Oct 31, 2012 3 min read

PITTSBURGH – It’s difficult enough to beat the top seed of the WPIAL Class A volleyball playoffs when that team is making the normal power plays.It makes it that much harder when that team also has a finesse option to turn to in those crucial make-or-break moments.That’s why Greensburg Central Catholic is the top seed and why the Centurions were able to sweep Chartiers-Houston, 25-20, 25-23, 25-18 in the quarterfinals Wednesday night at Baldwin High School’s gymnasium.The loss ended the Bucs season at 13-3. Chartiers-Houston entered the tournament as the No. 9 seed. Greensburg Central Catholic moved to 15-0 and will play West Shamokin, which swept Shenango, in the semifinals.”We try to mix it up,” said Greensburg Central Catholic head coach Heather Meyer, who has taken her team to two championship games in the past six years. “We knew they would try to block us, and they did. We concentrated on finding our spots.”Those spots, most of the time, were left unprotected by a Chartiers-Houston player. For every sizzling smash by senior Shannon Hurley, there was a dink that found a home on the other side of the net just eluding the outstretched arms of the Bucs.”They have such great court vision,” said Chartiers-Houston head coach Lori Levers. “Our girls played great defense against them.”After Greensburg Central Catholic sent a return out, Chartiers-Houston held a 7-4 lead in Game 1. But the Centurions outscored C-H, 15-5, on the way to a 25-20 victory.The Bucs held leads of 12-7, 14-11 and 20-18 in the second game, but a furious rally by Greensburg Central Catholic – the Centurions scored seven of the final 10 points – produced a 25-23 victory.”The tendency when you make an error is to get rattled,” said Lori Levers. “Volleyball is a delicate game of getting the next point. That was our plan.”That win seemed to take the heart out of Chartiers-Houston, which fell behind 10-3 and 16-7. The Bucs put one final rally together, taking advantage of two Centurions mishits and a net violation to pull to 17-15. But Greensburg Central Catholic scored the next seven points and won 25-18.This was the final match in Lacey Levers scholastic career. The senior mid-hitter, who is headed for Duquesne University, had 13 kills, 24 service receptions and nine digs. Levers overcame a fractured back as a sophomore and a severe knee injury as a junior.”It’s bittersweet,” said Lori Levers. She wanted to take the girls to states.”We lose five starters, but we have some good players coming back. We’ll come back strong.”Kylee Levers, a freshman and Lacey’s sister, had 12 service points, four aces and 10 assists; Tori Foster, a senior, had 12 service receptions and seven digs; and Montana Johnston, a sophomore, contributed 10 service points, two aces and 12 digs.