those easily and ran off to another double-digit win, 25-12.
In the third set, the Rams, to their credit, kept plugging and played the best they had all night.
The set was back-and-forth throughout the early stages, and PV played P-O to a tie at 14-14.
The Mounties, though, went on a 5-0 run and it was just a matter of time before they closed out the set, 25-19, and their first win of the new season.
“I was just telling them to go out and have fun,” Kost said, “and that was my big message to them before the match. They are a competitive team, and I’m a competitive person, and they like to win. But we just want to be confident and have fun.”
Adi Jarrett led the team with 12 kills while Crosby Holt had seven and Avery Wood led with four blocks.
Senior setter Natalie Betz had a monster game with 29 assists, mostly to the outside hitters like Crosby, Holt, Hayden Anderson and Megan Johnson.
“Nat (Betz) is a senior so I expect a lot from her,” Kost said, “and she does well as a team leader and setter.
“We just need to keep improving at practice and they have to work on their chemistry. There is a lot to still work on, but we have a really good foundation and we are excited for the season.”
P-O will next see Clearfield away and then travel to Hollidaysburg on Thursday, Sept. 5, in a non-conference matchup.
