Abington Heights has nearly tripled its girls volleyball win total from a year ago and the Comets appear to still have more wins ahead.
Using a young lineup, the Comets have gone from last place in Division 1 a year ago to the upper third of what is now a 15-team Lackawanna League.
Abington Heights lost its last eight league matches last season to finish 3-11 while going 3-14 overall.
Entering October, the Comets were 6-3 in the league and 8-5 overall. They ranked sixth in the 14-team race for eight berths in the District 2-4 Class 3A Subregional playoffs.
Abington Heights has done more than just take advantage of fledgling programs in an expanding league. The Comets have beaten Mountain View, Forest City and Susquehanna, league opponents they lost to a year ago, and have a win over Wyoming Valley Conference member Wyoming Valley West after going winless outside of league play a year ago.
Every kill has come from underclassmen, who fill 10 of the top 12 spots on the team.
Sophomore Veda Dickinson leads a balanced attack in kills while Sadie O’Brien, Regan Allison, Kathryn Beck, Amara Lajoie and Anna Beck all average at least 0.9 kills per set.
Allison has a team-high 43 aces while Dickinson is second with 25.
O’Brien leads in blocks with 38 while Lajoie has 22.
Sophomore libero Madison Smith has 213 digs. Dickinson, Allison and Gabriella Potis all have contributed at least 76.
Freshman Brielle Wentz has 110 assists. Katherine Hastie has 72.
HIGHLIGHTS
Abington Heights finished second out of seven teams in the Lady Tigers Invitational in Tunkhannock and third of eight teams at the Dallas Invitational, Saturday tournaments during September. Some of the matches from those days are not part of the team’s official record because they don’t follow the regular-season format of five sets.
The Comets posted three-set sweeps over the three league opponents they lost to a year ago, along with newcomer Valley View and Wyoming Valley West. … Smith had 34 digs, Wentz 20 assists, Allison 11 aces, Dickinson nine kills and O’Brien five blocks in a four-set victory over Lackawanna Trail, last year’s Lackawanna Division 2 champion, Sept. 21. The Comets won by set scores of 25-13, 23-25, 25-16, 25-14. … Abington Heights is one of just three teams to take a set off of Blue Ridge in 10 matches for the unbeaten league leaders. O’Brien had eight kills and seven blocks during the 25-23, 25-21, 21-25, 25-14 loss. Smith had 36 digs and Wentz had 29 assists.
LACKAWANNA TRAIL
The loss to Abington Heights was the fourth straight for Lackawanna Trail.
The Lady Lions have since swept both Montrose and Susquehanna in three sets to improve to 6-4 in the league and 7-4 overall.
Lackawanna Trail is second of five teams in the race for seeding in the District 2 Class A tournament behind only Blue Ridge.
