NTL VOLLEYBALL: WYALUSING CONTINUES STRONG PLAY THROUGH 2022 (2022-11-21)

Northern Tier Sports Report
Wyalusing’s success on the volleyball court continued into 2022, though they came up just short of claiming two different titles.

“The 2022 volleyball season was another one for the record books,” said coach Jennifer Newton. 

They went 16-6, and were runners-up in the District IV, Class AA Championships. They tied Canton in the NTL Small School standings, but lost out on virtue of the tie-breaker, as the Warriors won both meetings to get the head to head.

All of their losses on the year on the were to teams that, at least, made a district final, whether in D4 or beyond.

They won their first four matches, including a 3-1 victory over always tough Williamson. 

Then tragedy struck as setter Emilee Otis was out injured, which was followed by losses to Williamsport (3-0) and Blue Ridge (3-2).

They would rebound with a win over Greater Nanticock, but a 3-2 heartbreaking loss to Canton at home followed. It was a match they led 2-0, and had a chance to win in all of the final three sets.

They would recover by winning eight of their nine matches, including wins over playoff teams Athens (3-0), NEB (3-2, 3-1), and Williamson (3-1).

Then came the NTL deciding match against Canton, another 3-2 nail-biter which gave the Warriors the league title.

They finished out the season with two straight losses, including a win over playoff bound Wellsboro (3-0).

In districts they won an epic 3-2 victory over Williamson to reach the finals, but they ultimately fell to NP-Liberty 3-0.

“As I look back through our wins and losses, I see a loss to Williamsport who went to the District AAAA final,” said Newton. “I see a 5-set loss to Blue Ridge who won the District 2 A Championship, I see two losses to Canton in 5-sets the District IV A runner up, I see a second place finish at the Tunkhannock Tournament with a loss to Dallas who finished as the District 2 AAA Runner Up, and two losses to North Penn Liberty the eventual District IV Champions.”

They battled injuries throughout the season, and saw some big milestones, including Priscilla Newton reaching 1,356 digs for her career. Emilee Otis reached 1,000 assists, London Edwards surpassed 500 digs, and Hannah Ely finished her career with over 250 kills.

Ely led the team in kills with 217, while Olivia Leichliter (102) and Olivia Carr (101) both had over 100. Ely also led the team with 67 aces, while Leichliter finished with 28 blocks.

Newton had 508 digs on the season, as Edwards (228) and Ely (215) both went over 200. Otis ended the year with 395 assists, while Sarah Watkins (115) went over 100 as she filled in when Otis was out.

This was a heavy senior squad, as they will return just two - Rachel Wilson and Kylie Pickett - who saw varsity action.

However, the group of Newton, Otis, Ely, Edwards, Leichliter, Carr, Watkins, and Anna Kipp have etched their names into Wyalusing volleyball legend.

“For this group of seniors, they can be proud of their accomplishments and what they have done for Wyalusing volleyball,” said coach Newton. “They will always have a gold and silver district medal and a district championship banner on the gym wall to symbolize that hard work does pay off. I hope the work ethic and passion for volleyball continues with our underclassman, and that I have instilled a culture that builds success for many years to come.”