Lady Bulldogs volleyball gets noticed in semis loss to Purchase Line
D6 2A volleyball
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COMMODORE -- Claysburg-Kimmel made history and gave many reasons for District 6 girls' volleyball followers to sit up and take notice.
The Lady Bulldogs added to their most successful season in program history with a 3-0 loss to second-seeded Purchase Line in a Class 2A semifinal match Thursday night at Purchase Line High School.
"These girls are turning Claysburg around to where we're getting to be recognized as a volleyball school. And they have been working so hard to do that," Claysburg-Kimmel coach Laura Mortimore said.
Inter-County Conference East champion Claysburg-Kimmel reached its league finals for the first time in the program's history.
Purchase Line, which won by scores of 25-19, 25-21, 25-16, will face No. 4 seed Northern Cambria in the championship match at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Altoona Fieldhouse. The Lady Colts beat Penns Valley in their semifinal matchup.
Claysburg-Kimmel struggled to sustain momentum against a taller and versatile Purchase Line team.
"Those two outside hitters are strong; they're big. I am proud of our girls. We made some adjustments to try to counteract that," Mortimer said.
Purchase Line has become a force to be reckoned with in its own right.
"That kind of made them hungry for that kind of success, and we've had good turnouts and good athletes coming out," coach Karen Woods said.
"We have a couple of tall girls. And because they are multi-sport athletes, they are athletic and they can jump well. So that helps us for sure."
Rylee Mahaffey led Purchase Line (19-4) with 16 kills. Alorra Phillips contributed 12 kills and Ainika Brooks made five blocks. Rylee Mahaffey, Reese Mahaffey and Phillips most notably posed challenges for the Bulldogs.
"We were moving our block around. We slid our middle to try to double-team (Rylee Mahaffey) a little bit quicker than we were early in the set," Mortimer said.
"This group that I have right now (are) good friends, they have great chemistry. They are multi-sport athletes. They're a very talented group that works well together," Woods said.
Purchase Line (19-4) led the entire way in the first game. The Lady Bulldogs' only two leads of the night were in the second game, 7-6 and 8-7.
A 7-0 run by Purchase Line produced the momentum it needed to win the second game. Purchase Line jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the third game and never led by fewer than four.
"There were moments when we had momentum. But it was difficult to (sustain) it," Mortimer said.
"We did expect a grudge match because they are a good solid team. I was looking for, maybe, a five-set match because they are so well-skilled and they take such good care of the ball," Woods said.
Junior Caroline Bass led the Lady Bulldogs with 15 kills, followed by Reanna Wood (eight). Lauren Imler was credited with 23 assists and 13 blocks. Kaitlyn Mortimer came away with 14 digs.