Trojanette Volleyball
Girls' Volleyball Makes GNA Proud.....read here.
1/14/2019
TIMES LEADER GIRLS VOLLEYBALL FIRST-TEAM ALL-STARS
Tom Robinson - Times Leader
Alyssa Lewis, Nanticoke, Senior
Lewis was a second-team choice last season and played a major role in a third straight District 2 Class 3A championship for the Trojanettes. The outside hitter ranked third in the Wyoming Valley Conference with 170 kills.
Rayza Ruiz, Nanticoke, Senior
Ruiz, a senior, arrived in Nanticoke from Puerto Rico a year ago. In his first fall at the school, she became a major contributor in the Trojanettes’ latest district championship with her ability to help all over the court. An outside hitter, Ruiz led the Wyoming Valley Conference in service points and aces.
11/4/2018
Meet the 2018 Citizens' Voice girls volleyball all-stars
Alyssa Lewis
Nanticoke Area, Senior
Outside Hitter
Lewis will leave Nanticoke Area with three district championships. She
had a team-best 170 kills, ranking third in the WVC, and also finished
with 152 service points.
Rayza Ruiz
Nanticoke Area, Senior
Outside Hitter
In her first season at Nanticoke Area, Ruiz was a difference-maker. She
was first in the WVC in service points (283) and aces (96), while
adding 140 kills and 10 blocks.
11/7/2018
Trojanettes fall to one of the state’s best
Ryan Vandersloot – Citizens Voice
DILLSBURG — While winning the District 2 Class 3A championship for the third straight time was certainly a major accomplishment for the Nanticoke Area girls volleyball team, taking on one of the state’s elite teams was something that appealed to coach Debbie Gavin.
Traveling all the way down to northern York County, Gavin and her squad eagerly awaited their PIAA 3A first-round clash with District 3 champion West York.
The Bulldogs, who made it to the semifinals in each of the previous two years, are certainly the caliber of team that the Trojanettes and their coach aspire to become.
While Gavin was proud of her team’s play, the District 3 champs proved that they are at another level as the Bulldogs rolled to a 25-12, 25-16, 25-16 triumph.
“I’m glad that we got the chance to come down here and play some volleyball,” Gavin said. “I knew we were playing against one of the best teams in the state and I think that our girls did the best that they could probably do tonight. They weren’t afraid of anything and they played hard.”
The Bulldogs (25-1) controlled the play throughout the contest behind a bevy of outside and middle hitters. Outside hitter Gianna Krinock led West York with 12 kills while middle hitters Alayna Harris (nine) and Tesia Thomas (eight) proved to be a handful for the Trojanettes.
“I call this volleyball heaven down here,” Gavin said of the District 3 area. “They have so many teams down here that compete and it’s great. Up in our area, it’s a little bit harder to get the competition that you want, so we have to bring our girls out here more often.”
Mya Vnuk led Nanticoke Area (17-3) with five kills while Carley Reakes and Rielly Miller combined for 11 assists.
11/1/2018
D2 girls volleyball: Nanticoke Area wins third straight district crown
Times Leader
District 2 Class 3A girls volleyball championships are becoming familiar for Nanticoke Area, but the Trojanettes got their latest with a big boost from a new addition to this year’s lineup.
Rayza Ruiz had a team-high 18 kills, along with nine digs while also contributing two aces, two assists and two blocks Wednesday night when Nanticoke Area turned back Tunkhannock at Wilkes University.
The 25-23, 25-18, 23-25, 25-13 win made the Trojanettes 3-for-3 in championship pursuits since the PIAA expanded girls volleyball to four classes, separating Nanticoke Area from 11-time defending Class 2A champion Holy Redeemer.
Ruiz, who transferred to Nanticoke Area from Puerto Rico in January, was not around for the first two. She fit right into the lineup of the second-place Trojanettes, leading the Wyoming Valley Conference in service points while showing the ability to help all over the court.
