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Amanda Ayers’ goal sends Lake-Lehman to Class 2A PIAA girls soccer semifinals

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Bishop Hoban Class of ‘76 holds reunion

READING &#8212; Something clicked.Maybe the nerves were suddenly gone. Perhaps it was the encouraging words from senior captains Amanda Curcio, Brynn Kukosky and Ashley Andrejko. In part, it could have been the tough serving of sophomores Sarah Kuderka and Korren Hicks.Whatever it was, it came just in the nick of time for Holy Redeemer volleyball.The Royals rallied after dropping the opening set to New Hope-Solebury to sweep the next three and secure their berth in the PIAA Class 2A semifinals after a 3-1 victory on Saturday at Exeter Township High School.Holy Redeemer will face surprising District 5 champ North Star, which upset No. 1-ranked Delone Catholic in four sets. This is the first time since 2009 that Redeemer advanced to the state semifinals.&#8220;I know that a majority of the team, including myself, had butterflies,&#8221; said Kukosky, who finished with a match-high 19 kills. &#8220;Right after the first set, we just said that we had to calm down and play the way we normally play in practice. The final three sets, that was Holy Redeemer volleyball. Myself, I just knew that I had to step up and contribute to the team because I didn&#8217;t play well in our last match.&#8221;Really, the Royals were just off in that opening set.New Hope serves hitting right inside the back line without any return. Outstanding defense by the Lions, in particular libero Caleigh Roach, digging every single Royal spike to the front row.And the real stunner? New Hope, a first-time entrant in the state tournament, took the first set, 25-22, over the fourth-ranked state Class 2A squad.&#8220;Give them credit because they dug everything,&#8221; Redeemer head coach Jack Kablick said. &#8220;And we had some nice swings. We hit our spots, and they still dug the darn thing forward. We told our girls to just keep bringing the power from every angle, and eventually, you can only pass so long.&#8221;All of a sudden, the alarm clock rang.Each Royal admits there was nothing special said between the first two sets. More so, just regrouping, finding confidence and getting in a groove.Of course, long runs don&#8217;t hurt, either.Leading 11-9 in the second set, Redeemer went on a four-point run on Hicks&#8217; serve, added three more with Kuderka firing to the New Hope corners, and finished it off by scoring the final four points &#8211; three of those on Kukosky swings.The Lions didn&#8217;t put up much of a fight in the third.A combined 12-1 run with Kukosky and Hicks serving broke open the set with Redeemer leading 16-4. And Royal senior Andrejko capped off the 25-9 victory by serving the final four points.&#8220;We knew that wasn&#8217;t us after that first set,&#8221; Hicks said. &#8220;The nerves started to go away in that second set. I think we realized that we were in the state quarterfinals, and we wanted to be the next group to reach the state semifinals. I really want to get it done for the seniors, and pull out a win for them.&#8221;It was sophomore Skylar Osenkarski that exploded in the fourth.She had six of her 17 kills there &#8211; including three consecutive spikes to give the Royals a 20-15 lead. Again, it was Kuderka&#8217;s serve that sparked Redeemer as a 6-0 run busted the final stanza open.&#8220;When we started that second set, I had a good feeling that we were going to be OK,&#8221; Kuderka said. &#8220;Our hitters and passers came alive, and our setters did a great job. I&#8217;ve been practicing so hard on my serve. I know that I can ignite the fire if I start off a set serving strong.&#8221;New Hope-Solebury, an underclassmen-laden squad in its own right, tried to rally in the fourth.Rachel McMahon served the first five points to give the Lions a 5-0 lead to start &#8211; only to see Redeemer win 17 of the next 25 points to grab a 17-13 advantage.The District 1 champ cut the deficit to 21-17 late, but Curcio killed three balls and blocked another to seal the victory.&#8220;They are definitely more experienced than us,&#8221; New Hope head coach Roy Watson said. &#8220;We are a high-energy team, and that&#8217;s how we win games. Holy Redeemer had a lot of hitters that were more powerful than us. I think our age got the better of us. But we hung with a good team, and hopefully next year, we can run closer with them. Now, we have our goal to work toward in the offseason.&#8221;Kukosky, Curcio and Osenkarski combined for 53 kills, while Kuderka and Hicks had 16 and 12 service points, respectively.&#8220;We wanted them to play their game, and do what they&#8217;ve been doing all year,&#8221; Kablick said. &#8220;The sophomores played great, and they had a great serving night. And our senior leaders did a great job of keeping everyone calm. That 2009 team was driven by seniors, and we took the eventual state champ five sets. But I really like the makeup of this team. We are really playing together and with confidence.&#8221;Holy Redeemer 3, New Hope-Solebury 1Holy Redeemer `22`25`25`25 &#8211; 3New Hope-Solebury `25`15`9`19 &#8211; 1Holy Redeemer Leaders: Brynn Kukosky 19 kills, 4 blocks, 5 digs, 14 points; Amanda Curcio 17 kills, 7 blocks, 26 assists, 2 digs; Skylar Osenkarski 17 kills, 4 blocks; Sarah Kuderka 16 points, 5 digs; Korren Hicks 12 points, 2 assists, 1 dig.New Hope Leaders: Katie Costello 9 kills; Caroline Maloney 5 kills; Gwen Vogelsang 15 assists, 3 kills, 1 ace.<style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Tom FoxFor Times Leader</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Times Leader sports at 570-829-7143 or on Twitter @tlsports.</shirttailMeta></div>

Holy Redeemer girls volleyball advances to PIAA semifinals