Women's Volleyball Begins Crucial Stretch Run

Women's Volleyball huddles up for their pregame cheer

October 15, 2012

McKeesport, Pa- While already achieving the most successful season in the program's young history, the Greater Allegheny women's volleyball team turns for home on its 2012 schedule, looking to cement its first-ever postseason berth. At 6-5 in conference play, GA currently sits 6^th in the latest PSUAC standings- the top eight teams will qualify for the PSUAC playoffs.

The remainder of the schedule sets up quite nicely for Greater Allegheny, with four of the five matches coming against teams below them in the standings. The lone team ahead of them, Penn State York, sits at 8-4; a perfect 5-0 finish to the PSUAC season stands as a definite possibility. GA begins the stretch run with a quad-match tomorrow evening at Penn State Mont Alto, in which they will take on Mont Alto and York. Greater Allegheny then returns home to face Penn State DuBois on Friday, travels to Penn State New Kensington on Saturday, before wrapping up the season on Sunday, October 21 against DuBois.

Three prominent scenarios exist as to where GA will be seeded, with each one broken down as follows:

Penn State Hazleton currently sits in 4^th, Penn State York in 5^th, and Greater Allegheny in 6^th.

The best case scenario for GA, in which they finish 5-0, with predictable outcomes by the others in play:
GA: finish 11-5 -- wins over York, Mont Alto, New Kensington, DuBois (twice)
York: finish 10-6 -- wins over Beaver, Wilkes-Barre, losses to GA, Brandywine
Hazleton: finish 10-6 -- win over Scranton, losses to Penn College, Brandywine

In this scenario, Greater Allegheny would finish 4^th, take on the 5^th seeded team- in this case, York- and likely host GA's first-ever PSUAC playoff match.

In a second scenario, based on GA going 4-1 and defeating the teams below them in the standings and losing to those above:
GA: finish 10-6 -- wins over Mont Alto, New Kensington, DuBois (twice), loss to York
York: finish 11-5 -- wins over GA, Beaver, Wilkes-Barre, loss to Brandywine
Hazleton: finish 10-6 -- win over Scranton, losses to Penn College, Brandywine

In this scenario, GA finishes 6^th and would travel to the 3^rd seed, Penn State Brandywine.

A third scenario does exist in which all three teams (York, Hazleton, GA) end up in a three-way tie at 10-6. In this situation, tiebreakers would be needed in order to determine proper seeding, based on match results.

In a season that has already seen many high points, GA hopes to climb to an even further peak, by clinching the program's first-ever Elite 8 appearance. However, just clinching a berth would pale in comparison to being able to secure the 4^th seed, and in turn, a home playoff match. It's now or never for the Greater Allegheny women; a season teetering between being a good one and a great one, all coming down to the final week.