King, Rupp Lead Redbank Valley into D9 2A Volleyball Title Game for Third Straight Season

Chris Rossetti

Chris Rossetti

Published November 1, 2018 4:20 am
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NEW BETHLEHEM, Pa. (D9Sports) — Using the one-two punch of Josie Rupp and Taylor King at the net, Redbank Valley hit its way back into the District 9 Class 2A championship game for the third straight year with a 3-0 (25-18, 25-10, 25-14) win over visiting Karns City.

(Photo Taylor King of Redbank Valley was the Hager Paving Player of the Game)

Re-listen to the audio broadcast of the game.

Rupp led the top-seeded Lady Bulldogs, who will face Brookville in the title game at 3 p.m. Saturday at St. Marys High School, with 13 kills with King adding 12 kills and three blocks.

“It was a great team effort tonight,” Redbank Valley head coach Matt Darr said. “Once you get to this level, all the teams are good. Teams are going to key if you only have that one player or even two players. I think we are pretty balanced.”

While Darr was pleased with his hitters, he also immediately pointed to the serving of Jordan Milliron as a key to the victory as well.

“I thought Jordan Milliron did a great job from the service line,” Darr said. “She put pressure on them to give us free balls to be able to run our offense.”

Watch all of Darr’s thoughts on the victory.

Redbank Valley’s offense was at its best in the second set where King earned her Hager Paving Player of the Game honors. The middle hitter had nine of her kills and a half block in the set that Redbank Valley controlled from the outset grabbing a 14-3 lead at one point.

“I see if there is open a spot to tip or a spot where I can hit through the block,” King said of her second-set performance.

King did a great job in the set of mixing her tips with full-on attacks and explained her reasoning for choosing one or the other.

“Before I take my approach, I look at the other side and see where the other players are,” King said. “As soon as I jump I see where the other players are so I can tip or hit.”

Listen to King’s full thoughts on the victory.

The match actually started slowly for Redbank Valley, which swept past Karns City in the regular season a couple of weeks ago by scores of 25-12, 25-16, 25-9.

The Lady Gremlins won eight of the first 11 points in the first set and still led 14-13 following a Lady Bulldogs hitting error.

But Redbank Valley turned things around by scoring the five straight points, including kills from Milliron and Carissa Rearick, who finished with 32 assists, three kills and 1.5 blocks. That 5-0 spurt was part of a bigger 12-4 run that closed out the set victory.

The momentum carried over into the second set when the Lady Bulldogs raced out to the 14-3 lead behind four King kills and a kill and an ace from Rearick.

“She just reads the defense so well,” Darr said about King. “She knows when to tip the ball and where to tip the ball. She did a great job of reading the defense and taking what they were giving her.”

Karns City was the team that started quickly in the third set winning the first four points, including an Alyssa Stitt ace, but Redbank Valley answered with a 10-0 run that featured a pair of kills from King and one each from Rupp and Rearick to take a 10-5 lead.

Then, with the Lady Bulldogs leading 12-7, Rupp took charge recording three kills in a four-point span and four kills during a 6-1 run that all but put the match out of reach.

Hope Spence paced Redbank Valley’s defense with 19 digs.

Rayna Miller led Karns City with four kills with Emma Clark adding three.

Redbank Valley has gone 1-1 in the D9 Class 2A title games over the last couple of years beating Kane in 2016 and losing to Kane last year. A third straight matchup with the Lady Wolves seemed like it would happen when Kane took a 2-1 lead on Brookville in the other semifinal Wednesday and led the fifth set 12-5. But the Lady Raiders ended with a 10-0 run to pull out the upset.

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