The State College boys volleyball team continues to get oh-so-close to a statement victory, but the big moment keeps slipping away.
Another one of those almost-wins came May 8 with a 25-21, 22-25, 15-25, 25-19, 15-13 loss at Cumberland Valley, the Mid Penn Conference leader and No. 3 in the Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association Class 3A rankings.
When the teams tangled in mid-April, the Eagles also won in five sets, 16-14 in the last frame.
“So, I guess we are pretty evenly matched,” said coach Larry Campbell, whose team had a modest four-match win streak halted. The Little Lions (9-3) also have had strong showings against ranked opponents in a trio of tournaments but could not get the signature win or capture a trophy in any of them.
“Like we have said all year, we have the talent to compete at a high level,” Campbell said. “Now, learning how to win and close out teams when you have the opportunity is the tough part.”
State College had a 2-1 lead in sets but could not close the match. In the fifth, the Little Lions fell behind 5-1 and tried to crawl back but had three straight missed serves late in the fifth to stifle any hopes of a rally.
“A lot of positives to tonight,” Campbell said. “We just need to make better choices and better moves late in sets.”
A balanced offense was led by Kieran Leahey’s 12 kills and 17 digs, Kadin Karacky’s 11 kills and 21 digs, Jett True’s 10 kills and three aces, Carter Weight’s eight kills and six blocks and Derrick Campbell’s 39 assists and 14 digs. Lucas Keiter notched 21 digs and the defense racked up 84 digs as a team.
The Little Lions earned a 25-16, 25-19, 22-25, 29-27 victory against Norwin of the Pittsburgh area on May 4. They again saw plenty of balance with 11 kills and nine digs from Leahey, nine kills and 12 digs from Karacky, seven kills and four aces from True, 33 assists and 11 digs from Derrick Campbell, 14 digs from Keiter and three blocks for Weight. State College has one more dual match left May 10, hosting Central Dauphin, and a trip to Pittsburgh for a tournament at Shaler on May 13. That will be followed by the District 6 Class 3A final at Tyrone on May 16. The PIAA tournament opens June 6.
