Resilient Knights Take Back the WCAC Volleyball Crown

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It is the fourth straight year the two teams faced each other in the championship final. Bishop O'Connell won the first two championships while Holy Cross won last year. The Knights sought to win back the trophy. The Tartans hoped to even the score, but for them this was their 13th consecutive appearance in the finals. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After three sets O'Connell led two sets to one. Everything seemed in place to beat Holy Cross, especially after taking the third set 25-11. However, nothing can be taken for granted when facing a talented team. Holy Cross took advantage of early O'Connell mistakes and jumped ahead by scores of 18-8 and 20-10. The Knights coach was so discouraged about the score that he sat down to work on the lineup for the fifth set. Only one problem with that. The Knight players refused to allow that fifth set to happen. Wth [player_tooltip player_id='385968' first='Macie' last='Murray'] serving the Knights eventually tied the score at 23-23. A [player_tooltip player_id='475116' first='Jocelyn' last='Pye'] cut shot kill would give them a 27-25 win. The pile on began.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both teams had lost key players to start the 2025 season. The fact that both of them were in the playoffs for a fourth consecutive year is a testament to their resiliency. The Tartans lost <strong>Emerson Sellman</strong> and setter <strong>Jaylyn Simon</strong> while the Knights graduated <strong>Erin Debiec</strong> and <strong>Madison Bowse</strong>r. Despite these graduations they both finished first and second in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) for the fourth consecutive season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first meeting for these two teams this year resulted in a Tartan sweep. The Knights hit a paltry .104 percent in the match. That win put Holy Cross in first in the WCAC while the Knights settled for second. The importance of that is the second seed would have to play <strong>St. Johns</strong> in the semi-final before they could advance to the finals. The Cadets carry a lot of weapons. They appeared in the Washington Post top ten and the Prep Dig top twenty</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["235283"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6729bff5aff9d"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Normally the MVP of a conference goes to a player whose team finishes in first place. That one player is usually responsible for the team's success. Not so in the WCAC this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Racquel or "Rocky" earned the MVP honors in the WCAC even though St. John's finished in third place. Rocky stood out as the player you feared most on the roster. If you had seen her play her frosh year and compare her to how she plays now you would think you were watching a different player. Her game is more complete. She has made herself into a six rotation player with hard work and dedication.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">It is also possible that her club affiliation could be changing as well to [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] but I could be listening to the wrong sources.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>O'Connell won their opener against <strong>St. Mary's Ryken</strong> in a sweep in the first round of the WCAC playoffs. As expected, St. Johns swept their opponent <strong>Elizabeth Seton</strong>. The Cadets have the WCAC Player of the Year <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='235283' first='Racquel' last='Frazier']</strong> on their roster. Another player to fear left side <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='238356' first='Morgan' last='Reeves']</strong> also made the first team. While they finished third in the conference, they remain one of the top teams in the area.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the opening set St. John's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='221032' first='Wynn' last='Mendez Eaton']</strong> served nine straight points to give the Cadets an early 10-1 lead. This quickly quieted the home team crowd. If you were watching these teams play for the first time you had to question why these Knights were ranked so highly. Fortunately, the games go to 25 points. The Knights passed their first test of resiliency by storming back and taking set one 25-20. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='385968' first='Macie' last='Murray']</strong> with her 25 kills and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='235322' first='Avery' last='Prendergast']</strong> with her 37 assists led the way. They went on to win the next two sets 25-18, 25-12 to complete the sweep.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Holy Cross had started the season with four losses in their first six games. They were breaking in two frosh in the lineup right side i[player_tooltip player_id='536721' first='Ana' last='Woods'] and left side<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='622282' first='Emerson' last='Wolfe']</strong>. Except Ana was injured for the early part of the season. They were also working on incorporating new setters into the lineup. They decided on a system of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='672039' first='Sibel' last='Ozan'] </strong>setting in the back row while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='238376' first='Anasofia' last='Zanellato']</strong> set in the front row as their best option. With their rotation set the Tartans took off winning 19 of their next 20 games. Middles <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='235324' first='Rowan' last='Johnson']</strong> and <strong>Brook Sylvestre</strong> along with left side <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='181304' first='Sarah' last='Jeremias']</strong> were the trio of seniors that kept the team in check. They swept through their opponents <strong>Bishop Ireton</strong> and <strong>Paul VI </strong>in the first two rounds of the playoffs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The Championship Match</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In set one of the championship match Holy Cross crawled out to a 24-22 lead. While the set stayed close throughout the Tartans maintained the lead for the most part. An <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='488812' first='Olivia' last='Boggs']</strong> block put the Knights to within one while a <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='385968' first='Macie' last='Murray']</strong> kill tied the set up at 24-24. A Knight serving error would give the Tartans set point again at 25-24. However, a <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='385968' first='Macie' last='Murray']</strong> kill, a <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='238341' first='Teodora' last='Stamenkovic']</strong> redirect kill on an overpass and a shanked free ball pass gave the Knights a 27-25 victory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The second set saw both teams battle for points with no team taking a big lead. A <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='235324' first='Rowan' last='Johnson']</strong> block tied the set at 21-21 and a <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='181304' first='Sarah' last='Jeremias']</strong> ace gave the Tartans a two point lead at 23-21. <strong> [player_tooltip player_id='622282' first='Emerson' last='Wolfe']</strong> would produce a kill and Sarah ended the set with an ace to give Holy Cross a 25-21 win in set two.