SCRANTON — Gillian Parsons was all over the court Saturday morning.
Balls flying toward the back wall of the Scranton High School gymnasium? Not a problem for the speedy junior as she flung her body to dig that ball back to the front two.
Balls that were seemingly destined for no man’s land on the court? Again, no problem for Parsons, who hustled to make sure she got a hand on it.
While the young Holy Redeemer Royals looked, at times, as a team working to build that chemistry on the court, the flashes of brilliance of what it could look like one month from now when it gels together brought a smile to head coach Jack Kablick’s face.
Bella Boylan dominated the match Saturday morning with 15 kills and several big runs behind the service line as the Royals swept the Knights in nonleague girls volleyball, 25-15, 25-9, 25-16.
“Even from the beginning of the season, you could tell that we were going to have great chemistry,” Parsons said. “The freshmen have fit right in with this team, and we’ve been practicing hard. We have been doing a lot of bonding stuff. Just building that chemistry, it’s something that we are going to have to work at every day.”
Kablick laughs when asked about his Royals growing up on the court.
Yes, Holy Redeemer always will be considered a district frontrunner. That’s the tradition built at the school.
But it’s a new-look rotation.
Boylan, an all-state selection and reigning Citizens’ Voice Player of the Year, is back — along with veteran libero Gracie Griffin. Both looked sharp with Boylan ripping balls to all angle of the court and Griffin patrolling that back row.
The remainder are stepping into bigger roles.
“I think this is the first time that we’ve ever started a freshman varsity setter,” Kablick said. “Both of the freshmen, their volleyball IQ is through the roof. They know the game inside and out. Now, it’s about getting acclimated to the speed of the varsity game. Bella and Gracie, they are both stabilizers and our captains. They just calm things down on the court.”
Freshmen Elizabeth Bilbow and Kira Millard are growing up on the court. Bilbow, the team’s setter, was solid — running the offense between five attackers. She had a good read of the court, knowing when to set Boylan on the outside or leave it for Millard, a 6-foot middle.
Millard showed she could be the next big hitter at the school. She finished with four kills — all in the third set — but took over from the back line where she led the Royals on big runs in the first and second sets.
“It’s definitely a different feeling than playing junior high,” Bilbow said. “It’s so much fun playing with these girls, and it’s such a great experience. There’s been a learning curve, but with the coaches, everyone has been helping me a lot. Bella is great, too. Even when I give her a bad set, she’s always so encouraging and tells me it’s OK and get the next one. I’m excited. I hope we can keep learning each match, and have a great season.”
Then, there was last year’s supporting cast that’s stepping into the limelight this year. Parsons showed her energy and enthusiasm with her effort, adding seven kills in the victory. Zoe Pecuch, coming off a stellar season on the softball diamond, also stepped up in the front line with three kills and three blocks.
It’s why Kablick thinks the sky is the limit with this team.
Yet, the veteran head coach has been around the game long enough to know that gelling and team chemistry takes time.
“We are getting better every match,” Kablick said. “The chemistry is coming together, but it’s going to take some time. Like when a ball can be played by two or three people, it’s played by none because we are still working on that chemistry. It’s not going to come overnight. You can only imagine what it can be. Barring any kind of injuries or illness, I think we are going to be tough in a few weeks. It has a high ceiling, believe me.”
The flashes were there.
Saturday, the Royals got off to a slow start, but got moving late in the first set — thanks to a 7-0 run on Boylan’s serve to close it out, 25-15.
It was all Redeemer in the second. Boylan had three straight aces as part of a 7-0 run, and Millard added seven straight points on her serve. Combined, it was a 14-1 run that gave the Royals a 20-7 edge.
The Knights hung around in the third as kills by Nashla Vidal, Malaya Morrison and Natalie Archangeli trimmed the deficit to 14-9. But two straight Boylan swings, coupled with Parsons’ kills and a Reese Woytowich ace, stretched the lead before Boylan ended the set with a cross-court spike.
“I think we have a lot of potential, to be honest,” Parsons said. “If we can just keep that chemistry together, I think we can defend that district title and have a nice run at states. We just have to work hard together.”
Originally Published:
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.citizensvoice.com ’
