After going on the road to finish out the league schedule with a 3-2 victory at Villa Maria, Mount St. Joseph Academy’s volleyball team returned home for a non-league match with Strath Haven High School last Wednesday evening. The Mount Magic recorded a 3-1 win, and with the outcome in most of the sets decided by just a few points, the contest presented a good challenge to the local squad prior to Saturday’s seeding meeting for the PIAA District One tournament.

Mount St. Joe claimed the Athletic Association of Catholic Academies championship with an 8-2 record in league matches, splitting with Merion Mercy and Villa Joseph Marie and winning home/away sweeps of all of the other teams. With the Strath Haven win, the Magic raised their overall mark to 13-8. Seniors Bridget Horgan and Nina Kephart are the team captains for the Mount this season.

For last Wednesday’s encounter, the Magic’s starting rotation included Horgan, fellow seniors Gabby Clair, Kaitlyn Cockerham, and Gabrielle Fay, juniors Jahtalia Miros and Madelen Moeller, and sophomore Maura McIlheny. McIlheny is the only member of the varsity roster who is not a junior or senior.

Clair, who was the Mount’s leader on offense against the Strath Haven Panthers, is not primarily a volleyball player. Her main sport is lacrosse, which she will play at the University of Pittsburgh.

In the opening set last Wednesday, Strath Haven posted the first two points before the hosts got on the board with a kill by Miros in the middle. The visitors later opened up a 15-10 lead. Then the Mounties got a side out and Miros stepped to the service line. The Magic ran off five more points to gain a 16-15 edge.

The teams were even at 20-20 when the Panthers inched ahead, 23-22. A net violation leveled the score and got the side out for the Mounties. Clair then pushed the ball to an open spot on the visitors’ court to bring up set point.

Down 23-24, Strath Haven called a time-out. This only delayed defeat, as Miros got a good block on a hit by the Panthers to end the set at 25-23.

The visitors went up 2-0 again as the second set got underway, but the Magic pulled even at 3-3 and then forged ahead.

Three kills by Clair and a couple by McIlheny helped the home team climb to a five-point lead, causing their guests to call timeout with the score 14-9. The count rose to 16-9 when the Panthers mishandled two serves by Miros, and the visitors never really recovered.

Strath Haven kept providing resistance, but the Magic slowly got closer to sealing the deal, enjoying a 23-16 advantage when Fay pushed the ball over the net on the second touch to score. The Panthers got two points back, then scores by Miros and Clair wrapped up the set at 25-18, giving the Magic a 2-0 lead in the match.

The visitors were able to delay their defeat by securing a 25-21 win in the third set. In the middle of the set, a 4-0 run gave them a 17-12 lead over the Mount, and later the Panthers were up by a commanding six-point margin at 22-16.

An error gave a side out to Mount St. Joseph, and senior Kate Dorrington got a successful block in the middle. A block and a hit by Horgan helped the Magic to make it a one-point affair at 21-22, but then Strath Haven cranked out the last three points needed for the win.

In round four, Clair kept providing power for the Magic, while McIlheny recorded some kills and Miros scored on several cunning tips to open space. The hosts built up an 18-12 advantage with Miros recording a true service ace along the way, but the Panthers got back in it with a four-point surge.

A bash by Clair ended that streak, and later the Mounties enjoyed a 23-19 lead. Trying to force the match to a fifth game, Strath Haven scored three of the next four points to make it 24-22, but then Miros scored off of a block to end the set at 25-22 and the match at 3-1.