“We like her anywhere on the court,” Nanticoke Area coach Debbie Gavin said. “She can pop the ball, plus she’s a good passer, a good server and she’s a very smart player.”
Ruiz found one particular spot from which to hurt Tunkhannock with Nanticoke trailing 16-12 in game two.
Rielly Miller, who expertly ran the Nanticoke Area offense with 36 assists, found Ruiz twice in a row on the left side for kills.
That combination again worked for consecutive points, the first of which came by mixing in a well-placed shot between the powerful swings. Those points tied the game, then put Nanticoke Area ahead to stay on the way to scoring 13 of the final 15 points.
Alyssa Lewis served up six straight points early in the rally, then Mandy Biehl served the final four of the game with the help from another well-placed finish by Ruiz.
“I was very excited,” Ruiz said, with her mother Jeannette Maldonado serving as interpreter. “I was very proud of what I did in that second set.”
The first three games featured many momentum shifts.
Nanticoke Area opened a 16-11 lead in opener, but Tunkhannock rallied behind five straight service points by Molly Goodwin to take a pair of one-point leads.
The Trojanettes recovered to pull out the tight game when Miller set up Lewis for the final point.
“She’s our quarterback,” Gavin said of Miller.
After the big finish in game two, Nanticoke Area extended its advantage to 22 of 26 points, opening a 9-2 lead in game three.
Tunkhannock fought back with the help of some strong play at the net by sophomore Dana Macko.
Megan Straley had consecutive kills to bring the Tigers within one, then put the team ahead with five straight points on her serve.
Straley and Goodwin crossed each other up on the final point of the game, but they may have also fooled the Trojanettes in the process as the ball dropped in harmlessly when they got it over the net.
After Tunkhannock scored the first three points of the fourth game and led 4-3, Nanticoke regained command and won comfortably.
“That last game, we really wanted to put them away,” Gavin said. “I think you saw in the second and third game, our passing got a little haywire there.
“We had to stop, pause, get our passing back, regroup, which we did.”
Lewis had 12 digs, seven kills and seven aces in the win. Jilann Baron finished with five blocks, four kills, three aces and two digs. Myla Vnuk had 11 kills and Meghan Duda added seven digs.
Macko and Jena Simmons each had seven kills while Goodwin had six for Tunkhannock.
“We haven’t won a championship since 2002, so it was awesome to make it here,” first-year Tunkhannock head coach Karen Passarelli said.
11/1/2018
Trojanettes 3-peat
Tom Fox - Citizens Voice
FRANK C. LAURI /
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Nanticoke Area’s Jilann Baron (6) makes a tap
over the net during the District 2 Class 3A championship match against
Tunkhannock at the Wilkes University Marts Center.
FRANK C. LAURI /
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Nanticoke Area celebrates after defeating
Tunkhannock for the District 2 Class 3A championship.
Each time Meghan Duda drifted back behind the service line, Alyssa Lewis turned around to slap her hand.
As Duda kept winning point after point in the fourth set, the two
Nanticoke Area seniors shared a laugh and a smile. It was like one of
those times where the two friends kept sharing an inside joke that only
they understood.
In the long run, they both knew how special this moment was going to be.
The Trojanettes ripped off seven straight points with Duda serving in
the fourth set to create separation from Tunkhannock, as Nanticoke Area
won its third straight District 2 Class 3A championship with a 3-1
victory at Wilkes University on Wednesday. Set scores were 25-23, 25-18,
23-25 and 25-13.
The victory propels the District 2 champ into next week’s state bracket
where Nanticoke Area will play the champion from District 3.
“Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever had a better feeling than this,”
Lewis said. “We worked so hard all summer, and this was the ultimate
goal. I’m so happy to accomplish this with my teammates and our amazing
coaches.”
The momentum was squarely on Tunkhannock’s side.
