Very few girls volleyball teams in District 3-3A have been able to dominate opponents like Bermudian Springs and Greencastle-Antrim have.
Now, the Eagles and Blue Devils teams are set to face their toughest challenge of the season: Each other.
Expect a playoff atmosphere at Greencastle tonight when Bermudian Springs, ranked No. 4 in the district, takes on the No. 1-ranked Blue Devils in a game that will have post-season implications. With top-shelf talent on both sides of the net, it’s anyone’s guess as to who will prevail in tonight’s pivotal non-league tilt.
For that reason, we’ve selected this contest as our Match of the Week.
We plan on picking a Game of the Week, or in this case Match of the Week, every week during the high school sports season, spotlighting multiple schools and sports along the way. Do you have a team in the Local.News coverage area — Waynesboro, Greencastle-Antrim, Chambersburg, Fairfield, Smithsburg, North Hagerstown, and South Hagerstown — with a big game coming up? Let Andy Sandrik know via email at [email protected].
Bermudian Springs at Greencastle-Antrim
Start time: 6 p.m., at Greencastle-Antrim
Records: Bermudian Springs is 9-1. Greencastle checks in at 11-1.
Last match: The Eagles popped Hanover 3-0, while the Blue Devils are coming off a 3-0 win James Buchanan .
Last meeting: Greencastle and Bermudian Springs last butted heads in 2021, with the Blue Devils prevailing, 3-1.
Meet the Eagles: Coach Michael Beachy’s Bermudian Springs enters this crucial tilt with Greencastle on a five-match winning streak and the No. 4 ranking in District 3-3A. The Eagles are led by two returning YAIAA First Team All-Stars in sophomore Abby Hartman, a 5-foot-11 outside hitter, and senior Maddie Wagner, a 5-foot-10 setter. The offense revolves around Wagner (455 assists) setting up the attack for a cast of hitters that includes Hartman (212 kills), Lucy Peters (126 kills), and Elaine Cook (108 kills). Hartman has been deadly in the service game, raining down 55 aces this fall. It’s hard to score on Bermudian Springs with Cook (25 blocks) and Hartman (13 blocks, 128 digs) patrolling the net. The Eagles are a confident whose only loss has come to Delone Catholic (12-0), the No. 1 team in District 3-2A. If Hartman and Wagner can establish a nice groove, Bermudian will have more than a puncher’s chance against the Blue Devils.
Meet the Blue Devils: Greencastle-Antrim hasn’t missed a step since graduating Lily Kauffman, the Mid-Penn Colonial Division Player of the Year who led the Blue Devils to the District 3-3A semifinals last season. Some might argue that the Blue Devils, currently ranked No. 1 in the district, are even better this fall. Madee Goodwin’s Greencastle squad is led by a couple of returning Colonial First Teamers in juniors Abby Eagler, a 5-foot-8 outside hitter, and Kylie Kerns, a 5-foot-8 setter and middle hitter. Kerns (224 assists) and Alaina Garling (184 assists) help set the table for Eagler, who leads the Blue Devils with 173 kills. Kerns (89 kills, 32 aces) and Garling (64 kills, 35 aces) are also lethal in the attack game, with Wren Roberts joining the party with 74 kills and 20 aces. Emma Pool, a 5-foot-10 returning Colonial Second Team All-Star, leads the Blue Devils with 20 blocks and will need a big game at the net to hold off the tall hitters on Bermudian Springs’ roster.
Sandrik’s pick: Blue Devils in 5 games
