UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Cochranton boys’ volleyball team has already made history. Now they want more.
The Cardinals find themselves in the PIAA Class 2A championship for the first time in program history, where they will be facing a team in Lower Dauphin, which is accustomed to being in this position.
The Falcons are seeking their third consecutive state title, with both of them coming against another District 10 foe, Cochranton’s rival, Meadville.
For Cochranton, this has been years in the making.
“It’s a generational thing for volleyball at Cochranton,” said Cochranton coach Rob Cierniakoski. “It’s decades of families putting all their efforts into just having a great program. So you know that they’ve thought about this from the time they were little kids. I’ve mentioned before that those guys have played together their whole lives so they’ve definitely envisioned themselves in this match.”
The Cardinals (18-5) lost to Mercyhurst Prep in the D10 final but came back to beat the Lakers in the semifinals, 3-1 after the two teams split during the regular season.
Watch highlights from the Cochranton-Mercyhurst Prep PIAA semifinal:
Cochranton swept WPIAL champion North Catholic in the first round and beat District 6 champion West Shamokin, 3-1.
Landon Homa, who leads the team with 424 kills (3.7 per set), had 20 in the win over Mercyhurst Prep, while Chase Miller, who had 16 kills in the semifinal win over Mercyhurst Prep, comes in with 363 kills on the season (3.2 per set) and also leads the team in blocks with 82. He also has 245 digs (2.1 per set).
“We have some alumni that have been in the same positions as we were last year (losing in the PIAA quarterfinals,” Miller said. “I think it means a lot for them too, to be a part of a team that goes to the state championship. They’ve helped us out immensely and I can’t thank them enough for that.”
Also for the Cardinals, Noah Cummings comes in with 137 kills (1.5 kills per set), Brady Rynd has 170 kills (1.5 per set) to go along with 38 blocks, Dawson Carroll has 378 digs (3.3 per set) and Dustin Miller has 201 digs (1.8 per set).
Andy Custead runs the offense from his setter spot. He had 55 assists in the win over Mercyhurst Prep and also has 142 digs on the season.
“It might not be as loud,” Custead said of the state final, regarding the tremendous fan support the Cardinals got in nearby Erie in their semifinal win. “But it’s still going to be loud. We’re going to bring a lot of energy.”
On the other side, Lower Dauphin swept Masterman and Blue Ridge before dropping the first set in the semifinals to an Exeter team they beat for the D3 crown. Unlike in the D10 semifinal rematch, Lower Dauphin came out on top once again, taking the next three sets, 25-18, 25-20, and 25-22.
The Falcons, meanwhile, are led by Mid-Penn Keystone Player of the Year Will Sierer, who has more than 2,000 career assists.
Sierer has a multitude of weapons at his disposal from the hitting position, namely Toby Waters, Carter Lammando, Arun Gopinath, Kyler Holland and Digby Althoff.
Gopinath had a team-high 16 kills in the win over Exeter, while Waters had 15, Holland seven, and Althoff four.
The task is a tall one for the Cardinals, but it’s one they are ready for.
“It should be interesting,” Cierniakoski said. “Rec hall is pretty big, so the atmosphere might be a little bit different. I still think we’ll be able to play just as hard and just as well as we did (against Mercyhurst Prep).”
