POTTSVILLE — McKenna Murray made sure to take it all in.
Before exiting the volleyball court, and trying mightily to hold back tears in the postgame huddle, her eyes scanned all the way around to the left. Then all the way back around to the right, being sure to get a closer look at the crowd. The arena. Her teammates. And the scoreboard.
“I was trying soak in those final minutes,” said Murray, Garden Spot’s senior hitter, “and being with these girls one last time. We may never have a team like this again.”
Garden Spot’s magical postseason joyride ended Saturday in the PIAA Class 3A state quarterfinals. Berwick, the District Two champ, popped the Spartans’ bubble with a 3-0 victory. Set scores were 25-20, 26-24 and 25-13.
Garden Spot’s journey included an appearance in the league semifinals and in the District Three semifinals, and a trip to the state tournament for the first time since 2019.
All of that with a wet-behind-the-ears crew with just three seniors on the roster.
“I’m beyond proud of this team, and that they got here,” Garden Spot coach Meghan Gehr said. “At the beginning of the season we thought that if we were .500 that would be great. We didn’t expect this.”
But there was Gehr and her Spartans, lining up Saturday afternoon in Martz Hall, one of the most storied gyms in the state. They were here after Garden Spot gutted out a 3-2 win over District 12 champ Archbishop Ryan in the first round, when the Spartans rallied from a 7-1 deficit in the fifth and deciding set to win it.
“It’s been an emotional roller coaster,” Garden Spot senior hitter Kierra Esh said. “We started off the season pretty bad. But we were able to put it all together. I’m so proud of that.”
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Garden Spot’s Hailey Zimmerman (3) dives for the dig against Berwick during game three action of a PIAA class 3A girls volleyball quarterfinal match at Pottsville High School’s Martz Hall on Saturday Nov. 8, 2025.
Garden Spot’s Brianna Zimmerman (11) puts the ball over the net against Berwick during game one action of a PIAA class 3A girls volleyball quarterfinal match at Pottsville High School’s Martz Hall on Saturday Nov. 8, 2025.
Garden Spot’s Camryn Waltman (18) with the hit against Berwick during game one action of a PIAA class 3A girls volleyball quarterfinal match at Pottsville High School’s Martz Hall on Saturday Nov. 8, 2025.
Garden Spot’s Hailey Zimmerman (3) goes down and gets the ball against Berwick during game one action of a PIAA class 3A girls volleyball quarterfinal match at Pottsville High School’s Martz Hall on Saturday Nov. 8, 2025.
Garden Spot’s Camryn Waltman (18) with the hit against Berwick during game one action of a PIAA class 3A girls volleyball quarterfinal match at Pottsville High School’s Martz Hall on Saturday Nov. 8, 2025.
Garden Spot’s Alayna Horst (13) with the hit against Berwick during game one action of a PIAA class 3A girls volleyball quarterfinal match at Pottsville High School’s Martz Hall on Saturday Nov. 8, 2025.
Garden Spot’s McKenna Murray (21) goes up for the hit against Berwick during game three action of a PIAA class 3A girls volleyball quarterfinal match at Pottsville High School’s Martz Hall on Saturday Nov. 8, 2025.
Garden Spot’s Kiera Esh (12) dives for the dig against Berwick during game two action of a PIAA class 3A girls volleyball quarterfinal match at Pottsville High School’s Martz Hall on Saturday Nov. 8, 2025.
Garden Spot’s Brianna Zimmerman (11) goes up for the ball against Berwick during game two action of a PIAA class 3A girls volleyball quarterfinal match at Pottsville High School’s Martz Hall on Saturday Nov. 8, 2025.
Garden Spot’s Camryn Waltman (18) with the hit against Berwick during game one action of a PIAA class 3A girls volleyball quarterfinal match at Pottsville High School’s Martz Hall on Saturday Nov. 8, 2025.
Garden Spot’s Camryn Waltman (18) with the block against Berwick during game one action of a PIAA class 3A girls volleyball quarterfinal match at Pottsville High School’s Martz Hall on Saturday Nov. 8, 2025.
Garden Spot’s McKenna Murray (21) goes up for the block against Berwick during game one action of a PIAA class 3A girls volleyball quarterfinal match at Pottsville High School’s Martz Hall on Saturday Nov. 8, 2025.
Garden Spot’s Rachel Witmer (16) hits the ball against Berwick during game one action of a PIAA class 3A girls volleyball quarterfinal match at Pottsville High School’s Martz Hall on Saturday Nov. 8, 2025.
Garden Spot’s Mady Ly (17) serves the ball against Berwick during game one action of a PIAA class 3A girls volleyball quarterfinal match at Pottsville High School’s Martz Hall on Saturday Nov. 8, 2025.
Garden Spot’s McKenna Murray (21) gets introduced before the team takes on Berwick in game one action of a PIAA class 3A girls volleyball quarterfinal match at Pottsville High School’s Martz Hall on Saturday Nov. 8, 2025.
Garden Spot’s Hailey Zimmerman (3) dives for the dig against Berwick during game three action of a PIAA class 3A girls volleyball quarterfinal match at Pottsville High School’s Martz Hall on Saturday Nov. 8, 2025.
Garden Spot’s Brianna Zimmerman (11) puts the ball over the net against Berwick during game one action of a PIAA class 3A girls volleyball quarterfinal match at Pottsville High School’s Martz Hall on Saturday Nov. 8, 2025.
