Mars girls volleyball earns 2nd WPIAL championship with win over Beaver
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Mars seniors Lily Javor (12), Ella Nicotra (11), Hailey Duker (14) and McKenna Daschbach (18) pose with the trophy after beating Beaver 3-1 in the WPIAL Class 3A Girls Volleyball Championship match Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, at Peters Township High School's AHN Arena. Jake Merda Adams/Butler Eagle
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Mars teammates hug as they await their gold medals after beating Beaver 3-1 in the WPIAL Class 3A Girls Volleyball Championship match Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, at Peters Township High School's AHN Arena. Jake Merda Adams/Butler Eagle
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Mars' bench celebrates a point during the fourth set against Beaver in the WPIAL Class 3A Girls Volleyball Championship match Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, at Peters Township High School's AHN Arena. Jake Merda Adams/Butler Eagle
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Mars players celebrate the championship-winning point after beating Beaver 3-1 in the WPIAL Class 3A Girls Volleyball Championship match Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, at Peters Township High School's AHN Arena. Jake Merda Adams/Butler Eagle
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Mars players lift up the district championship trophy after beating Beaver 3-1 in the WPIAL Class 3A Girls Volleyball Championship match Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, at Peters Township High School's AHN Arena. Jake Merda Adams/Butler Eagle
MCMURRAY — With a WPIAL championship on the line, Mars was getting dangerously close to falling behind top-seeded Beaver two sets to one.
Shortly after Alaina Malobabich’s kill gave the Bobcats a 23-21 lead in Saturday’s third set, Mars coach Tami Caraway called a timeout.
“We made a few adjustments, reminded the girls of what Beaver was trying to do, and told them not to be timid with their kill attempts,” she said.
What ensued was a run that sent a Class 3A girls volleyball district title home with the Planets. They scored the final four points of the third set and thoroughly dominated the fourth to defeat Beaver by scores of 25-23, 21-25, 25-23 and 25-15.
“This feels amazing. I’ve been looking forward to this for four years,” said Ella Nicotra, a senior outside hitter for Mars who tallied 11 kills against the Bobcats (18-4). “This is what the whole team has been working for.”
A kill from Lily Javor sparked Mars’ short run at the end of the third set. Five different players dropped kills on the Bobcats in the final set, led by Javor (4), Cecilia Christy (4) and Nicotra (3). The Planets led 8-3 early before using a 6-0 run to break Beaver’s resolve. Rylee Wooldridge was behind the service line during the spree and contributed an ace just after Beaver coach Susan Pollins had called a timeout with Mars leading 17-10.
The Bobcats had swept Mars in the regular season.
“We knew Mars was big in the middle, but they also played faster today,” Pollins said. “We just didn’t play well.”
“That first game was in their gym and they had a lot of energy,” said Wooldridge. “We knew we had to bring our own energy today.”
Beaver won a WPIAL title in Class 2A last year, with outside hitter Kailyn Connelly leading the charge. She tallied 25 kills on Saturday.
“She really gets after it,” Caraway said. “She can hit at will and got over our blocking wall a lot of times today.”
Mars featured a more diverse attack.
With freshman setter Gabi Weidemann totaling 51 assists, the Planets had four players reach double figures in kills — Christy (15), Javor (13), Wooldridge (13) and Nicotra.
Zoe Ringer had 42 assists for the Bobcats and Malobabich added 12 kills.
Mars has one other WPIAL title in girls volleyball, in 2012 when Caraway was an assistant to head coach Dan Mountain.
“The players are happy to be in the gym every day,” she said. “As a coach, that’s what you want.
“Beaver is one of the best teams in the entire WPIAL, not just 3A. Coaches can get a team ready to play, but players win championships.”
Wooldridge has taken Caraway’s advice to heart.
“She tells us to enjoy the ride and stay on as long as we can,” she said.
That ride is not over for the Planets, who open the state playoffs on Tuesday.
