By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, October 31, 2021 | 11:01 AM

Call it a “near-miss” for the Quaker Valley girls volleyball team.

QV finished 4-8 in Section 2-2A, one game behind fourth-place finisher Brentwood (5-7), which earned the section’s final WPIAL playoff spot.

North Catholic, the defending WPIAL champion and a PIAA semifinalist a year ago, Avonworth, Seton LaSalle and Brentwood qualified as the section representatives in the WPIAL playoffs.

“I think the girls progressed as the season moved along, especially on the offensive side of the ball,” QV coach Mike Vavrek said. “We were a rather young and inexperienced team, and it takes some time to develop chemistry.

“We made a lot of mistakes early in the year. When we limited our mistakes and put balls away offensively, we were very competitive.”

Statistically, the Quakers were paced in two categories by senior libero and captain Anna Weisser, who was No. 1 in digs with 234 and service aces with 29.

“Anna was the most consistent player for us this year,” Vavrek said. “She was the heart and soul of this team, and we really went as well as she was going. She had the tough job of keeping this team, with the mix of younger and older girls we had contributing, focused on the court.

“She has done a lot over the last three years and will finish as one of the top defensive players I have coached.”

The 5-foot-3 Weisser was a three-year letter winner who saw a limited amount of court time as a freshman.

“It was, obviously, disappointing that we did not make it to the playoffs,” Weisser said, “but I am proud of how much our team grew together over the course of the season. With the amount of time we put in, it was a little disappointing that our record did not reflect it. I think this season was a great opportunity for the underclassmen to gain varsity experience, and I am excited to see the ways this helps them next year.”

Weisser said she will miss her relationships with her teammates the most once she graduates.

“My high school volleyball career was definitely difficult but very gratifying,” she said. “I think balancing school work and volleyball is always tough. But it taught me a lot about myself as an athlete, gave me an amazing leadership opportunity and brought me really close to my team.

“I will definitely miss getting to spend time with this group of girls every day.”

The team leaders in kills were senior middle/outside hitter and co-captain Elise Berry with 101 and sophomore right-side hitter Annica Kagle with 98. The 5-10 Berry also led the Quakers in blocks with 55.

“Elise is a solid, all-around player, someone you could ask to play any position and she will do a good job,” Vavrek said. “She has played all three front-row positions on varsity. She has also served and played defense. She was our most consistent blocker on the team this year.”

Kagle has grown into an impact player for QV. She wrapped up the season No. 2 on the squad in blocks with 49.

“We knew Annica would be a starter after having a good first year of club volleyball,” Vavrek said. “I knew she would be someone we were going to have to lean on to get kills, but I didn’t know she would lead us in attempts.”

QV’s sophomore right-side hitter Katelyn Clark, who played outside and middle at times, ended up third in kills with 59 and positive blocks with 46.

“I was really interested in seeing how Katelyn would perform this year,” Vavrek said. “After Elise and Annica, we were looking for another girl to help offensively, and it turned out to be her. She started out in a minimal role on the right side, more for her blocking, and by the end of the year turned into an outside hitter and one of our go-to hitters.”

The top two in assists were setters Vanessa Pickett, a freshman, with 172, and Shayna Cunnard, a junior, with 125. Pickett also finished second in service aces (17).

Two juniors, defensive specialist Hannah Lubert and outside hitter Kathryn Karwoski, placed second and third on the team in digs with 96 and 88, respectively.

“We expected Hannah to be in the mix this year; she definitely exceeded expectations,” Vavrek said. “She became a steady serve-receiver for us.”

Others in QV’s lineup included seniors Ruby Hale (RS) and Chanel Bosh (OH) and freshmen Molly MacDonald (MH) and Nora Hammond (OH/DS).

“I run a lot of girls in the rotation,” Vavrek said. “We made a few changes from the beginning of the year. We still ran most of the same players in the lineup with a couple of position changes and expanded roles.

“We improved in the (season’s) second half against every team with the exception of Brentwood. We really hurt ourselves by not taking care of the ball in a match where we had an opportunity to clinch a playoff spot.”

Brentwood defeated the Quakers, 3-1, on Oct. 14 in what proved to settle the battle for the section’s final playoff spot.

“Other than that, I like the way we progressed,” Vavrek said. “I want us to keep improving.”

Vavrek is a coaching veteran, having served as QV’s net boss for 11 seasons.

“We had freshmen and sophomores really step up to add some depth for us,” Vavrek said. “This freshman class is one of the most talented I have had at Quaker Valley. As freshmen, it is tough to step into a varsity role.”

There were seven sophomores and seven freshmen in the QV program, along with four seniors and three juniors.

“We had a lot of younger girls who got a taste of varsity volleyball,” Vavrek said, “and they should be better for it next year. I expect us to keep building and growing. We will have three seniors who are passionate, dedicated and willing to work hard.

