By Will Willems
Contributing Writer
INDIANAPOLIS â??? Any volleyball fans in the Indianapolis
area missed out the night of Sept. 27 if they didnâ??t come to Cathedral High School.
With Class
4A No. 2 Muncie Central coming in to face the 4A No. 1 Fighting Irish, a
high-energy atmosphere ensued and ended with Cathedral holding on for a 25-19,
25-16, 23-25, 25-23 victory over the team the Irish defeated for last yearâ??s
state title.
â??Well,
that was a lot of fun!â? said Cathedral coach Jean Kesterson. â??We knew it was
going to be a battle â??? it always is.
â??We were
looking forward to this one on our schedule because we knew we were going to
bring it and Central was going to bring it, so it was going to be good
volleyball.â?
And bring
it Cathedral did. The Fighting Irish (21-2) took the first two games with
relative ease, never trailing in those games while cruising to victory.
It
definitely helps to have upperclassmen like 6â??5â? Christiana Gray, who
registered 11 kills in the first two games. She was assisted on all of them by
senior Jenna Queally, who controlled the offensive tempo with 21 assists over
those games.
But the
one thing that you can never do is rest on a team like Muncie Central. Despite
the knowledge it was coming, Cathedral ran into a buzz saw.
â??They
quickened their pace a little bit, which is how they beat us in the regular
season last year,â? Kesterson said. â??We knew they were going to do that.
â??They had
better passes and they could increase the pace, and we panicked a little bit in
Game 3.â?
Muncie
Central (18-3) used its new-found speed to twice take five-point leads, the
last of which was at 22-17. The Irish put up quite a battle, tying the game at
23 on a **** by Gray, but the Bearcats scored the final two points to score the
game win.
On to the
exciting Game 4. The Bearcats looked well on their way to forcing a fifth game,
taking a 14-5 lead right out of the gate.
Then
Queally stepped in to serve.
The senior
showed why she is a captain of the Irish, rattling off 12 straight points,
including three aces, to give Cathedral a three-point lead.
â??Sheâ??s a
great server, just incredible,â? Kesterson said. â??She has done that before
against New Castle and New Albany, so weâ??re never out of a game when
sheâ??s on the court.â?
Muncie
Central would not give up, retaking the lead at 22-20 on a **** from Kristina
Kerrigan. But the Irish followed suit, tying the score at 22 on a side out.
Muncie Central then took a 23-22 lead on a **** by Jamie Drummer.
But
Cathedral scored the next three points and ended it on a block by, who else,
Queally.
Gray finished
with 17 kills on the night, while Queally contributed 32 assists. Muncie
Central was led by Kerrigan and Kathyrn Smith, who each had seven kills.
Kesterson
said her team has formed a unique bond that will help them in the future.
â??They are
very special â??? they are just like sisters,â? Kesterson said. â??This is the closest
team I have ever coached.
â??They care
for each other, they support each other, and they just enjoy each otherâ??s
company.â?
If they continue
to play this well, the Irish will enjoy each otherâ??s company deep into the
playoffs.
And if Indiana volleyball fans
luck out, they will see these two teams battle again for the 4A state title.
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