CHAMBERSBURG – Wilson College history was made as the No. 2 seed men’s volleyball team (14-12) defeated No. 3 seed Cairn University (11-9) in the United East Men’s Volleyball Championship semifinals in front of a packed house.
The Wednesday, April 9, victory occurred in Wilson’s Gannett Memorial Field House. Not only was it the first home postseason match in program history for the Wilson Phoenix, but the victory was the first in the playoffs as well.
In addition to the Phoenix obtaining their first postseason win in program history, it was also their sixth consecutive win for another team best as Wilson’s Phoenix won the game 3-2 over the Cairn Highlanders. The win guarantees a winning season for the Blue and White for the first time ever. More importantly, Wilson advances to the championship final to be played at top-seed Lancaster Bible on Saturday, with a shot at the United East title and the automatic qualifier to the NCAA Championship on the line.
In Wednesday night’s match, the first set was a good indication of how the night would go as it featured 11 ties and four lead changes. A 5-0 run by the Phoenix that featured kills from Jacob McCoy (Jr., York, Pa. / Spring Grove), Satvik Sharma (FY, Hummelstown, Pa. / Hershey), and Ryan Koontz (So., York Haven, Pa. / Red Land) along with back-to-back aces from Xavier Webber (Jr., Mechanicsburg, Pa. / Central Dauphin East) gave Wilson a 20-16 lead and was the first time either team led by more than two points. It forced the Highlanders to call a timeout, which proved beneficial as the visitors answered with the next six points. Wilson scored two of the next three before kills from Jesse Stuart and Sam Poirier gave Cairn a 1-0 lead.
A similar set followed in the second. With both teams even at 12-all, a Jackson Wolfe (FY, Abbottstown, Pa. / New Oxford) kill, two Satvik Sharma (FY, Hummelstown, Pa. / Hershey) aces, and a Cairn error left Wilson with a 16-12 lead and forced another Cairn timeout. Again, it proved helpful as three-straight points put the Highlanders within one, but the Phoenix made sure they didn’t get closer. McCoy put the Phoenix back on track with a kill with a Wolfe ace and a McCoy Sharma block to make it 22-18. The next four points alternated before Sharma scored a kill for a 2-0 lead.
With momentum now on their side, the Phoenix used it to take the lead with the most decisive set of the night. Simmons and Koontz went up for a block to make it 5-2, and Koontz later made it 9-4 after an ace. Wilson got stronger from there in all facets, but perhaps the area that made the most impact was the front row defensively with six blocks in the set. Wolfe rejected one Cairn attempt to make it 12-5, and a Simmons Wolfe block combo made it 17-8 later. Wolfe and Simmons added another to make it 21-12 and 22-13. Cairn had a small 4-0 run later, but it was too little too late as Wilson took the 2-1 lead.
Cairn came back and led for most of the fourth. A 4-1 run create some separation and made it 13-9, and the Highlanders soon took a 21-16 lead after another Stuart kill. The Phoenix still fought to end it in four and tied the frame with six of the next seven fueled by consecutive kills from Koontz. The Highlanders were able to remain alive as they took three of the next four.
The decisive fifth saw Wilson take the early advantage with Wolfe and Koontz spark a 4-1 start. Cairn battled back to tie the set and eventually took an 8-7 lead. The Phoenix remained composed and went on a 5-1 run after the switch. Cairn closed the gap to 12-11 before Wilson scored the final three with a pair of blocks to end the night.
Inside The Numbers
- Koontz had arguably the best match of his career as he laid down 18 kills on 38 attempts with just two errors for a .421 hitting percentage.
- Wolfe recorded his second double-double of the season with 13 kills and 15 digs.
- McCoy finished with 11 kills.
- Webber reached double-figures on the defensive side with 12 digs.
- Sharma was excellent at spreading the ball around as he totaled 49 assists.
The United East Championship final will be held at Lancaster Bible on Saturday, April 12. The first serve is set for 2 p.m.