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Set three proved to be a nightmare for the Tartans as they struggled to get any offensive momentum. On the other side <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='385968' first='Macie' last='Murray']</strong> got hot running up many of her 25 kills. The Knights would roll to a 25-11 win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["472384"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6729bff5affef"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='385968' first='Macie' last='Murray'] is one of the hardest hitters in the area. However, when the Knights play the Tartans it appears that Macie and Kate are playing a game of pepper. Each time Macie tries to hit cross court Kate seems to be there with the dig. She made some tremendous digs in the finals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As a sophomore her game seems to be taking on some versatility. The Tartans used her for setting in a match against St. Johns where she picked up 16 assists. In the championship match against Bishop O'Connell the Tartans used her to set in the fourth set when their offense appeared to lag.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Nice to have that versatility in your resume. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Holy Cross made a significant change for set four. They moved <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='472384' first='Kate' last='Bickel']</strong> from her libero position to setter. In the first two sets she was a digging machine, preventing anything near her from hitting the floor. They decided to move her to setter for the fourth set in an attempt to provide some spark to the Tartan lineup. Against St. Johns Kate set and finished with 16 assists. That seemed to work early as Holy Cross jumped out to 18-8 and 20-10 leads.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":715707,"width":"198px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/11/share_image_1730742804231.png?w=804" alt="" class="wp-image-715707" style="width:198px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Knights after the win</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As O'Connell did against St. Johns in the semi-finals the Knights battled back. [player_tooltip player_id='385968' first='Macie' last='Murray'] served three of her four match aces in a run that would tie the set at 23-23. She missed the next serve but the Tartans could not take advantage. With the score 26-25 [player_tooltip player_id='475116' first='Jocelyn' last='Pye'], who finished the match with 13 kills but with seven errors on 40 swings probably got the biggest kill of her career, cutting a shot into the four area where it fell to the floor for the 27-25 win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>During the finals <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='235295' first='Hannah' last='Kotb']</strong> became the first Knight to reach 1,000 digs. No other Knight has ever accomplished that feat. She has done that with three starting seasons as a libero.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>VISAA Playoff Bracket Set</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The final voting for the top eight teams took place Sunday. <strong>Paul VI </strong>sneaked in at number eight to replace Catholic while Bishop O'Connell moved to the number one spot. <strong>Potomac</strong> finished second based on their conference win over <strong>Flint Hill</strong> while Flint Hill slid to third.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["541140"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6729bff5b0031"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">One of the strengths of Paul VI lies with their setters. They have a number of quality setters throughout their three teams, varsity, JV and frosh. Despite all that depth frosh Maris stood out as one of the primary setters in a 6/2 offense for the Panthers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Junior [player_tooltip player_id='308751' first='Olivia' last='LeBlanc'] is their most experienced setter, but they also carry sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='696423' first='Alessandra' last='Joyce'] on the varsity. Their JV and frosh teams were also very competitive while showcasing quality setters. This bodes well for the future of Paul VI.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The matchups will see <strong>O'Connell</strong> play <strong>Paul VI </strong>in the first round. The Knights have played the Panthers twice during the regular season and swept them in both matches. Paul VI have two talented but undersized left sides in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='438043' first='Katherine' last='McLaughlin']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='532908' first='Olivia' last='Stroupe']</strong>. They also have quality setters in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='308751' first='Olivia' last='LeBlanc']</strong> and frosh <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='541140' first='Maris' last='Francescon']</strong>, as well as sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='696423' first='Alessandra' last='Joyce']</strong>. They also carry experience with senior middles <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='181312' first='Emily' last='Maguire']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='716602' first='Riley' last='Hamburger'],</strong> libero <strong>Natalia Evans</strong> and right side <strong>Emily Mitchell</strong> to lead the youngsters. While it is a younger team with a new coaching staff they carry enough veterans to teach the younger players for the future.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>N<strong>orfolk Academy</strong> will play <strong>St. Catherines,</strong> which may be the most competitive match of the first round. While St. Catherines has beaten them twice, both of them went to a last set to determine the winner. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Flint Hill </strong>does battle against <strong>Episcopal</strong>. Flint Hill swept Episcopal in the one time they played them this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Potomac School</strong> will host <strong>Collegiate</strong>. Potomac School beat Collegiate when the two teams faced earlier in the season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='477134' first='Zora' last='Burrell'] </strong>(26) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='501551' first='Skylar' last='Giuliani']</strong> (14) combined for 40 kills in that match. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>All the matches will be played on Tuesday with semifinal matches on Thursday. The finals will be played on Saturday in Richmond. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->