The Perryville volleyball team captured its fifth straight region title with a sweep of visiting Pocomoke Friday. The Panthers prevailed 25-13, 25-13, 25-20. Pocomoke, coming off a come-from-behind five-game win over Colonel Richardson the night before, presented a different kind of challenge for the Panthers. The visitors didn't have a powerful attack but were good at keeping the ball in play. "It was maybe a little different, more tips over the net, more balls short where we had to anticipate and come up and play," said Perryville coach Matt Borrelli. "They didn't really hit that hard but they were sneaky with some of their shots. It was a little difficult." The Panthers persevered and pulled away late in a tight third game to complete the sweep. "I think at this level, anyone you play, you have to be prepared," Borrelli said. "You have to play your best. I think we were pretty sloppy on Wednesday [against Bohemia Manor]. Some of that was because they played really well and put us in tough situations. But we really talked a lot about finishing our plays and playing a much cleaner game than we did Wednesday. I think we did that [against Pocomoke]." Gabby Goodnow led Perryville with eight kills and four blocks. Teri Wennersten added seven kills and two blocks. Rose Porch recorded 20 assists and 12 service points. Hailey Jones collected 13 digs, six service points, and two kills. It is the ninth region title in program history. The Panthers are still looking for their first state title. On Tuesday night, November 17 in College Park, Perryville will face the winner of Saturday's match between Smithsburg and Fort Hill. Smithsburg swept the Panthers in last year's state title match. "It's extremely exciting," said Perryville outside hitter Bekah Hanshaw. "The fact that we get to play [the west region champion in the state semifinals] this year is actually more exciting. We've been preparing for them a lot and we're just looking forward to the competition." Hanshaw also says experience will pay off. "We didn't know what we had coming last year when we played Smithsburg," she said. "And this year we've been practicing for days and days and days for them. We're really looking forward to it." Borrelli said he "definitely" thinks this year's team is better prepared to take that next step. "The experience of last year definitely helps," said Borrelli. "Rebekah, our captain, she's an awesome leader and we know it's her senior year and we want to send her off the right way. We're motivated and we have the experience and the talent to make a good run." Comments are closed.
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