The Tigers, despite trailing 2-0 in the match and 9-2 in the third set,
found a way to rally. A big run on Megan Straley’s serve and three
kills by Molly Goodwin erased the deficit as Tunkhannock scored three of
the final four points to stun Nanticoke, 25-23 and extend the match.
Despite a large contingent of Tiger fans standing on their feet,
applauding and rocking the Marts Center, nothing at that moment rattled
the Trojanettes.
Instead, the girls gathered in a circle around head coach Debbie Gavin and regrouped.
“I think our passing kind of got away from us in the second and third
games,” Gavin said. “We just had to pause and regroup, which we did. Our
desire and want was there tonight. I think our experience paid off.
We’ve been here two times before, playing at Wilkes. We knew what to
expect. I’m so proud of all of them.”
Enter Duda.
With Nanticoke holding a slim, 6-5 lead in the fourth, the senior
libero stepped behind the service line and ripped shots toward the back
row — in almost the same exact spot.
And with the way senior Rayza Ruiz and freshman Myla Vnuk were swinging
in the front row, it was like a scary nightmare for the Tigers.
When Duda stepped off the back line, the Trojanettes had a 14-5 lead and were on their way toward the district title.
“That was awesome because I did miss two serves in the first set,” Duda
said. “To get all those points, it was amazing. It really brought me
up. Each time, I just kept telling myself that I had to get the serve
over. Alyssa kept telling me that I had this, and every serve was going
to get over. We always pick each other up.”
Spikes by Ruiz — who had a match-high 16 kills — and Jilann Baron set
up match point at 24-13. It was a 50-50 ball won by Vnuk at the net that
clinched the 25-13 set win and district gold.
“We kept telling the team that we had to believe,” Tunkhannock head
coach Karen Passarelli said. “I thought we had it back. But Nanticoke
plays some great defense. We fought hard, and I’m very proud of them. We
will be back next year.”
Title No. 3 wasn’t easy by any means.
Tunkhannock used a 6-0 run on Goodwin’s serve in the first set to erase
a six-point deficit and grab a 17-16 lead. The Trojanettes had an
answer, though, as spikes by Lewis and Vnuk sparked the team to a 25-23
victory.
It was another battle in the second set, but Lewis and Ruiz were too
much. With strong serves from Lewis and consecutive kills from Ruiz on
the left side of the net, Nanticoke strung together a 13-2 run to close
it out, 25-18.
“This whole team, we just have an amazing relationship and so much
confidence in each other,” Lewis said. “We are constantly talking and
have each other’s back. That’s what makes our team so special. We are
always there for each other.”
In addition to Ruiz’s 16 kills, Vnuk added 11 kills, while Lewis lined
eiht to go with five aces. Tunkhannock’s Goodwin, Jena Simmons and Dana
Macko combined for 23 of the team’s 27 kills.
TUNKHANNOCK23 18 25 13 — 1 NANTICOKE AREA25 25 23 25 — 3
10/30/2018
Trojanettes roll into Class 3A Final
Tom Fox - Citizens Voice
Jilann Baron looks calm, cool and collected on the court.
As a senior who has won two district championships, it’s expected.
Every time Nanticoke Area needed that soothing presence Monday, Baron and her classmates were happy to oblige.
Baron, Alyssa Lewis and Rayza Ruiz combined for 25 kills, and freshman
Myla Vnuk made an impression in her first district semifinal as the
top-seeded Trojanettes eliminated Lake-Lehman, 3-0, in the District 2
Class 3A volleyball tournament. Set scores were 25-16, 25-19 and 25-17.
The two-time defending champs advance to Wednesday’s final at Wilkes
University to face off with No. 3 seed Tunkhannock, which swept No. 2
Dallas in straight sets.
“We wanted to try and win this one in three because they took a game
off of us in the regular season,” Nanticoke Area head coach Deb Gavin
said. “I still want to see that killer instinct develop a little bit
more. I don’t like allowing people to hang in the game. We didn’t have a
bad performance, but we have some work to do heading into the
Tunkhannock match.”
