Liberty moves on to volleyball semifinals
Liberty’s volleyball team is the last team standing as the District 11 postseason heads into the semifinal round Tuesday night.
The Hurricanes (15-3) took on top-seeded Emmaus in last night’s semis at Catasauqua, with the results of that contest past Press deadlines.
Liberty easily dispatched Delaware Valley in their playoff opener last week, sweeping them 25-15, 25-13, 25-5 to advance for their first showdown with Emmaus this season.
The Hornets (18-5) needed four games to get by Whitehall in their playoff opener, as two of the EPC’s power programs collide for the right to advance to Thursday’s championship.
“We haven’t played Emmaus this year so we’re really looking forward to seeing how we match up,” said Liberty head coach Missy Lynn. “Emmaus has had a great season. They have a lot of talent and they’ll make us earn every point.”
Emmaus lost three matches in the conference during the season, falling to Parkland and Nazareth. The Blue Eagles then took them down again in the EPC tournament, showing that they can be vulnerable.
Liberty will just need to play its best for a chance to compete for the district title.
“We need to serve aggressively and key in on their [Emmaus] outside attackers,” Lynn said. “If we can slow down their pin attacks and get them out of system, we can be really successful. We need to pass well so we can utilize our strong middle attack. We have to play consistent and relaxed and make Emmaus play our volleyball.”
After knocking off Easton in their district opener, Freedom (12-9) lost to Parkland 12-25, 13-25, 13-25 in the quarterfinal round to end their season.
The Pates struggled down the stretch, losing four out of their last six matches to some of the top teams in the conference.
Bethlehem Catholic (12-7) saw its season close in the opening round of districts after falling to Central Catholic 22-25, 24-25, 18-25 in the 3A bracket.
It was the second time the Vikings swept the Hawks this season.