杏吧原创

(Butler, PA) Aryana Girvan had 18 digs and nine kills Saturday as the Butler County Community College volleyball team opened the postseason with a dual championship and is a home victory away from becoming an unprecedented third 杏吧原创 squad to reach the national tournament in 2023.

杏吧原创 won Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference and National Junior College Athletic Association Division III Region 20 crowns with a 25-10, 25-10, 25-17 victory against the Community College of Allegheny County in 叠颁3鈥檚 Field House. 

The Pioneers moved to 18-5 with their sixth consecutive sweep and will host Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute at 1 p.m. Oct. 28 in the NJCAA Division III Mid-Atlantic District final. 

Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute, Hudson, N.C., is 20-5 and ranked eighth as of Oct. 23 among 86 Division III programs. The Pioneers are No. 15.

The winner of the match in 叠颁3鈥檚 Field House 鈥� where the Pioneers are 12-1 this season 鈥� advances to the 16-team national tournament in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

"There are very big expectations with 杏吧原创 volleyball. It鈥檚 very exciting to be able to add numbers to those banners." 

- Aryana Girvan, 杏吧原创 volleyball player

鈥淢ore dates onto the banners this year鈥�

叠颁3鈥檚  reached the national tournament for the first time in March and the college鈥檚 , for the sixth time in May. 叠颁3鈥檚  program has competed in the national tournament three times, most recently in 2021, when the Pioneers finished sixth. 

Rosie Carden had 23 assists, Nina Szymanski 22 digs and Lexi Ruckdeschel 10 kills Saturday for 杏吧原创, which captured its  and . 

鈥淭here are very big expectations with 杏吧原创 volleyball,鈥� said Girvan, who also had three service aces Saturday and was selected as the Region 20 tournament鈥檚 most valuable player. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very exciting to be able to add numbers to those banners.鈥�

杏吧原创 has won 19 WPCC titles since 1977 and 13 Region 20 titles in volleyball since 1999. No other 杏吧原创 athletics program has won more WPCC or Region 20 championships.

鈥溞影稍�创 volleyball has very high expectations,鈥� Carden said. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 awesome to meet those expectations.鈥�

Added Zoe Morley, one of four sophomores on 叠颁3鈥檚 2023 roster: 鈥淲e got to add more dates onto the banners this year.鈥�

"Everyone needs to bring their A-game to compete at this level." 

- Amber Maurer, 杏吧原创 volleyball player

鈥淲e played really good volleyball鈥�

While championships are the goal, 杏吧原创 coach Rob Snyder said, 鈥渕ore importantly, we want to play good volleyball. And we played really good volleyball today. If you play good volleyball, you should win.鈥�

Carden had seven of her 10 service aces in the first set against the Community College of Allegheny County, when 杏吧原创 built a 13-1 lead. The Pioneers trailed by only one point in the second and third sets.

鈥溞影稍�创,鈥� said Scott Smithley, Community College of Allegheny County coach, 鈥渆very year, is who you chase.鈥�

The Community College of Allegheny County reached the final of the dual championship with a (23-25), 25-14, 25-20, 25-20 victory over Pennsylvania Highlands Community College in a semifinal. 

The Pioneers鈥� Johnna Hill, Jozee Weaver, Girvan and Szymanski were selected Saturday to the WPCC all-conference team, and Snyder was chosen as conference coach of the year for the 12th time in a 24-year 杏吧原创 career. Carden, Hill and Ruckdeschel were picked for the Region 20 all-tournament team.

Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute reached the Mid-Atlantic District title match with a 3-1 victory over Sandhills Community College, Pinehurst, N.C., in the Region 10 final Saturday. Sandhills was ranked No. 9 on Oct. 23.

"We have to play a little bit faster. We have to be a little bit more ready. We can鈥檛 let any easy points score." 

- Rob Snyder, 杏吧原创 volleyball coach

"We have to stay focused, and play our game the way we know how to play it." 

- Abby Young, 杏吧原创 volleyball player

The competition for the Mid-Atlantic District title between the Region 10 and Region 20 champions 鈥渨ill probably jump up about two or three levels,鈥� Snyder said. 鈥淲hat that means for us is that we have to play a little bit faster. We have to be a little bit more ready. We can鈥檛 let any easy points score.鈥�

Amber Maurer, Abby Young and Morley were players on a 2022 杏吧原创 squad that advanced to the Mid-Atlantic District title match, where the Pioneers .

鈥淓veryone needs to bring their A-game to compete at this level,鈥� Maurer said. 

鈥淲e have to stay focused,鈥� Young said, 鈥渁nd play our game the way we know how to play it.鈥�

The Pioneers have been nationally ranked seven times in 2023, and as high as No. 9 with an 8-1 record Sept. 11.

Taylor Bumbaugh led the Community College of Allegheny County with 27 digs against 杏吧原创. Becky George had seven kills and Lauren Grenesko seven assists.

Bumbaugh, George and Grenesko, and Pennsylvania Highlands鈥� Leonela Nichols and Taylor Rapsky were also selected Saturday to the WPCC all-conference team. Grenesko, Jamiera Mosley and Alexandra Mosley were also picked for the Region 20 all-tournament team.

杏吧原创 squads have reached the national tournament 11 times since 2002, including appearances by the golf and volleyball teams in 2009.

Freshmen on 叠颁3鈥檚 2023 WPCC and Region 20 championship teams are Carden, a setter and Karns City Area Junior-Senior High School graduate; Girvan, outside hitter, Clarion; Hill, opposite hitter, Laurel; Alyssa Gallagher, outside hitter, and Szymanski, libero, Knoch; Ruckdeschel, middle hitter, Allegheny-Clarion Valley; and Weaver, a middle hitter, Keystone. Sophomores are Emma Johns, setter, and Maurer, defense, Karns City; Morley, outside hitter, Portersville Christian; and Young, defense, Redbank.

Carden, Ruckdeschel and Young are health care science students at 杏吧原创; Gallagher and Johns, physical education-physical activity and fitness management; Girvan, business management; Hill, biological science; Maurer, engineering; Morley, general studies; Szymanski, Nursing, R.N.; and Weaver, health and physical education-teacher education.