KING OF PRUSSIA — Norah Busch is well into her third season with the Pope John Paul II volleyball program and the junior has still yet to experience what it feels like to lose a match.
She and her exceptional collection of Golden Panther teammates certainly were not about to start now.
Busch registered 10 kills and Maeve Gallagher added 15 kills and 12 digs as top-ranked PJP was in control for the majority of Thursday night’s PAC Championship at No. 3 Upper Merion, earning a straight-set 3-0 sweep over the host Vikings. It was the third consecutive league title for the Golden Panthers, who ran their streak of consecutive matches won to an astounding 73.
Set scores were 25-17, 25-16, 25-21.
“We put in the work at practice and came in with a strong game plan,” Busch said. “We’ve played them twice already, so we knew what we were up against. We’ve beaten them in four (sets) and we’ve beaten them in five, so we wanted to try to get it done in three. Even if we had beaten them twice, there’s always a ‘What if?’”
In the two teams’ most recent meeting on Oct. 9 at PJP, Upper Merion entered the fourth set with a 2-1 lead before ultimately succumbing. The tightest loss to PJP yet gave the Vikings confidence that they were a knife’s edge from finally slaying the giant, but that close call also allowed PJP to realize it was uninterested in another high-wire trapeze act, this time with a league title hanging in the balance.
So, the goal was to come out guns blazing, take control and immediately pin the Vikings back on their heels, especially with a sizable home crowd cheering the underdogs on. That’s essentially how things unfolded, as the Golden Panthers (19-0) jumped out to an 8-1 lead in the first set. As fast as UM rallied to cut the lead to 9-8, PJP calmly took the punch, collected themselves and answered with six straight points to re-exert momentum, not letting the Vikings (17-4) get closer than five points the rest of the way.
“The last two times we played them, we came out strong in the first set and then they would come out just as strong in the second set,” Busch said. “So we knew if we had a lead or however well we played in the first set that we would have to transition that into the rest of the game and put in the same energy. We weren’t trying to get high and then lose a couple. Stay steady and just push through.”
The second set unfolded in similar fashion, with the Panthers jumping out to an 11-4 lead and not batting an eye when Upper Merion went on a run to take the briefest of leads at 14-13. PJP responded by closing the set on a 12-2 flurry to take a 2-0 match lead and put the challengers squarely on the ropes.
“You use all your energy coming back against a great team and it wears you out real fast,” Vikings head coach Tony Funsten said. “We were playing a great team, and they played great. Every once in a while they have some lower levels of play, but there weren’t many of them today. They didn’t give us much.”
While the final set was the most competitive of the three, PJP was in front for its entirety after taking a 2-1 lead. The closest Upper Merion got was within 11-10, but Pope scored four in a row and the Vikings didn’t get any closer than three points the rest of the night.
“They are a super challenging team to play against, so our main goal was to be as consistent as possible,” Gallagher said. “Try to run our plays, slow it down and keep control. We did a really good job of controlling our side of the court.”
As tends to be the case, Busch and Gallagher did much of the heavy lifting, but the two powerful outside hitters had plenty of help, too. Joining Gallagher with double-digit digs were Emma Bond and Mia Mobley (12), as well as Sophia Benincasa (11). Benincasa added nine assists, and sisters Haley and Ava Maloney combined for 13 kills. Bond set up the offense beautifully all night with a team-high 24 assists.
Now, the Golden Panthers will turn their attention to their next attempt at a three-peat in the District 1-3A Tournament (the team has also won back-to-back state titles). PJP will be the top seed in the eight-team district tournament that begins Tuesday and will need to win three matches to earn more hardware and punch another ticket to the PIAA Tournament.
“We’re definitely not going to take anything for granted,” Gallagher said. “When you put yourselves on a pedestal, that’s when you start to play down. It’s still all or nothing every game that we play. Our mindset is to hustle for everything, stay consistent throughout and always give 100 percent.”
It was a tough result to swallow for the Vikings, who have had such a brilliant season led by senior co-captains Sophia Schweikert and Raven Albrecht, both of whom were as steady Thursday as they always are. Of the team’s four losses this season, three are to PJP and the other came to Garnet Valley, one of only three teams ahead of Upper Merion in the District 1-4A rankings. After a first-round bye, the Vikings will host a district game next Thursday and will need to win two to ensure they qualify for the state tournament thereafter.
“We’re capable of beating anybody,” Funsten said. “The question is, are we going to be prepared to take advantage of the opportunities we have? We’ll see. I’m not sure how it’s going to play out, but they’re great kids who are always ready to play.”
Even with PJP’s unprecedented winning streak adding another one to the pile, the Golden Panthers are not about to start resting on their laurels now. When Busch was asked if it was true she has yet to lose a high school match three years into her career, she responded “Not yet” and then bent over to knock her fingers against the hardwood floor. Yes, the team is aware of the streak, because how could they not be?
At the same time, PJP has not become spoiled, spooked or jaded by it, and after losing seven seniors from last year’s unbeaten squad, this group still feels like it hasn’t earned anything yet.
“It’s the postseason,” Busch said. “One bad night and we can go home, so letting up is just not an option.”
