Nov 8, 2016 4 min read

DuBOIS – When Fort Cherry High School volleyball coach Jackie Artim watched the Rangers compete in their first PIAA playoff appearance, it was with senior middle hitter Hannah Greene in the back row for much of the night.

Unfortunately for the Rangers, District 9 champion Coudersport took advantage of almost every time Green patrolled away from the net. That advantage led to the departure of Fort Cherry in four games in the first round of the Class A tournament, 25-18, 22-25, 25-19 and 25-14, at Dubois Area High School Tuesday night.

“She is our strongest passer in our back row, so having her back there can be a strength, also,” Artim said of Greene. “Any time we can put and keep her in the front line though, it usually results in good things.”

That wasn’t the only problem the Rangers ran into as Coudersport (21-2) used depth to wear down Fort Cherry, scoring on 12 of the last 14 volleys in the final set.

“We don’t rely on one hitter,” Coudersport head coach Patty Wilson said. “There isn’t just one go-to person, and when you can go anywhere that really opens up your offense. When the passers can get the ball cleanly to the setter, and she has three options to look for the easiest matchup, it makes the offense dynamic. When (Greene) was in the back row, we definitely capitalized. She had some really nice hits, both from the back and front, but probably not as many as she normally has.”

That dynamic offense, equipped with a noticeable size advantage over Fort Cherry (17-3) on many occasions, made it difficult for the Rangers to produce consistent offense.

“They are tall and got their blocks up which made it hard for our hitters to adjust,” Artim admitted. “Our hitters normally rack up the kills but tonight we had a hard time.”

When Greene was adjacent to the net for the Rangers, the Cleveland State commit was able to tally 14 kills and six blocks. She also recorded 21 digs.

“They were a very smart team,” Greene said about Coudersport. “When they were serving they were able to find our weak spots. They combined that with some strong hitters.”

Trying to fill the Greene’s void in the front line because of the lack of runs from the Rangers was fellow senior Shannon Relihan, who broke a 22-22 tie with two of the final three points in their lone game win.

Relihan finished with five kills, three digs and five blocks.

“She is our other middle hitter that really doesn’t get as much recognition as she should because everybody talks about Hannah,” Artim said. “I think people get caught up in all the kills. If a defense is prepared for one, then they aren’t prepared for the other. They combined for a nice duo.”

While the loss eliminates Fort Cherry and ends its season, the message from Artim to the team after their magical run was simple.

“They set the bar for future teams,” Artim said smiling. “We’ve never made it this far in school history and they have left a legacy with winning back-to-back section titles. The goal for every team following them is to make it here and see what can happen. I’m so proud of them.”

It was a run Artim and the Fort Cherry faithful will remember.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better season and even though it’s ending I couldn’t be more proud of our girls,” Greene said. “Playing with your best friends help you love the sport even more. We have made a legacy at Fort Cherry.”