PIAA Class-A Volleyball State Champion Clarion Area Lady Cats Receive Another Great Accolade; Ranked Number Two In Pennsylvania By PrepVolleyball.com
(Above Photo by Bri Kirkland – Kirkland Photography) Lady Cats – 2020 PIAA State Class-A Champions
PrepVolleyball.com, who has been announcing their final editions of their Final Regional Fall Top Five’s within each region state by state, concluded the announcements on December 29th, with the Northeast Region, which consists of Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont.
And our own PIAA Class-A State Champion Clarion Area Lady Cats were awarded the Number Two Spot among the Pennsylvania schools.
The Lady Cats, the Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference and District Nine Class-A Champions, finished the 2020 season with a perfect 24-0 record (including a forfeit win) and lost only one set in the entire campaign, to Maplewood, finishing 69-1 in sets for the season. They allowed their opponents to pass the reach the 20-point plateau only eight times and only once during the entire playoffs, to West Shamokin in the State quarterfinals.
Clarion Area was ranked Number One, in Class-A from wire-to-wire (preseason to final standings) by the Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association (PVCA).
Class-A is the smallest division in Pennsylvania Girls Volleyball and Clarion Area is the only team from that division recognized by PrepVolleyball.com in the state’s rankings, with all the other schools participating in the Class-AAAA, the largest division.
The other schools included were: North Allegheny, at Number One; Parkland, at Number Three; State College at Number Four; and Unionville, at Number Six. North Allegheny was the Class-AAAA State Champion.
PrepVolleyball.com had this to say about Clarion and North Allegheny (the only two schools from the state that they singled out in there comments) on their website: “Both No.1 North Allegheny and No. 2 Clarion Area made big splashes in the rankings this year, appearing in the Power 25 and the Next 25 multiple times. North Allegheny reigned over Pennsylvania this season with an undefeated 18-0 record. Clarion shined as well, specifically Erica Selridge, who posted the highest hitting percentage in the state and hit .724 in the championship match. The Bobcats were 69-1 in sets on the season, an amazing feat.”
Coach Shari Campbell had this to say about the Lady Cats receiving this prestigious recognition, “Seeing this team receive such an honor of national recognition is so validating to the work this team put in. They were so determined to accomplish every practice, every match, every goal.
“This team deserves to be honored for all that they accomplished. Winning a State Championship in such a definitive way during a pandemic is certainly one of the most difficult things I have ever experienced.
“This team was unfazed by the challenge and had an amazingly positive mindset.
“I am so happy that they have been given this ranking by PrepVolleyball.”
CONGRATULATIONS ON ANOTHER GREAT HONOR, LADY CATS VOLLEYBALL!!!! YOU MAKE US CLARION PROUD!!!!
(Thanks to Bri Kirkland – Bri Kirkland Photography, Stacy Ochs, Nate Girvan and PrepVolleyball.com for the photos!)