State volleyball semifinal showdowns on tap for L-L League finalists Manheim Central, Warwick (2024)

Two for the show.

A pair of Lancaster-Lebanon League boys volleyball teams are still humming right along in the PIAA playoffs.

Warwick, in Class 3A, and Manheim Central, in Class 2A, are set for semifinal showdowns on Tuesday. Win there, and a trip to Penn State on Saturday for state gold would be up next.

Breaking it all down …

PIAA BOYS VOLLEYBALL STATE SEMIFINALS

Who: District 3 runner-up Warwick Warriors vs. District 7 champ Shaler Titans.

What: PIAA Class 3A semifinal.

When: Tuesday, 5 p.m.

Where: Altoona High School.

Winner gets: District 3 champ Central York or District 11 champ Parkland in the Class 3A title match on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in Penn State’s Rec Hall. FYI: Parkland is the defending state champ.

How they got here: Warwick, the L-L League Section 1 co-champ and league runner-up, topped District 7 runner-up North Allegheny 3-1 and outlasted District 1 runner-up Pennridge 3-2. … Shaler blanked District 3 fourth-seed Carlisle 3-0 and KO’d District 6 champ State College 3-1.

PIAA history: This is Warwick’s first semifinal trip since 1995, when the Warriors finished second in pool play — coming out of a pod that featured Souderton, William Tennent and Central York — and then fell in the Final Four to eventual champ Derry Area. … Warwick went back to states in 1996, and was eliminated in pool play in a pod that featured Parkland, Penn Hills and Baldwin. … The Warriors are back in states for the fourth time in seven years; Warwick had first-round exits in 2018 (to North Allegheny), 2022 (to Northampton) and last year (to Shaler). … Shaler, the back-to-back reigning WPIAL champ, fell to Parkland in last year’s championship match.

Notes: Shaler beat Warwick 1-0 (25-8) in pool play at Central York’s Koller Classic back on April 13. The Titans also eliminated the Warriors in the first round of states last year. The rematch is for a spot at the PIAA championship dinner table on Saturday. … PVCA Class 3A state rankings: Shaler is No. 1 and coach Foster Lobb and his Warwick squad are at No. 5. … Warwick (16-4 overall) is 7-2 in its last nine matches; only setbacks over that stretch were to Manheim Central in the league finale and to Central York in the district championship. Manheim Central and Central York are both in the state semifinals. … Shaler’s lone setback this season was against North Allegheny in a Section 2 WPIAL match on April 23. The Titans lost just one starter — and returned eight of their top rotation players — from last year’s state runner-up team. … In two PIAA matches, Nathan Wenger has 96 assists (including 57 against Pennridge) and Section 1 MVP and Saint Francis recruit Kyle Charles has 30 kills (including 18 against Pennridge) for Warwick. … Driving distances to Altoona: Warwick 168 miles; Shaler 105 miles.

Who: District 3 runner-up Manheim Central Barons vs. District 3 champ Exeter Eagles.

What: PIAA Class 2A semifinal.

When: Tuesday, 7 p.m.

Where: Cocalico High School in Denver.

Winner gets: District 10 champ Meadville or District 7 champ Mars in the Class 2A title match on Saturday at 11 a.m. in Penn State’s Rec Hall. FYI: Meadville knocked out three-time reigning PIAA champ Lower Dauphin in the quarterfinals. Manheim Central dethroned LD in the district semifinals.

How they got here: Manheim Central (19-1) blanked District 12 champ Lansdale Catholic 3-0 and beat District 2 runner-up Holy Redeemer 3-0. … Exeter topped District 12 third-seed Masterman 3-0 and defeated District 2 champ Blue Ridge 3-0.

PIAA history: It’s a golden era of volleyball at Manheim Central, as the Barons are in the PIAA playoffs for the seventh season in a row, and they’re in the semifinals for the fourth time in that span. … Manheim Central fell in the semifinals in 2017 (to Northeastern York) and in 2019 (to York Suburban) after a runner-up finish in the finals in 2018 (to Northeastern York). … The Barons had quarterfinal exits in 2021 (to Garden Spot), 2022 (to Dock Mennonite) and 2023 (to Mercyhurst Prep) before clearing that hurdle this season. … Undefeated Exeter, the Berks County champ, is back in the semifinals for the second year in a row; the Eagles fell to eventual winner Lower Dauphin in the Final Four last spring.

Notes: This is a rematch of the District 3 finale back on May 30, when Exeter slayed Manheim Central 3-0 on the Eagles’ home court in Reading. Gaige Gabriel, the Eagles’ high-flying Penn State recruit, had 14 kills and nine blocks in that match. … Exeter also knocked the Barons out in the district semifinals last spring, so these teams know each other really well. … In two PIAA matches, Section 2 MVP Dylan Musser has 53 assists (including 28 against Holy Redeemer) and Reagan Miller has 19 kills, seven aces and nine digs for vet skipper Craig Dietrich and his Manheim Central club, who are the back-to-back reigning L-L Section 2 champs. … PVCA Class 2A state rankings: Exeter is No. 1 and Manheim Central is No. 2.

TWITTER-X: @JeffReinhart77

More LNP volleyball coverage