2025 PIAA Girls Volleyball AA State Championship

By Ken Wunderley

It's the most surprising finish in PIAA volleyball history.

The Avonworth High School girls volleyball team capped its incredible season with a 3-1 win against Lansdale Catholic (21-8) in the PIAA Class 2A title match, held Nov. 15 at Cumberland Valley High School.

It was the 12th consecutive victory for the Antelopes (20-6), who finished the regular season third in Section 1 and were seeded No. 11 in the 20-team WPIAL bracket. In the WPIAL playoffs, Avonworth knocked off four seeded teams en route to the school's first WPIAL volleyball title.

Avonworth recorded four more victories in the PIAA tournament to claim its first state title in the sport of volleyball.

"We are absolutely ecstatic," Avonworth coach John Skarupa said. "Winning this title means everything to our program. The girls worked so hard to reach this goal. This title puts us on the volleyball map."

Avonworth advanced to the title match with wins against Erie Cathedral Prep, 3-0 in the first round; Everett, 3-0 in the quarterfinals; and Corry, 3-1 in the semifinals.

Lansdale Catholic (18-6) qualified for the state tournament by winning the District 12 title. The Crusaders earned their title berth with wins against Villa Joseph Marie, 3-0 in the first round; Holy Redeemer, 3-1 in the quarterfinals; and Delone Catholic, 3-0 in the semifinals.

Lansdale was making its first appearance in a title match. In fact, the Bulldogs have the distinction of being the first District 12 girls volleyball team to play in a PIAA title match.

"It's great for our school and District 12 in general to make it to the highest level and play in a state championship match," Lansdale coach Rachael Picozzi said. "It hurts to lose, but I'm very proud of what my girls were able to achieve."

The title match was dominated by strong serving and timely hitting by both schools.

The two teams traded points in the first set until it was tied at 18-18. At that point, Avonworth scored five consecutive points with Julia Cernich serving. She recorded three aces and gave the Antelopes their 24th point with a kill. A hitting error by Lansdale Catholic gave the Antelopes a 25-21 victory.

"We came in with excellent energy, but missed on seven or eight serves," Picozzi said. "That's such a momentum killer. We didn't settle in until the second set."

The second set was dominated by Lansdale Catholic and senior libero Marissa Passerini, who recorded five serving aces during a 10-point run in which the Crusaders turned a 6-2 lead into a 16-2 blowout. Lansdale Catholic recorded seven aces in the 25-6 victory.

"Everything fell for them in the second set," Skarupa said. "There's a certain amount of luck involved in volleyball, and they used up all of theirs in the second set. I actually used a few of our subs in the second half of that set so I could give some of our starters a rest."

Avonworth had a similar run in the third set. With Lansdale leading 5-4, Cernich stepped to the serving line and the Antelopes scored 10 consecutive points to take a 14-5 lead. Clementine Dutot-Lucs had four kills during the rally and six total as the Antelopes dominated with a 25-12 victory. Cernich added five kills.

"We had an adrenaline crash when we got to the third set," Picozzi said. "And Avonworth's serving really picked up."

Avonworth led most of the fourth set and held a six-point advantage four times, including 20-14. Lansdale Catholic cut the deficit to 24-23 with an ace by senior outside hitter Ellie Carrickhoff.

"I was concerned until the final whistle, especially when [Carrickhoff] got their 23rd point with an ace," Skarupa admitted. "Fortunately, Julia came up with the winning kill."

Cernich dominated the fourth set with 10 kills and finished the match with 21 kills and four aces. Dutot-Lucs added 13 kills and three aces. Setter Ali Colasante recorded 28 assists with her thumb taped from an injury sustained in the semifinals.

"It’s just so amazing. We’ve played for each other every single game. At the beginning of the season, it was a little rocky. We weren’t necessarily like, 'We can definitely make it to a state championship.'” Cernich said. “Once we figured some stuff out, like moving Clementine [Dutot-Lucs] to the outside, everything just started fitting like a puzzle piece. We're so proud of each other."

"It's been quite a ride," said Skarupa. "It's overwhelming the support the coaches and players have received from the community and student body."

 Skarupa used 10 players in the championship match, and only three are seniors.

"We lose three talented players to graduation, but have most of our team coming back," Skarupa said. "The future is bright."

Carrickhoff led the Crusaders with 14 kills and one block. Junior outside hitter Greta Swope had 10 kills and five aces. Junior middle hitter Molly Callen had 10 kills. Passerini finished with six aces.

Picozzi used 10 players in the title match, with four of them being seniors.

"Our four seniors will be tough to replace," Picozzi said. "But we should have a very strong lineup again. Two years ago, we made it to the semifinals. This year we played in the title match. Next year, our goal is to win the state title."