Boys' volleyball: Pennridge rolls past La Salle in PIAA opener

Drew Markol, Bucks County Courier Times
·3 min read

Quite nicely, thank you.

That's how the Pennridge boys' volleyball team responded Tuesday night after losing in the PIAA District One Class 3A championship match last week.

The Rams, the second seed out of District One, came out clicking in their first-round PIAA match as they dominated host La Salle from start to finish on the way to a convincing 3-0 win.

"It was good to get back out and play," said Pennridge's dominant senior setter Riley Kodidek. "Losing last week was a wake-up call for us and we knew that we needed to play better."

The victory advanced Pennridge to the PIAA quarterfinals for the seventh time in the last 12 seasons.

Pennridge's Tyler Johnson hits against La Salle's Matthew Choate, left, and Matthew Jones, right, during a first round PIAA Class 3A match at La Salle College High School in Springfield Township on Tuesday, May 31, 2022. The Rams advance to the quarterfinals with a 3-0 sweep against the Explorers.
Pennridge's Tyler Johnson hits against La Salle's Matthew Choate, left, and Matthew Jones, right, during a first round PIAA Class 3A match at La Salle College High School in Springfield Township on Tuesday, May 31, 2022. The Rams advance to the quarterfinals with a 3-0 sweep against the Explorers.

"I was really happy with the way we played tonight," said Pennridge head coach Dave Childs, who has led the Rams program since 2006.

"We were able to control the ball pretty well and had good focus."

Pennridge's Riley Kodidek sets during a first round PIAA Class 3A match at La Salle College High School in Springfield Township on Tuesday, May 31, 2022. The Rams advance to the quarterfinals with a 3-0 sweep against the Explorers.
Pennridge's Riley Kodidek sets during a first round PIAA Class 3A match at La Salle College High School in Springfield Township on Tuesday, May 31, 2022. The Rams advance to the quarterfinals with a 3-0 sweep against the Explorers.

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After the Explorers, who won their fifth-straight PIAA District 12 title last week, came to within 15-12 in the first set, the Rams kicked things into gear and would go on to take the opener 25-17.

It was more of the same in the second set as the Rams rolled 25-13 before closing things out in the third set (25-15).

"Pennridge is such a good program and they're so well coached," La Salle head coach Jason Eisele said. "We tried a lot of different things, but they're so tough.

"It was a really good season for us. Our seniors meant so much to this team and will be missed and we have a good group of younger players who are only going to get better."

What it means

It'll mean a long bus ride for the Rams as they'll face McDowell (from Erie) in Saturday's quarterfinals at a time and site to be determined.

McDowell, the District 10 champion, defeated District Seven runner-up Seneca Valley 3-1 in its PIAA opener.

The loss ended the season for the Explorers.

By the numbers

Kodidek paced the Rams with 32 assists and five blocks. Jude Rotondo added nine kills, eight digs and three blocks while Tyler Johnson had 11 kills and five blocks.

La Salle hasn't lost a match in the Philadelphia Catholic League since 2016.

Take a look:Neshaminy tops Pennridge for district boys' volleyball crown.

In other PIAA action:

Undefeated Neshaminy stayed that way with an impressive 3-0 win over District 12-runner-up George Washington in another Class 3A first-round match Monday.

Neshaminy, now 22-0, used a balanced attack in a 25-13, 25-18, 25-12 victory.

Dan Berzin paced Neshaminy with 15 kills and 14 assists while Josh Adler had 14 assists and a pair of digs.

The win moved Neshaminy into Saturday's quarterfinals against District 11 champion Northampton. The Konkrete Kids defeated Warwick (the third seed out of District Three) in five sets.

"It was a great team victory in the first round of the PIAA state playoffs," Neshaminy head coach Pat Klingerman said of the win over Geoge Washington.

"Things will only get tougher from here and we need to bring our "A" game moving forward."

PIAA Class 2A

Dock Mennonite continued its superb season with a 3-0 win over Archbishop Wood on Tuesday.

Up next for the Pioneers, the champions of District One, will be a PIAA quarterfinal matchup on Saturday against Manheim Central, the third-place team out of District Three. Manheim Central defeated Lansdale Catholic 3-0 in its PIAA opener.

The losses ended the season for both the Vikings and Crusaders.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Pennridge faces La Salle in the opening round of the PIAA tournament.