DUBOIS — Coudersport volleyball head coach Patty Wilson said in the state playoffs, every point is going to be earned.
By the way the Lady Falcons performed Saturday afternoon, Wilson’s team looked like a squad primed to do a lot of earning after downing Bishop Guilfoyle 3-1 (25-13, 25-22, 26-28, 25-13) in the PIAA Class A state quarterfinals in DuBois. Coudersport now moves on to play District 7’s Greensburg Central Catholic, which came back from two sets down to beat District 10’s Maplewood on Saturday.
“You’re going to have to work for every point,” Wilson said. “We slowed down there that third game. They know to bring the energy every time.”
A major contributor to providing energy was the play of Coudersport’s front attack, led by sisters Ally and EmmaRae Easton. Ally finished with 18 kills and nine blocks, while EmmaRae had an ace and four kills, one of which came in the third set that got the crowd into the game and forced a Bishop Guilfoyle timeout.
“My big middle hitter Ally Easton, you can see that she’s on 99 miles an hour 24/7,” Wilson said.
The fact that the Lady Falcons are led by four seniors is another reason Coudersport is in the position it’s in — from a second-place finish in the North Tier League to being one victory shy of the state finals.
“They love playing together, they love the game,” Wilson said. “When you have that, you don’t want it to end. We’ll keep playing and enjoy every moment. You never know what’s going to be our last moment together, but let’s enjoy every moment we have.”
The Lady Falcons came out firing in the first set, building a 20-8 lead, and then using that momentum to overcome a 21-19 deficit in the second set before going on a deciding 6-1 run.
Bishop Guilfoyle, which defeated defending state champion Bishop Canevin in Tuesday’s first round, completed its own comeback in the third set, staving off a sweep with a 10-3 run after falling behind 23-18 to win, 28-26.
In the fourth set, Macy Gleason served one of her three aces to take a commanding 15-6 lead. Ally Easton put down a spike to force a game-point situation before the Lady Falcons won, 25-13.
Kiara Perkins had 10 kills, while Joplin Osgood tallied 44 assists and Gleason had 28 digs. The Lady Falcons served eight aces, led by Gleason’s three, while Perkins and Skyler VanWagenen each had two.
Coudersport is back in action at 7 p.m. Tuesday at DuBois High School.
This is the deepest a Coudersport team has advanced in the state playoffs.
“They’re so excited and they just want to keep going,” Wilson said.
