VOLLEYBALL: Pope John Paul II claims third consecutive District 1-3A title in 3-0 win over Strath Haven

LOWER MERION — Even in rare moments of weakness and vulnerability, Pope John Paul II volleyball’s resolve never wavers. When you’ve accomplished as much as this group has, it’s difficult to see anything but potential pathways to victory.

So, despite playing from behind for a majority of the second set and parts of the third in the District 1-3A championship against Strath Haven on Thursday night at Harriton, the end result remained the same as it had the previous 75 Golden Panther matches. Top-seeded PJP’s 3-0 win (25-11, 25-19, 25-16) over No. 2 Strath Haven delivered the program its third consecutive district crown, on top of the three straight Pioneer Athletic Conference titles it has also claimed.

Next up will be an attempt to complete the trifecta with a third straight PIAA state crown, a quest that will begin early next week (not to mention the possibility of three seasons in a row without a single loss on the ledger).

For a team that doesn’t trail very often, PJP reacted remarkably calm and collected in the face of adversity against Strath Haven on Thursday.

“Volleyball is a game of mistakes, really, so it’s always up-down, up-down,” said PJP junior Norah Busch, who led her team with 12 kills and five aces. “Teams are going to go on their runs and you’re going to lose points and gain points. One of the things we always try to do is keep it steady, and we will show up when we need to.”

The Golden Panthers (22-0) cruised in an uneventful first set in which they led from start to finish. They took six of the first seven points of the match and won eight straight later on down the line.

Some slight cracks in the façade were visible in set two as Strath Haven (18-5) raced out to an early 7-1 lead behind confident performances from the entire rotation, notably senior Lauren McGinn and junior Eliza Jauregui. But an unrattled PJP squad hung around and gradually chiseled away at the deficit, capitalizing on any and every Strath Haven mistake. Even when the challengers took leads of 16-9 and 19-14, Pope didn’t flinch, ending the set by ripping off the final 11 points of the set, including two aces from Busch during a dominant serving stretch.

“Every touch matters, and in that second set we kind of snapped out of it even if it was a little rocky,” Busch said. “At this point in the season, we’ve accepted that our season could end at any moment, so that’s when we need to be giving 110 percent. It’s a matter of controlling our side of the net, and I think we did a really good job of that when we needed those runs the most.”

“We fought back once we realized nothing is guaranteed when you’re here,” added senior Maeve Gallagher, who posted 10 digs and eight kills for PJP. “Being able to play as a team and utilize positions on the court to try to find their weak spots…it just makes it easier when you can communicate and help your teammates.”

Strath Haven played with slight leads for the first part of the third set, getting some solid production from freshman Olivia Martinak in addition to the team’s veterans. But in the end, PJP’s depth, experience and talent were too much to overcome, as the Golden Panthers scored nine consecutive points — highlighted by two aces from Sophia Benincasa — to turn a two-point deficit into a 20-13 lead.

From that point, it was just a matter of time, and the match officially ended when Kailey Hudy (team-high 18 assists) set up Gallagher for a powerful game-winning kill. Other contributors for the Golden Panthers included Haley Maloney (nine kills), Reece Benner (15 assists) and Emma Bond (eight digs).

“Playing from behind is something you don’t want to do, but you find out a lot about the fight your team has when you do,” PJP head coach Ryan Sell said. “I’m proud of the way we handled ourselves during that second set. It shows how gritty the team is.”

Now all that’s left for the Golden Panthers to do is finish the job in states, and despite this three-year stretch of total domination, this team knows better than to take its success for granted.

“Winning is 110 percent a privilege,” Busch said. “We’re into the mindset of, this is our time to shine, and we’re ready to win another state championship. We’re ready and we want to compete and play with each other for as long as we can. I think we do a really good job of balancing the skill part to the mental and strategy part of the game.”

On an evening where many of their high school classmates were off enjoying the Halloween festivities, PJP’s volleyball team was grinding in the gym until well after 9 p.m. because that is what the schedule dictates this time of year. Still playing into November, Gallagher says, is also a privilege the team does not take lightly.

“It’s more about discipline than it is motivation,” she said. “Getting in the gym and still working hard even when a lot of other teams’ seasons are over, and staying disciplined knowing that since we have this history of doing well, we want to continue it for as long as we can.”