Garnet Valley, Sacred Heart aim for spots in state title matches

Garnet Valley’s volleyball team isn’t accustomed to being the underdog. The Jaguars have only been in that situation twice before this season, in both of their matches with Unionville.

The Jaguars (24-1) split those meetings, falling 3-2 in the regular season and beating the Longhorns by the same score in the District 1 Class 4A volleyball final two weeks ago. They will be the underdog again when they take on undefeated District 11 champ Parkland (25-0) in the PIAA Class 4A semifinals Tuesday (7 p.m.) at Upper Dublin High School.

That’s just fine with Garnet Valley coach Mark Clark, whose team is making its fourth trip to the state semifinals in the last seven seasons and first since 2018. It’s also the Jaguars’ first meeting with Parkland since beating the Trojans, 3-2, for the Class 4A title in 2016.

“In order to be the best you have to beat the best,” Clark said.

The Trojans are ranked No. 1 in the state by the Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association and for good reason. Parkland has lost just one set and that came in a 3-1 victory over Bethlehem Catholic back on Oct. 18. Parkland’s only loss last season was to North Allegheny in the state final.

“They’re solid,” Clark said. “They have very good outside hitters. They’ll move the ball around and hit from outside and the middles, so they’re not afraid to swing, but their main hitters are on the outside.”

Clark was referring to senior Ava Adamson and junior Allie Reimer, who have 341 and 242 kills, respectively, according to Maxpreps.com. Senior middle hitter Elena Pursell is tough, too, with 305 kills. Junior setter Maggie Smith sets the attack in motion with 1,025 assists.

Garnet Valley is also on a roll. The Jaguars, ranked third by the PVCA, have won 19 in a row since that loss to Unionville on Sept. 9. The only two sets they dropped in that span were to the Longhorns in the district final.

“We’re playing well,” Clark said. “If we play our game, I think we can beat anybody. There’s no doubt in my mind about that, but this is going to be our biggest challenge. Unionville was formidable and you saw what happened to them. They lost in five to Pine-Richland, which won District 7 and District 7 is no slouch. I think it’s going to be a good match. It’ll be tough, but I think we’re ready for it.”

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