Fillies face Maplewood for 1A championship

Marian seems to be playing its best volleyball at the right time.

That’s important because the Fillies head to Johnstown on Saturday to play in the PIAA Class A championship against Maplewood, a team that has not dropped a set during its three state tournament victories.

“Maplewood has a coach that’s been there for a really long time and she is fantastic,” said Marian head coach John “Doc” Fallabel of Maplewood head coach Sheila Bancroft. “They’ve got All-State players, we saw them on video earlier this week. They have a good setter, a really strong outside hitter, and a big middle.”

Marian defeated a tough Bishop Carroll team on Tuesday in the semifinals on its end of the bracket. The Fillies received contributions from everyone, but the senior leadership and depth continued to be two big keys.

“My seniors are producing, and that’s what you need,” said Fallabel. “Julia (Hoben) comes off the bench and plays great. The other girls on the court are doing their jobs. We’re rolling and playing well.”

Toughness is a trait that goes hand-in-hand with being a leader, and if you look up toughness in the dictionary, you might find a picture of Fillies’ senior setter Gianna Agosti. Her will to win was on full display against Bishop Carroll when she collided at full speed into the bleachers chasing a ball. Clearly in pain, she stayed in the game.

However, that was just one of several times over the course of her career that she sacrificed herself to make a play, much like she did during the win on Tuesday in which she also added 52 assists.

“She was really hurting,” said Fallabel. “But I said ‘you play better when you’re hurt’ ... She’s old school. This is the way I like players ... They know what they bring to the game and what I bring to the game, and we meet in the middle.”

Fallabel gave kudos to the Maplewood attack and the challenge it presents to his team.

“They run a very complicated offense,” he said. “Every time the ball is set, there are three girls in the air swinging at the ball. One of the three get it, but that can screw up the blocking schemes.”

Fallabel is 0-for-2 at Johnstown the last three years, as the Fillies lost to Greensburg Central Catholic in both 2014 and 2016. But he seems to have all of the right pieces of the puzzle to change that on Saturday. Besides the previously mentioned Agosti and Hoben, there are six more seniors that can come up big and provide leadership at any time.

Librero Toni Galasso leads the defense, while first-year Fillie Carly Kosciolek, Isabella Blasko, Elena Beckett and Emily Meier have all come up with timely plays during the postseason run.

“As a team, the last two games have been the best two of the season,” Fallabel said. “Everything is clicking and everyone is playing to the top of their potential.”

The supporting cast has been great, but it’s no secret that it’s senior Jasmine Mooney — who had 35 kills in the four-set match on Tuesday — who makes the Fillies go.

Mooney is an elite talent who has piled up accolades and broken records over the course of her career. But leading her team to a gold medal this weekend would be the icing on the cake. Mooney is arguably the best Class A player in the state — and Fallabel wants her to show Maplewood why she is on Saturday.

“I’m sure they saw us and they know what to expect,” Fallabel said. “That’s my main thing. We’re the No. 1-ranked team in the state, everyone better worry about what we bring to them.”