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Curse Broken: Volleyball Roll to First-Ever OHSBVA State Quarterfinal Win

By Joe Ginley, 06/03/17, 11:45AM EDT

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Purcell's 9 kills help the Volleyball Cats sweep Westerville South and advance to the semifinals tomorrow.

An easy calm set over the Saint Ignatius volleyball team in before its OHSBVA State Quarterfinal match with Westerville South Wildcats at Capital University on Saturday morning.

The contest marked Saint Ignatius' 10th consecutive appearance in the OHSBVA State Quarterfinals. In the previous nine appearances, the Volleyball Cats fell in the opening round, never making it to the Semifinals.

History did not creep into Wildcats' minds before the match, however. The Volleyball Cats showed a calmness about them, warming up in Hawaiian shirts and displaying a cool determination and readiness.

The poise resulted in a historic 3-0 victory over the Westerville South Wildcats. The victory sends the Volleyball Cats to the OHSBVA State Semifinal on Sunday for the first time ever.

"It's a good feeling," said Head Coach Casey Marcelo. "The experience from that 10 years is getting the right people in the right spots. Especially with Coach Leyden, we can make some good changes and fill the gaps by using the coaching staff."

A 25-18, 25-19, 25-16 victory might seem easy on paper, but the Volleyball Cats battled for every point. 

The Wildcats started out well with a 2-0 lead in the first set before Westerville South responded with two points, one off a Saint Ignatius serve violation. But then the Volleyball Cats tore off a 6-1 run to dash out to an 8-3 lead. 

The advantage slimmed some, but Saint Ignatius remained in the lead throughout the middle portion of the set. The Volleyball Cats showed hustle and effort all over the court, especially in the back row, coming up with some impressive digs. 

Trailing 16-11, Westerville South took a timeout in effort to stem the tide. Instead, the Volleyball Cats stood strong and built a 22-15 lead leading to another Wildcats timeout. 

The break did not help Westerville South, as the Volleyball Cats closed out the first set, 25-18. 

The second set began much like the first, with the Volleyball Cats dashing out to an 8-4 lead to start things off. The Saint Ignatius frontline provided a handful of kills, including a pair of sharp spikes by Philip Catanzaro. 

After the Volleyball Cats constructed an 11-6 lead, Westerville South took a timeout. The respite helped, as Westerville South narrowed the lead to two, 14-12. 

But the Volleyball Cats would not relent. With Richie Holzheimer leading the way with several blocks, and each Wildcat providing beautiful serves, the lead stretched to 21-15 before Westerville South called a timeout. 

Westerville South then rolled to a 3-1 run before Saint Ignatius called a timeout and finished off the set. The Volleyball Cats took the 2-0 lead with a 25-19 victory in the second set. 

A critical 16 kills, including seven by Danny Michals, in the second set characterized the huge victory for the blue and gold. 

Just like the second set, the Volleyball Cats started out with the lead, getting out to a 3-0 lead. Westerville South responded by bringing the set within one, 5-4 and then 6-5. But Michals came up with a host of critical plays to preserve the lead, with masterful serves and a pair of digs to force a Westerville South timeout after the Volleyball Cats upped the lead to 10-5.  

The contest seesawed in the middle of the set, as each point was heavily contested. The Volleyball Cats managed to hold onto the lead, though, extending it to 18-12 and 20-13 before a Westerville South timeout. 

While Westerville South kept it close, the Volleyball Cats had a date with destiny. Saint Ignatius completed the victory, 25-16, on a rocket of a kill by James Purcell. The Volleyball Cats never trailing in a monumental victory for the Saint Ignatius volleyball program.

"[Our seniors have] all played four years, since freshmen year," Marcelo said. "We've never had that. We've never had that depth and dedication to the game. Four years, all season, offseason.

"Coach Leyden being a part of it has infused some more energy in the program. Coach Anne and Kevin, the coaching staff works well together. The boys understand the game and stick to the game plan."

The Wildcats now look forward to tomorrow's semifinal match. The Volleyball Cats will face the winner of St. Xavier and Centerville. Tomorrow's match will take place at 10 a.m. at Capital University on Sunday. 

"We have more work to do," Marcelo said. "But we saw our whole game plan unfold right in front of us and we saw what happened."   

Congrats to Coach Marcelo and the Wildcats on an outstanding victory.