Garden Spot’s Camryn Waltman (18) with the hit against Berwick during game one action of a PIAA class 3A girls volleyball quarterfinal match at Pottsville High School’s Martz Hall on Saturday Nov. 8, 2025.
Garden Spot’s Hailey Zimmerman (3) goes down and gets the ball against Berwick during game one action of a PIAA class 3A girls volleyball quarterfinal match at Pottsville High School’s Martz Hall on Saturday Nov. 8, 2025.
Garden Spot’s Camryn Waltman (18) with the hit against Berwick during game one action of a PIAA class 3A girls volleyball quarterfinal match at Pottsville High School’s Martz Hall on Saturday Nov. 8, 2025.
Garden Spot’s Alayna Horst (13) with the hit against Berwick during game one action of a PIAA class 3A girls volleyball quarterfinal match at Pottsville High School’s Martz Hall on Saturday Nov. 8, 2025.
Garden Spot’s McKenna Murray (21) goes up for the hit against Berwick during game three action of a PIAA class 3A girls volleyball quarterfinal match at Pottsville High School’s Martz Hall on Saturday Nov. 8, 2025.
Garden Spot’s Kiera Esh (12) dives for the dig against Berwick during game two action of a PIAA class 3A girls volleyball quarterfinal match at Pottsville High School’s Martz Hall on Saturday Nov. 8, 2025.
Garden Spot’s Brianna Zimmerman (11) goes up for the ball against Berwick during game two action of a PIAA class 3A girls volleyball quarterfinal match at Pottsville High School’s Martz Hall on Saturday Nov. 8, 2025.
Garden Spot’s Camryn Waltman (18) with the hit against Berwick during game one action of a PIAA class 3A girls volleyball quarterfinal match at Pottsville High School’s Martz Hall on Saturday Nov. 8, 2025.
Garden Spot’s Camryn Waltman (18) with the block against Berwick during game one action of a PIAA class 3A girls volleyball quarterfinal match at Pottsville High School’s Martz Hall on Saturday Nov. 8, 2025.
Garden Spot’s McKenna Murray (21) goes up for the block against Berwick during game one action of a PIAA class 3A girls volleyball quarterfinal match at Pottsville High School’s Martz Hall on Saturday Nov. 8, 2025.
Garden Spot’s Rachel Witmer (16) hits the ball against Berwick during game one action of a PIAA class 3A girls volleyball quarterfinal match at Pottsville High School’s Martz Hall on Saturday Nov. 8, 2025.
Garden Spot’s Mady Ly (17) serves the ball against Berwick during game one action of a PIAA class 3A girls volleyball quarterfinal match at Pottsville High School’s Martz Hall on Saturday Nov. 8, 2025.
Garden Spot’s McKenna Murray (21) gets introduced before the team takes on Berwick in game one action of a PIAA class 3A girls volleyball quarterfinal match at Pottsville High School’s Martz Hall on Saturday Nov. 8, 2025.
Garden Spot shared Section Two gold with Cocalico before falling to Manheim Township in the L-L semifinals. The Spartans (17-8) saved their season with a must-have 3-0 victory over York Suburban in the win-or-go-home third-place match.
Gehr said the flip was switched after a win over Elco back in September. They didn’t know then that the ride would go into the second week of November. But it did.
“Honestly,” Murray said, “I’m just feeling gratefulness to be able to be with these girls this season. We all love each other so much, and I think that showed on the court. I couldn’t have asked for a better final season.”
Even though it ended against Berwick, which was no slouch. The Bulldogs, who went 15-0 in the Wyoming Valley Conference, won their 18th match in a row, dating back to Sept. 4, and they only dropped three sets over that blistering clip.
Berwick (20-1) lost in this round to Big Spring last fall, but the Bulldogs are moving on after sending Garden Spot packing.
“I’m really proud of how far we’ve come, and how hard we worked the whole season,” Esh said. “It’s sad that it’s over, and that this was our last game.”
Berwick set the tone from the jump. The Bulldogs never trailed in the first set, and pulled away after Garden Spot was within 19-18 on Camryn Waltman’s block.
The second set was a heart-breaker for the Spartans, who bolted to a 6-1 lead, and were ahead 16-10 on Waltman’s kill. But Berwick never let it up, using a 6-0 run to knot it up at 16-16.
The Bulldogs grabbed the lead for good, 18-17, on Lea Adamo’s block, and Berwick used a quick 3-0 clip to go from down six to up 19-17 on Angie Colone’s kill.
Colone (eight kills) and Grace Robbins (nine kills) came up big time and time again on the outside for the Bulldogs, who blanked District Four champ Athens 3-0 in the first round.
All the momentum was on Berwick’s side in the third; the Bulldogs were ahead 11-5 on Colone’s ace and 14-7 on Jaiden Laidacker’s ace. Berwick had six kills in all. Colone had a pair of sizzling kills down the stretch, and Berwick clinched a spot in Tuesday’s semifinals against defending PIAA 3A champ Pope John Paul II, the District 11 winner.
Hailey Zimmerman had 26 digs, Brianna Zimmerman had 20 assists, Mady Ly had two aces and Alayna Horst had eight kills for Garden Spot, which headed home with 17 victories, a piece of a section title and a postseason to remember — and probably more eyes on them next fall as they’ve upped the bar in the program.
“It’s been an incredible season,” Murray said. “Nobody even expected us to win our section. So to say that we went to the state quarterfinals is even more than I could have imagined.”
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