BY JOBY FAWCETT
Times-Shamrock Writer
JASON FARMER / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Blue Ridge players celebrate after beating Lackawanna Trail to win the District 2 Class A volleyball championship Wednesday.
Blue Ridge needed a spark, so Megan Houlihan decided the time was right to lead her team to victory.
After a strong start, and a struggle, the top-seeded Lady Raiders pulled away in the final two games to defeat No. 2 Lackawanna Trail, 3-1 (25-21, 15-25, 25-12, 25-19), on Wednesday in the District 2 Class A girls volleyball championship match at North Pocono High School.
Blue Ridge (15-5) played Tuesday at North Pocono against the winner of Thursday’s District 4 final. (Results were not available at press time.)
“I just really knew that we all wanted this for so long,” Houlihan said. “We were determined and focused.”
In the first game, and more in the fourth, Houlihan delivered in the clutch.
JASON FARMER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Blue Ridge’s Megan Houlihan (2) goes for the spike over Lackawanna Trail’s Melissa Grimm.
She had two of her 11 kills in the final three points of the win in Game 1, and had four kills in a 10-point span that finished the fourth and final game and clinched Blue Ridge’s first title since 2003.
“We all just had to work together to get the hits,” Houlihan said.
In the first game, Blue Ridge had solid passing and a key run where it outscored Lackawanna Trail, 9-5 with Kimberly Klim providing a pair of kills, to build a 21-15 advantage.
But Lackawanna Trail (12-8) rallied with six straight points from Marissa Passaniti to pull to within 22-21.
That’s when Houlihan pushed the Lady Raiders to the finish with a pair of kills.
In the second, however, the Lady Lions used its confidence from that late rally to roll to a 25-15 win in the second game that featured a 10-point run that had four aces from Melissa Grimm.
Blue Ridge recaptured its momentum when Klim had two kills that helped give her team a 17-10 lead.
Hayleigh Fekette, who finished with eight kills, added a five-point run that made it 23-12 before a couple of errors finished the game.
“We wanted to get up and always stay positive,” said Klim, who had 11 kills. “I thought that we could do this if we played well.”
Lackawanna Trail surged ahead again in the third, 12-9, however, the Lady Raiders regained their poise and Katherine Kempa, who had 31 assists and 14 digs, settled the offense.
“We just decided that we had to give it all that we had,” Kempa said. “Our communication was really the key.
“Our school hasn’t had this in a while. It’s been one of our goals for the seniors since we were freshman, so it’s awesome.”
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