PG West: Moon sets its sights on a run to playoffs in girls' volleyball
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Moon Area High School girls' volleyball coach Jason Ferri entered the 2009 season with a plan to rebuild.
"We lost six talented girls to graduation and all six were starters," Ferri said. "One [Layne Baggett] was a WPIAL hurdles champion and four are now playing in college. I knew it would take time to put the pieces together.
"But I also know that if we grow together, we will be a good team down the stretch. Our goal is to win enough matches to qualify for the WPIAL playoffs."
Moon concluded its first half of play in Section 5-AAA with Tuesday's 3-0 win against Chartiers Valley. The Tigers, who finished in a tie for the section title last year, were defeated by top-ranked Mt. Lebanon and Baldwin in the first half.
"We're not at the level of Mt. Lebanon and Baldwin, but we're hoping to get there," Ferri said. "Mt. Lebanon has one of the top five teams in the state.
"Baldwin has a very disciplined squad that makes very few errors. We faced Baldwin in our first section match and it was on the road. Fortunately, Baldwin has to play on our court in the second half."
Moon has shown signs of becoming a good team in two of its three tournament appearances.
"The MAC tournament was a high point of the season for us," Ferri said. "There were 28 teams in that tournament and we won the title. We beat West Allegheny, 2-0, in the title match. It was a big win for us, because we had just faced West Allegheny in a non-league match earlier in the week and lost to them.
"We made a few adjustments and played much better in the tournament. It was a glimpse of what we can be."
Moon also posted a respectable 8-3 record at the South Fayette tournament, and a 4-5 record at the Mt. Lebanon tournament.
"We've been very good at points, but haven't shown the consistency we need to be a quality team," said Ferri, who has led Moon to five consecutive WPIAL playoff appearances. "We could be a dangerous team down the road if we gain that consistency."
Ferri has a good balance of senior leadership and youth on his squad.
"We have six seniors, all returning letter-winners, who are stepping up and providing leadership," Ferri said. "We also have some younger kids who are making an impact."
The six seniors are: 5-foot-7 setter Casey Pattyn, 5-10 right-side/middle hitter Sam Styche, 5-6 outside hitter Tara Gorndt, 5-9 libero Maddie Fecko, 5-5 defensive specialist Sarah Baun and 5-6 defensive specialist Lizzie Denniston.
"Casey was a starting defensive specialist for us last year," Ferri said. "She set some for us as a sophomore, so she was the obvious choice to take over as our [full-time] setter. It's been a relatively easy transition for her.
"Maddie lettered for us as a sophomore, but missed last season with an injury."
Ferri's 11-player varsity rotation also includes four juniors and one sophomore.
The juniors are 5-9 middle hitter Lily Deasy, 5-8 Rachel Pitaro, 5-11 right-side hitter Jen Yardas and 5-7 outside hitter Gabby Slain.
"Lily and Rachel are returning letter-winners," Ferri said. "Rachel leads the team in digs. Jen leads the team in blocking. Gabby is also a serving specialist."
A sophomore making her presence known is Nikki Moorman, a 6-0 middle hitter.
"Nikki has led our team in blocks and attacks the past several games," Ferri said. "This is only her second year of playing volleyball. She's taking a fast track to becoming a very good player."
Moon is playing host to a 12-team tournament Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m. Joining the Tigers are Baldwin, Canon-McMillan, Chartiers Valley, Hopewell, Keystone Oaks, Latrobe, Quaker Valley, South Park, Trinity, West Allegheny and Woodland Hills.
First Published October 1, 2009 12:00 am
