By Mike McGraw
Executive Director
GREENWOOD
– Like all sports, perfection in volleyball is impossible to achieve. Top-ranked
Indianapolis Cathedral, however, gave it a REALLY good try Nov. 1 in the Class
4A Center Grove Regional.
The
highly anticipated semifinal battle between the Fighting Irish and No. 3 Avon never
materialized. Cathedral employed a perfect game plan and played a nearly
flawless first game, throwing Avon permanently out of rhythm in cruising to a three-game
sweep at 25-15, 25-16, and 25-15.
In
this rematch of last year’s Avon upset, Cathedral (33-4) knew it had to
neutralize the Orioles’ Katie Griffin. The Purdue-bound Griffin has been the
heart and soul of the Avon attack, and the Irish devoted a double block to
Griffin wherever she was on the court.
The
maneuver frustrated the big hitter throughout the match. It was not, though,
the real key to this contest.
The
devastating weapon for the Irish was a back-line defense that dug out nearly
every ball that found its way past the huge Cathedral block. In short, what
many people have cited as the Irish’s one weakness was, on this day, their
biggest strength.
In
the first game, it had to appear to Avon (34-2) as though there were 20
defenders across the net – there simply was no place to land the ball. The
stifling defense led to a 15-9 Cathedral lead and an Avon timeout.
Coach
Scott McQueen’s adjustments worked temporarily as Avon scored the next three
points to cut the margin to three. But a service error cut the rally short, and
Avon would not challenge again as Cathedral committed only one unforced error
and two service errors the entire game.
The
overwhelming initial display appeared to knock Avon off-stride. The Orioles
were visibly pressing early in the second game, and Cathedral closed in
quickly. The Irish raced to a 17-6 lead, helped mightily by eight Avon errors.
The
Orioles regained their composure late in the game to go on a five-point run
that cut the lead to 21-15, but it was too little, too late.
The
Orioles responded to the two-game hole like the quality team they are. Avon was
sharp early in the third game and held a 13-12 lead midway through. From that
point to the end, though, it was a simple story of too much Christiana Gray and
Mary Ording.
The
Cathedral twin towers simply peppered the Avon defense with one titanic blow
after another. The Orioles fought valiantly, but to no avail.
With
the impressive victory, Cathedral advances to face Hamilton Southeastern in the
Saturday night finals. The unranked Royals claimed a surprisingly easy sweep of
No. 7 host Center Grove (25-20, 25-21, 25-14) in the first match of the day.
So what
do you think? Share your thoughts on our Volleyball message board.
