(MORRISTOWN, N.J.) – The regular season came to a close with Wilson being defeated by St. Elizabeth in straight sets on Saturday afternoon. The good news for the Phoenix is that the season will continue as they will play in the CSAC Tournament next week.
The Basics
Scores: Wilson 0, St. Eilzabeth 3 (26-24, 25-17, 25-17)
Venue: St. Joseph Hall
Records: Wilson 8-14, 3-3 CSAC; St. Elizabeth 12-7, 4-2 CSAC
How It Happened
- Wilson came out and showed it was willing to fight proverbially speaking from the start. A couple of kills by Xavier Webber (Fy., Mechanicsburg, Pa. / Central Dauphin East) and a block from the duo of Jacob McCoy (Fy., York, Pa. / Spring Grove) and Wyatt Tribett (Fy., Myersville, Md. / Middletown) helped the Phoenix jump out to an early 7-5 lead. The Phoenix led as late as 10-9 before a 5-1 run allowed the Eagles to jump in front. A 4-0 run by the Phoenix with kills from Saria Alshaikhali (Jr., Jeddah, Saudi Arabia / Hayfield) and Demetrious Simmons (Fy., Mechanicsburg, Pa. / Mechanicsburg) helped Wilson regain the lead at 19-18. Kills from Alshaikhali and an attack error then gave the Phoenix a 22-21 lead, but the Eagles answered with the next three points. While Wilson scored the next two to even up the day, the Phoenix couldn't regain the lead as the Eagle took a 1-0 lead.
- The third looked better at the start for the Blue and White as they went up 3-1 early with kills from Simmons and Jacob McCoy (Fy., York, Pa. / Spring Grove). A pair of Eagles errors and another McCoy kill then gave Wilson a 6-5 lead. From there the Eagles slowly took control of the set as nine of the next 12 points went their way. The Phoenix could only cut the deficit down to five on a couple of occasions as the Eagles went one to secure the win.
Inside The Numbers
- Webber led the offense with seven kills on 15 attacks with a hitting percentage of .200. He had double duties on the afternoon as the Phoenix played a 6-2 and tallied five assists as well.
- Alshaikhali was the other setter in the rotation and he totaled eight assists with four kills when attacking. He also led the team defensively with eight digs on the receiving end.
- Up front Simmons was responsible for a pair of blocks on the day with one solo and one assist.
For The Eagles
- The hosts were led offensively by Kodi Peters with nine kills. Frank Rossi Jr. and Jarod Crowe had eight and seven, respectively. Defensively Rossi and Daniel Chavez led the team with six digs each.
Up Next
Wilson will be the fourth seed in next weeks CSAC Tournament set to begin with semifinal matchups on Tuesday. The Phoenix will head to Lancaster Bible to take on the top-seeded Chargers at a time to be determined.