Baron takes nothing for granted. She’s humble when she talks about the opportunities she’s had in her volleyball career.
The senior admits she still gets nervous before each match. But, she was big when Nanticoke Area needed her.
She had three straight kills after Lake-Lehman cut a big deficit to
just two late in the second set. And seven straight service points by
Baron to start the third gave the Trojanettes an 8-1 lead.
“It is nerve-racking because you know you are going for your third
title, and one loss could end your season,” Baron said. “Three district
titles would be the most unbelievable feeling in the entire world. Never
in a million years did I think I would have that chance.”
For Vnuk, it was the perfect start to her postseason career.
She had eight kills, and stepped up in big moments for a freshman. She
had four spikes and two blocks in the opening set, including a
cross-court shot to seal a 25-16 first-set victory.
And there was no bigger moment than in the second set. With Nanticoke
Area holding on to a slim 21-18 lead, Vnuk stepped behind the service
line and ripped three straight hard balls toward the back of the Black
Knights defense to increase the lead back to six.
“Once the first serve goes over the net, I just focus on getting into
the game. I got to shake those nerves off, or else, it will throw my
whole game away,” Vnuk said. “As a freshman, I am so excited to be a
member of this team. I just want to help everyone out as much as I
could.”
Lake-Lehman, the No. 5 seed, fought back in the final set. Down 8-1
early, the Black Knights — behind three kills from Morgan Marchakitus —
trimmed it back to 16-12 before Lewis pushed the lead back to nine on
her serve.
Ruiz finished with 10 kills, while Baron had nine and Lewis added six.
Marchakitus had a team-high six spikes for Lake-Lehman.
Lake-Lehman16 19 17 — 0
Nanticoke Area25 25 25 — 3
10/26/2018
District 2 Volleyball Roundup
Citizens Voice
Nanticoke Area 3, North Pocono 0
At Nanticoke Area, the top-seed Trojanettes cruised in their District 2
Class 3A quarterfinal behind 12 kills, seven aces and seven digs from
Alyssa Lewis.
Jilann Baron chipped in with 13 digs and eight kills, and Rielly Miller
had 32 assists and three blocks for Nanticoke Area. The team hosts No. 5
Lake-Lehman in Monday’s semifinals.
The Black Knights beat Western Wayne 25-23, 25-7, 25-8. Stats were not reported to The Citizens’ Voice as of press time.
9/4/2018
Trojanette Volleyball Preview
Tom Fox - Citizens Voice
Coach: Deb Gavin
2017 league record: 14-3
Team outlook: Nanticoke Area enters 2018 as the two-time defending
District 2 Class 3A champ and will return six juniors off that
championship squad — including hitters Jilann Baron, Alyssa Lewis and
Carly Reakes. No person was hotter in the postseason than Baron, who
racked up a combined 40 kills in the district semifinal and final. The
Trojans will need to replace the leadership of seven seniors and the
production of players like Kasey Radginski, Megan Murphy and Codi
Hornlein.
Coach’s outlook: “We did lose those seven seniors, and they were key
for us. They were the glue that held our team together, and they were a
good group to be around. Like we always do, we are going to take it one
practice at a time, one day at a time and one match at a time. Jilann
and Alyssa are good role models and good students. They are coachable
kids that follow direction well, and the rest of the team sees that. I
think our seniors are all good leaders.”
8/31/2018
Trojanette Soccer Preview
Tom Robinson - Times Leader
NANTICOKE
2017 WVC Record: 14-3
2017 Postseason: Beat Dallas, 3-1, and Abington Heights, 3-1, to win
District 2-11 Class 3A championship. Lost to West York, 3-0, in first
round of state tournament.
2018 Classification: 3A
Outlook: Senior outside hitters Jilann Baron and Alyssa Lewis and
senior setter Carly Reakes return to the starting lineup, but the loss
of seven seniors has coach Deb Gavin describing it as a “rebuilding
situation.”