ERIE, Pa. – The McDowell volleyball dynasty rolls on.
The Trojans captured their 18th consecutive District 10 crown, earning a 3-0 win over Erie High (25-13, 25-17, 25-20) in the championship match on Tuesday at the Hagerty Family Events Center.
The two teams are the only two Class 4A entrants in District 10.
Macy Testa led a balanced effort with 10 kills, while Cassidy Cousins and Jocelyn Teresi had five each
Alyssa Radtke ran the offense to the tune of 18 set assists.
The win was the third this season for the Trojans over the Royals.
“We were pretty calm, because we’ve played them two times before, but winning D10 is a big deal,” said Cousins, who along with fellow seniors Sarah Boyd and Emma Murray, serve as captains.
Boyd finished with a team-high 11 digs.
Listen to the full interview from the trio here:
McDowell (8-5) didn’t trail until the third set. They went on big runs in each of the first two sets – 9-2 in the first and 8-0 in the second to assume control of each.
“To get to this point … we did not play very well the first time against Erie,” said McDowell coach Jamie Soboleski. “They are a good team and I’m glad we got through it.”
McDowell is yoyr D10 4A volleyball champion pic.twitter.com/FtFL68jtEc
— D9and10Sports (@d9and10sports) October 26, 2021
Erie (2-13) led by as many as five, 14-9 in the third set, but the Trojans came storming back.
Trailing 16-14, McDowell went on a 6-0 run to take a 20-16 lead and was able to close out the match and the D10 title from there.
“That’s been the biggest struggle for us this year is that we’re hot and cold,” Soboleski said. “Sometimes when we get down, we shut down, for them to preserve and batte back says a lot. Our game plan is normally to get the ball to Macy (Testa) in those situations and that’s what Alyssa (Radtke) did.”
McDowell senior captains Sarah Boyd, Cassidy Cousins and Emma Murray.
With the win, McDowell advances to play Allderdice in a Class 4A subregional on Tuesday. That match is tentatively set for Carrick High School.
