2025 PIAA Boys Volleyball AA State Championship

By Ken Wunderley

It was more than just revenge for the Manheim Central boys volleyball team with its 3-1 victory against Meadville in the PIAA Class 2A title match, held June 14 at Penn State's Recreation Hall.

The Baron avenged their loss to the Bulldogs in last year's title match, but the victory had even more significance as it was the first PIAA boys volleyball title in school history.

"This means everything," said Barons coach Craig Dietrich, after watching his squad celebrate with the championship trophy. "The outcome today is something we’ve dreamed of. Winning the first state title in school history means so much to the players, the district and the community that has supported us for so many years.

"I’m so proud of these guys and the effort they’ve put in, and just being able to represent the town of Manheim is really special."

And avenging last year's 3-1 loss to Meadville made the title even sweeter.

"This is the match both teams and the fans wanted," Dietrich said. We had been on a collision course all season. We were looking for a little revenge and were able to that with this win."

Manheim Central was making its third appearance in the finals. The Barons placed second in 2018 and 2024.

"We've joined a very exclusive club," said Dietrich, referring to the fact that Manheim Central is the 32nd school in PIAA history to win a PIAA volleyball title. "It's very hard to get this far and come home with a title. It's a tribute to the hard work and dedication of this group of kids. It's something they will never forget."

Manheim Central got off to a great start by scoring the first four points of the match, but Meadville fought back with a strong offensive attack led by outside hitter Luke Soerensen and middle hitter Tymir Phillips.

The Bulldogs rallied to build an 18-12 lead, but the Barons rebounded to tie the set at 20-20. At that point, Meadville scored five of the next six points to pull out a 25-21 victory.

Soerensen, a Penn-State recruit, led the Bulldogs with five kills, while Phillips had four kills and two blocks for a point that capped the victory.

The momentum Meadville gained with the first set victory carried over to the second set as the Bulldogs jumped out to a 6-1 lead.

Manheim Central battled back to tie the set at 11-11. Meadville rebounded to take a 20-17 lead, but let the game slip away as the Barons scored eight of the next 11 points to pull out a 25-23 victory.

"We had leads of 20-17 and 23-22, but they scored the last three points," Meadville coach Nick Bancroft said. "We had too many unforced errors and they took advantage."

Middle hitter Landon Mattiace took charge in the second and third sets by recording five kills in each. He also had a serving ace in both sets.

Mattiace was joined by outside hitter Reagan Miller, who had four kills in the third set, as Manheim Central's setter Dylan Musser featured a balanced attack in which four players recorded kills. It was the most impressive performance of the match for the Barons, who posted a 25-16 victory.

"It was a pleasure setting them," said Musser, who recorded 43 assists. "Any time I set them, they put the ball away. They’re always trustful. With Landon, you just throw the ball high, and you’re almost guaranteed a kill."

Bancroft was also impressed with the play of Musser.

"Mattiace did a good job, but Musser was the key to their offense," Bancroft said. "He is the best setter in the state."

The two teams traded points in the fourth set as the score was tied 20 times.

"We actually served for set point twice in the fourth set [24-23 and 25-24], but let it slip away," said Bancroft of the 27-25 victory that clinched the title for Manheim Central. "The set could have gone either way. We had too many serving errors and unforced errors when it really mattered."

Manheim Central qualified for the state tournament by winning the District 3 title.

The Barons advanced to the title match with wins against Palumbo, 3-0 in the first round; Dock Mennonite, 3-0 in the quarterfinals; and York Suburban, 3-0 in the semifinals. They finish the season with a perfect 23-0 record.

Meadville earned its PIAA berth by winning the District 10 title. The Bulldogs advanced to the title match with wins against South Fayette, 3-0 in the first round; Ambridge, 3-0 in the quarterfinals; and Shaler, 3-0 in the semifinals. The Bulldogs conclude the season with a 19-1 record.

Mattiace led Manheim Central with 16 kills, while Reagan Miller had 13. Blake Neiles and Weston Longenecker added 7 and 6 kills respectively.

Manheim Central used eight players in the title match and five were seniors. "We lose six seniors to graduation. They will be missed," Dietrich said. "That means we have some retooling to do next year, but we have a good group of underclassmen who have been waiting for their chance to contribute."

Soerensen topped Meadville with 16 kills, while outside hitter Parker Gosnell had 12. Phillips finished with 10 kills and six blocks. Setter Max Decker had 35 assists.

Decker played despite suffering a sprained ankle earlier in the week. In fact, Bancroft was surprised he was able to play. "I was glad Max got to play," Bancroft said. "He wasn't 100 percent, but turned in an admirable performance considering what he was dealing with."

Bancroft used nine players in the title match and eight are underclassmen. "We only have two seniors and one didn't play in the title match," Bancroft said.

"Eight of our top nine players are back. We also have our libero Landon Carter coming back. He tore an ACL at the State College Tournament.

That makes Meadville the favorite for next season.