One of these days, the CAPA girls’ volleyball team will figure out what it takes to beat Public League powerhouse Masterman. Unfortunately, it won’t be this year.
In Tuesday’s Public League AA semifinal contest at South Philadelphia High, Masterman dominated the Pegasus, 3-0 (14-25, 10-25, 18-25), and advanced to this afternoon’s championship game at Community College of Philadelphia. Despite losing the regular-season meeting 3-1, CAPA coach Rick Shields entered the contest hopeful of at least keeping the game competitive. Once the whistle sounded, though, Masterman was unstoppable.
"We were overmatched," Shields said. "You can’t hold anything back. Masterman got better [since the last game]."
But the opponent consistently has been formidable for the Pegasus, beating the local team in the Public League championship game in 2001 and 2003.
With seven athletes returning next season, CAPA will use this season’s playoff game as a learning experience.
"It’s very helpful to know what we have to do to win," the coach said. "In this case, we weren’t ready to beat a team like Masterman."
CAPA, who finished the regular season 8-2, advanced to the championship game by defeating Franklin Learning Center 3-0 in last Thursday’s semifinals. Junior Neddicka Waterman led the Pegasus with 20 kills.