“The JV team won their last seven matches, so we are certainly excited about that and seeing where some of those players will fit in on the varsity next year.”

Vavrek, whose assistants are Alex Newbrough and Mike Hensler, indicated the Quakers plan to work on decreasing the number of unforced errors for next season.

“The big thing is consistency,” Vavrek said. “We beat ourselves a lot at times this year, and that is something that needs to be worked on.

“As long as we continue to get in the gym and improve, we can maximize our potential as a team next year and continue to be competitive.”

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, September 26, 2021 | 11:01 AM

Quaker Valley is in the midst of a rebuilding project in girls volleyball this season.

The Quakers utilized five seniors in an eight-player rotation a year ago, leaving coach Mike Vavrek with three returning starters in 2021.

The veteran coach has been fashioning this year’s squad around seniors Anna Weisser, a 5-foot-5 libero; Elise Berry, a 5-10 middle hitter; and junior Kathryn Karwoski, a 5-7 outside hitter.

“We have a pretty young team so I am expecting this season to be one of growth,” Weisser said. “Because we’re so young, and this group of girls hasn’t been playing together for very long, a lot of our focus is on working to communicate with (each other) and trust.

“There has already been a lot of progress on these fronts and we are trusting that the skill will come with experience. We have been improving every game, so hopefully that trend continues.”

After a slow 0-4 start, the QV girls picked up the pace with a pair of 3-0 section wins, one Sept. 16 against Keystone Oaks and a second one Sept. 31 against Brentwood.

“Yes, we lost five starters to graduation, and all of them had started since they were sophomores,” Vavrek said. “Coming into the year, I knew we would be a very youthful team with not a lot of varsity experience. I knew we would need to play a lot during the summer to gain some experience and get some chemistry playing together.

“We did that, as we were involved in two summer leagues and a team camp. Our inexperience has shown over the early part of the season, but I think we have a rather high ceiling if we continue to grow. As always though, my expectations were for us to get better every day and compete in our section. As of now, I would say I have the same expectations.”

Quaker Valley is a member of Section 2-2A, which includes defending WPIAL champion and PIAA semifinalist North Catholic.

The Quakers ended up 5-5 in section play last year and were on the verge of securing a playoff berth, but were forced to sit out the postseason because of coronavirus exposure in the school district.

QV finished 5-7 overall, and was led by then-seniors and three-year starters Kayla Doherty, Maddie Hess and Camille Johnson, all-section selections at libero, outside hitter and middle hitter, respectively. Doherty also was named All-WPIAL.

The Quakers beat Keystone Oaks twice, Brentwood twice and Carlynton once. Their final two matches were canceled.

This season, the QV girls started out with section losses to North Catholic, Carlynton and Seton LaSalle, along with a nonsection loss to South Park.

The “under construction” squad is rebuilding with four seniors, three juniors, seven sophomores and seven freshmen.

Weisser and Berry serve as co-captains, and are joined in the lineup by a hard-working group that includes seniors Chanel Bosh (OH) and Ruby Hale (RS); juniors Shayna Cunnard (S), Hannah Lubert (DS) and Karwoski (OH); sophomores Annica Kagle (RS) and Katelyn Clark (MH/RS/OH); and freshmen Vanessa Pickett (S), Molly MacDonald (MH) and Nora Hammond (OH).

“I think our captains are doing a great job keeping this team positive and pushing the girls to work hard,” Vavrek said. “We are improving every day, but we still have a ways to go to get to where we want to be.

“As for starters, I run a lot of girls in the rotation and I’m still trying to figure out the best combinations.”

Weisser’s volleyball career began in seventh grade. She is a third-year starter at QV, and she also competes for Pittsburgh United.

“So, I’m playing year-round,” Weisser said. “I tend to fixate my efforts on school and volleyball, but I also play in the band at school and I’m pretty involved with volunteering at my church.”

Weisser carries a 4.4 GPA and takes her leadership role as a team captain seriously.

“Our coach always says there are two types of captains, those that lead by example and those that are vocal,” she said. “This year, it’s been evident that our team requires a vocal leader. The coaches made it clear to me from the season’s onset that keeping my spirits high was going to be really important for our success.

“Also, talking to the younger girls throughout games has been really important. I answer all the questions I can and make any effort to give advice when appropriate. I just try to be in-the-know and a presence on the court so I can help the other girls as much as possible.”

Vavrek is in his 11th season as coach at Quaker Valley, and 17th overall. He has a bright outlook for the Quakers, both this year and in the years to follow.

“We’ve had the freshmen and sophomores really step up to add some depth for us,” Vavrek said. “This freshman class is one of the most talented I have had at QV. To have three (freshman) girls seeing varsity time is something you don’t see often. And those two sophomores have also done a great job providing some offense for us.

“Now, at times we certainly look very inexperienced, and you can see the youthfulness in some of the mistakes we make, but we are learning and growing every day.”

Which is music to his ears.