Cardinals fall short in title match
Jun. 1—Cochranton got out to a slow start and Mercyhurst Prep took advantage.
The Cardinals never fully recovered from their start and fell to the Lakers 3-1 (25-22, 26-28, 25-15, 25-9) in the Class 2A District 10 boys volleyball championship match.
At the packed and hot Meadville Area Senior High School's House of Thrills, the Lakers went up 19-13 in the first set. The Cardinals mounted a rally and forced a Mercyhurst timeout with the Lakers clinging to a 22-20 lead.
The Cards were within one point at 22-23 and nearly tied the set on a Chase Miller spike that appeared to strike the fingertips of a Mercyhurst player. It was ruled as a hitting error, much to the dismay of the Cochranton faithful, and the Lakers won the set on the next possession.
"We didn't come out the way we needed to, like we did against Saegertown and how we wanted to tonight (Wednesday)," Cochranton head coach Rob Cierniakoski said. "It took us a while to get going and winning that first one would have made a big difference."
In the second set, the Cardinals offense found a rhythm. Senior Andrew Custead set up fellow seniors Landon Homa and Miller time and time again. The Lakers didn't concede and the teams traded points until the Cards pushed ahead 28-26.
From there, it was all Mercyhurst.
"We got really predictable about midway through the match," Cierniakoski said. "It took a bit of time to make the adjustments we needed to make, but I think Mercyhurst had a lot of momentum going."
All-state outside hitter Octavian Sperry smashed the ball into the gym floor repeatedly to led the Lakers attack. He finished with 14 kills, 11 digs and three aces. In the middle, 6-foot 6-inch senior Dave Bahm tallied 11 kills, five digs and four aces.
"They definitely played really well," Cierniakoski said. "I thought that across the board Mercyhurst had a bunch of guys show up and play really well. It wasn't just a couple guys. They did a good job as a team and it made a difference."
Mercyhurst's tall lineup with Bahm, Sperry and Shawn Granger at 6-foot 2-inches, and a handful of other players at the 6-foot mark were able to impact a lot of Cochranton attacks.
"There are times where that is an advantage. But like I said the other night, on the back end of the defense we can make defensive plays on our digs," Cierniakoski said. "You give up a little bit at the net, but it was probably about a wash honestly."
Miller led the Cardinals with 24 kills. Homa added 18 kills and 10 digs. Brady Rynd and Noah Cummings had seven and four kills, respectively. Custead dished 60 assists and Dawson Carroll finished with 10 digs.
Despite the Cardinals losing the district championship match, the season is not over. The top two finishers in the tournament advance to the state tournament.
Cochranton will play WPIAL champion North Catholic on Tuesday.
"We are very fortunate we get to move on," Cierniakoski said. "I wouldn't say that we've gotten it all figured out yet this season, so thankfully we have a little more time to get things clicking and into a rhythm."
Alex Topor can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email at atopor@meadvilletribune.com.
