No one expected it to be over in three games.
But it was.
The Pennridge boys volleyball team topped host and second seed Upper Dublin, 3-0 (25-14, 25-21, 25-23) to capture the District One Class 3A title last Thursday.
“I did not expect this at all,” Pennridge senior Ryan Benscoter said. “They’re a good team. We weren’t scared, but we knew how good a team Upper Dublin is so we came in here expecting a battle.
“We had a total team effort. Every single person on our roster played perfectly and that’s what got us the win. From the first point, everything came together for us. Usually whenever we start off well, we finish well and I had a good feeling right from the beginning. We started winning points in the beginning of the game and we got the momentum. From the very beginning you could see we really wanted this.
“They only had the lead a couple of times and that’s something we talked about. We wanted to start out strong and keep it going, and we were able to do that. If you look back on our last two playoff matches, we lost two games that we were actually ahead in, and we can’t do that. We can’t let those leads get away from us. We actually executed against Upper Dublin, and that was the difference.
“As a whole unit this was one of our best defensive games ever. We were so aggressive. They were putting down great shots and some of them we just got some miraculous ‘ups’ that we don’t usually make, but we were making all of them. Every single one in the back row and the front row. I think we were blocking defensively really well.”
Some of the pressure was off the fourth-seeded Rams, since their semifinal win against top-seed Council Rock North sewed up a berth in the PIAA tournament.
“This is a huge confidence boost for us going into states,” Benscoter said. This proves we can go out and win the big ones, if we can win the district championship against a really good team like Upper Dublin.”
The teams split in the regular season, with Upper Dublin winning the first match of the season and Pennridge the rematch, both by scores of 3-2.
It was the first district crown for the Rams since 2017, and their sixth in 12 years.
“It was a huge thing for me to help uphold the Pennridge tradition of winning district titles,” Benscoter said. “We got beat in the semis by Pennsbury my freshman and sophomore years and got kicked into the third-place game so this was my last chance, and I just had to get one under my belt. I really wanted this one.”
Benscoter ended the day with 25 kills. He will continue his playing career at Sacred Heart, where he plans to major in sports management.
It was just the second loss of the year for second seed Upper Dublin, both at the hands of the Rams.
“Obviously we knew how good they were so the sweep is a surprise but we were in control the whole night,” Pennridge senior Bryce Muller said. “We’ve been improving every single game, every single person. Everyone picked up their game. We’re still on our way up and we’re peaking at the right time.
“We had a little of the pressure taken off of us because we knew we were going to states, but we really wanted to win this one.”
The Rams are a young team.
“Me and Benscoter were the only ones who had played in a varsity match before this year so we had very little experience at the start of the year, but like I said, people are improving and it’s going really well,” said Muller, who had eight kills and three aces.
Muller is a member of NOVA (Network of Victim Assistance), talking to elementary school students about bullying. He plans to major in actuarial science at Penn State.
For Pennridge, Ryan Kodidek had 30 assists, nine digs and two aces while Dan Detweiler had 12 digs. Skyler Ammon chipped in six digs and four assists while Thomas McKinney had six digs and two blocks. Tyler Johnson had four blocks and three kills and Alex Derk contributed two aces for the Rams.
In Thursday’s other Class 3A District one tournament semifinal, top seed Council Rock North fell to third seed Neshaminy, 3-0 (25-15, 25-11, 25-17).
It was the third meeting of the season between the Suburban One League National Conference rivals. The Indians won both regular season matches, 3-1 and 3-2.
The win gave the Redskins the third and final berth in the PIAA tournament for District One. CR North, which won the SOL National Conference title, ends the season 17-3.
Pennridge made short work of District 12 runner-up Northeast in Tuesday’s opening round of the PIAA Class 3A tournament, winning 3-0 (25-18, 25-14, 25-14) at Bensalem.
“First of all, this was a chance to play in states,” Muller said. “That’s always a big deal.
“We came into it kind of knowing that we had to win this one, but we were really focused on the next game, because that’s the one that’s going to be really tough.
“We still knew we had to take care of business. It’s states. You can’t take anyone lightly and we didn’t. Now we’re looking forward to the next round, and we’re obviously hoping to win. Upper Dublin won tonight so if we see them again, it will be in the finals, but we can’t get too far ahead of ourselves.”
The Rams advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals, where they take on District Three third-place team Central Dauphin, a 3-0 winner over District 11 titlist Parkland.
“Getting a state playoff win is a big accomplishment,” Benscoter said. “It shows that we’re supposed to be here. Northeast is a state playoff team and for us to be in control and have a good 3-0 match really gives us confidence for the quarterfinals.
“I know it’s going to be a tough match, but I believe in us. Give me any group of guys, and I’ll take this group. I cannot wait. We’re ready. Our young guys are ready. We came out really slow in this one, but we picked it up and that was a real team effort.”
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