<\/p>\n
SCRANTON \u2014 Gillian Parsons was all over the court Saturday morning.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Balls that were seemingly destined for no man\u2019s land on the court? Again, no problem for Parsons, who hustled to make sure she got a hand on it.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s face.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven from the beginning of the season, you could tell that we were going to have great chemistry,\u201d Parsons said. \u201cThe freshmen have fit right in with this team, and we\u2019ve been practicing hard. We have been doing a lot of bonding stuff. Just building that chemistry, it\u2019s something that we are going to have to work at every day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kablick laughs when asked about his Royals growing up on the court.<\/p>\n
Yes, Holy Redeemer always will be considered a district frontrunner. That\u2019s the tradition built at the school.<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s a new-look rotation.<\/p>\n
Boylan, an all-state selection and reigning Citizens\u2019 Voice Player of the Year, is back \u2014 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.<\/p>\n
The remainder are stepping into bigger roles.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think this is the first time that we\u2019ve ever started a freshman varsity setter,\u201d Kablick said. \u201cBoth of the freshmen, their volleyball IQ is through the roof. They know the game inside and out. Now, it\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Freshmen Elizabeth Bilbow and Kira Millard are growing up on the court. Bilbow, the team\u2019s setter, was solid \u2014 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.<\/p>\n
Millard showed she could be the next big hitter at the school. She finished with four kills \u2014 all in the third set \u2014 but took over from the back line where she led the Royals on big runs in the first and second sets.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s definitely a different feeling than playing junior high,\u201d Bilbow said. \u201cIt\u2019s so much fun playing with these girls, and it\u2019s such a great experience. There\u2019s 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\u2019s always so encouraging and tells me it\u2019s OK and get the next one. I\u2019m excited. I hope we can keep learning each match, and have a great season.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then, there was last year\u2019s supporting cast that\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s why Kablick thinks the sky is the limit with this team.<\/p>\n
Yet, the veteran head coach has been around the game long enough to know that gelling and team chemistry takes time.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are getting better every match,\u201d Kablick said. \u201cThe chemistry is coming together, but it\u2019s going to take some time. Like when a ball can be played by two or three people, it\u2019s played by none because we are still working on that chemistry. It\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
The flashes were there.<\/p>\n
Saturday, the Royals got off to a slow start, but got moving late in the first set \u2014 thanks to a 7-0 run on Boylan\u2019s serve to close it out, 25-15.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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\u2019 kills and a Reese Woytowich ace, stretched the lead before Boylan ended the set with a cross-court spike.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we have a lot of potential, to be honest,\u201d Parsons said. \u201cIf 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
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