WEST YORK -- When the YAIAA preseason power rankings came out earlier this year for girls volleyball, West York was nowhere to be found. Now they're one of the last teams standing in the state tournament.
"We saw the preseason rankings and my girls were upset and angry about it," said 6th year head coach Joe Ramp. He still carries the article in his car and occasionally uses it to motivate his team, reminding them "Do you guys remember the Top 5, and you weren't there?"
The key to the Bulldogs' success, according to senior setter Abbey James, is working together and having fun.
With six seniors on this year's squad, Coach Ramp likes the level of chemistry and leadership. In addition, he notes "There are also underclassmen that are playing at a very high level right now."
One of those underclassmen is freshman middle hitter Tesia Thomas. When she joined the team, she was surprised to find out that West York had never won a state tournament game before this year. Now they've won two. Next up is the 3A State Semifinal vs Allentown Central Catholic.
Coach Ramp tries to put the entire season in perspective. "It's been a struggle at times, it's been exciting at times," he recalled. "It's been a little bit of a roller coaster, and that roller coaster is peaking at the right time."