Central no match for overpowering Bishops

Bishop England 3, Central 0

Without much challenge from anyone, Bishop England finished off another Class AA Lower State volleyball title with a routine 25-11, 25-9, 25-12 home victory over Central on Thursday.

The Bishops (23-14) will try to secure their eighth straight AA title against Keenan, a 3-0 winner over Broome in the Upper State final, at the state championships on Saturday at Dutch Fork High School.

For years, the playoffs have been more like a victory lap for Bishop England, which annually plays an intense schedule, loaded with the top programs in the state. Consequently, the competition at the Class AA level doesn't measure up. This year has been no different, as the Bishops rolled through four opponents and allowed an average of 8.75 points per game. It wouldn't be surprising if the Bishops considered this stage of the season dull.

"I think the fact that we're in the playoffs is exciting," said senior libero Hannah Chessman, the AA state player of the year. "It doesn't matter by how much we're beating a team. If we think a match is going to be easy, that's when it's going to happen that we get beat."

Chessman and senior Lindsey Hollingsworth were two of the few regular players left from a dominant team that graduated five seniors. That, coupled with junior varsity coach Cindy Baggott taking over, began a new chapter in the Bishops' dynasty. It brought questions of how good this year's team would be, but Chessman said the players shrugged off any doubts.

"There wasn't much pressure from inside our team as it was from the outside. We knew we could do it," she said.

The Bishops will play their final game with a young lineup that's playing with a sense of calm even though every year it can be stated that nobody wants to be on the team that breaks the state title winning streak.

"It makes it easier on me on the motivation. I keep pounding it into them that it's theirs to take away," Baggott said. "They're almost too calm, but they've picked it up each time they've played."

Central was tied 4-4 in the first game and had a 1-0 lead in the second game. Otherwise, the match was never close.

Hollingsworth had 18 assists and eight kills; sophomore Katie Cummings had 15 assists, five kills and three service winners, and junior Megan Hohenberger added 10 kills and two block winners.

"We're going to work a lot on ball control. It wasn't crisp or as clean as it could be," said Baggott, who watched her team commit 15 unforced errors. "I think we'll see a team (at state) that hits harder and blocks better, so we'll have to play better overall at the net."

Reach Bill Henley at 937-5595 or bhenley@postandcourier.com.