NEWARK — Newark Charter pulled away from Padua in each of the first two sets, then outlasted the scrappy Pandas in the third in a 3-0 win in the second round of the DIAA volleyball tournament on Oct. 31. Set scores were 25-11, 25-16 and 25-22.
The Patriots move on to the quarterfinals with the win.
A large crowd gathered at Newark Charter for the meeting between the 14th-seeded Pandas and the No. 3 Patriots. Padua defeated Newark Charter in five sets on Oct. 2, one of just two losses in the regular season for the Patriots.
The first set was tied, 5-5, when Newark Charter, with Charlotte Seiler on the serve, pulled away. The Patriots scored five straight before a Pandas timeout, and added four more before a service error ended the run at nine.
Zhara Pritchett was a force for Newark Charter, starting an 8-1 run with a kill, adding another attack and a block, then winning a 50/50 battle to make the score 22-8. Giavana Rea ended the set with a stuff.
Pritchett started the second with a blast, but Josalyn Carter answered for Padua. The Pandas took advantage of a few Newark Charter errors to take a few small leads, which was 11-8 at one point. The Patriots erased that with a 4-0 run before Carter tied it at 12 with a block. The set was tied, 13-13, before Newark Charter scored four straight again, this one including an ace from Anaiah King.
Aria Hoff stepped up for the Patriots, scoring twice on kills down the stretch before ending the set with consecutive aces.
Padua battled throughout the third set. Charlotte Manning had a few kills early on as the Pandas took a 5-4 lead. Carter and Annamay Hendrixson (St. Mary of the Assumption Parish) also found the floor with attacks that put Padua on top by a point each time. A block by Pritchett — she had seven for the match — began a stretch that ended with Newark Charter on top, 19-15, looking to close out the match.
Carter scored on a poke, however, and SydneyPaige Huston added an ace as the Pandas battled back. A Hendrixson block made the score 19-18 before Newark Charter’s Kennedy Pavlekovich surprised the Pandas with a set over the net that found open space.
Trailing, 21-19, Padua bounced back with kills from Manning and Cierra Burslem (Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish) to knot the set. Newark Charter scored the next two before Julia Kelley crushed one for the Pandas. A line violation, however, sent it to match point, and Abigail Barnes, who had replaced an injured Pavlekovich for Newark Charter, sent an ace off the tape for the clinching point.
Pavlekovich had 10 kills, four blocks and 12 assists for Newark Charter, while Hoff had eight kills, and Pritchett had six kills to go along with her blocks. The Patriots had 19 blocks overall. Newark Charter (14-2) will play sixth-seeded Lake Forest on Tuesday in the quarterfinals at a site and time to be announced.
Padua, whose roster included eight sophomores and two freshmen, finished 8-9.
In other second-round action, No. 16 Saint Mark’s swept the top seed, Caesar Rodney, on Oct. 31. The Spartans will meet No. 8 Smyrna in a quarterfinal matchup.
The second seed, Archmere, swept Concord, the 15th seed, on Oct. 31. The Auks and No. 7 Tower Hill will play in the quarterfinals.
Ursuline, the 20th seed, fell at No. 4 Caravel on Oct. 31. The Raiders finished 8-9 and graduate just four players from this year’s team.
Photos by Mike Lang.
