ORIGINALLY APPEARED ON CHESTNUTHILLLOCAL.COM ON SEPT. 4, 2025 | By Tom Utescher
 

Germantown Academy volleyball head coach Chuck Dougherty, now in his fifth season with the Patriots, has steadily upgraded GA’s nonleague schedule to prepare his charges for Inter-Ac League competition.

The Pats opened their season last Tuesday with a 3-1 victory over Villa Maria Academy, traditionally one of the stronger programs in the Athletic Association of Catholic Academies. The following day, Germantown hosted a brand-new opponent, Spring-Ford Area High School from Royersford in northwestern Montgomery County. Spring-Ford is a large school district and competes in the highest division of the Pa. Interscholastic Association’s District 1.

Wednesday’s contest was indeed a valuable challenge for the GA squad. They won two close sets at the start, 25-19 and 25-21, then the visiting Rams rallied to capture the next two fiercely-fought sets, 25-21, 25-23. Spring-Ford gained some separation early in the fifth round, winning 15-8 to leave Fort Washington with a 3-2 victory and a 2-0 record.

GA started the match with an experienced lineup consisting of one junior, opposite-side hitter Delaney Schwartz, and five seniors: Kat Kou (middle blocker/opposite), Emily Pokorny (outside hitter/middle blocker), Pilar Presson (outside hitter), Nicole Ward (setter), and Abby Traina (libero). Sophomore Sylvia Parker (middle/outside) regularly rotated into the formation.

In the opening set, the two sides seesawed up to 6-6, then the Patriots began to create a gap. They got hits and tips up front from Presson and Pokorny, and the Rams were also making some errors with overly aggressive hits that sent the ball out of bounds.

A four-point stint at the service line by Traina helped the hosts go up 15-8, and when they reached 20 points, Spring-Ford was still back at 13. The visitors extended the set with four kills by sophomore Elle Sossong. The other hitter, senior Lila Olsen, would come on strong later in the match with a total of 30 kills.

Spring-Ford returned within five points of GA at 24-19, then Presson put the set away for the home team with an off-speed hit that took the Rams a bit by surprise.

Ward would be the first server for Germantown throughout the match. She is the only one of the GA seniors who currently has set plans to play in college: beach volleyball at Tennessee Tech. Spring-Ford’s Sossong also excels on the sand.