"WE WANT CHALHOUB! WE WANT CHALHOUB!"
As the Volleyball Cats looked to close out a 3-set sweep of the St. Edward Eagles, an enthused student section chanted for senior and first-year volleyball player, Andrew Chalhoub. First-year head coach Jacob Layden smiled and acquiesced a couple plays later.
Chalhoub entered the game to a loud cheer and grins from his teammates. While Chalhoub's attempted kill in the final set sailed just a bit high, his presence and leadership in bringing fans to the game brought joy to the Volleyball Cats and Sullivan Gym at the end of a 3-0 win over the Eagles.
"I really want to get a change of culture for the volleyball games," said Chalhoub, also a football player on last year's squad. "And this being St. Ed's – they're our archrivals and I take that pretty seriously. All week, I was telling kids to come and trying to get people to come, and it turned out to be a pretty good time. I'm happy for everyone who came. It turned out to be a really good time."
Chalhoub has definitely invigorated and helped a Wildcats team looking for senior leadership.
"He hasn't played before, but we had two returning seniors on the team, so a fairly young team," said Layden. "We were looking for more senior leadership. The energy that he brings helps in practice and helps us in games. He brought out a ton of energy tonight. It definitely helps."
The fan support Chahloub brought to the game definitely added to the experience for the Volleyball Cats.
"For us, this is the atmosphere we're going to see at States, which is what we're preparing for for the whole year," Layden said. "To be able to play in an atmosphere that was as energetic as it was tonight is helpful for us in preparing for States."
The Wildcats used that fun environment to tear off a quick 2-0 lead in the first set. The Volleyball Cats looked excited and ready to play the rival Eagles.
St. Edward did settle down, however, capturing a 4-2 lead and consistently held a 2-point lead until the Wildcats battled back and retook a 14-12 lead thanks to 4-0 run. While the Eagles played well at the net, the Wildcats used vicious kills by Eric Larsen, Phil Catanzaro and Co. to exploit holes in the Eagles' back line.
David Castele also made a big difference in his first game of the year. The senior aced the Eagles twice in a row midway through the first set, helping the Wildcats extend the lead to 18-15 and force an Eagles timeout.
The Wildcats' run continued after the timeout, as a few more kills helped the squad advance the advantage to 22-15. The Eagles did stop the bleeding with a point, but the Wildcats ended the set with three straight points.
While the Wildcats have several big stars, Aidan McCaffrey quietly played a large part in the Wildcats' set one win. The senior notched a few deceptive, soft kills that surprised the Eagles. McCaffrey's ball placement is to be admired.
The second set started even, with the first four points evenly distributed. But the Wildcats quickly got into get into gear, as Chalhoub made a couple nice plays to help the team roll of four straight points. New St. Edward head volleyball coach Bob Schenosky called a timeout, but to no avail. The Wildcats kept exploiting the soft underbelly of their foes. McCaffrey's rally at the service line did not end until the Wildcats led, 9-3.
The Eagles battled back, but service errors hurt the visitors. Even still, St. Edward drew to within 12-9 before Phil Catanzaro went to work.
With the junior at the service line, the Wildcats recorded several points in a row. By the time his run ended, the hosts owned a 17-10 lead. The Eagles seemed to run out of gas after the Wildcats' big run, trailing 21-11 after a couple of errors due to well-placed Wildcats hits. The Eagles did roll off three straight points, but the Wildcats finished off set number two with four consecutive of their own to win, 25-14.
The Eagles started out well in the third, capturing a 4-2 lead and then 5-4. Thanks in part to smart services and strong backline play by Quinn Flanagan, however, the Wildcats fired out to a 7-2 run to take an 11-7 lead. Strong, all-around play helped the Wildcats keep the good times rolling, extending the advantage to 18-12. Some of the Wildcats' young stars shined brightly during this stretch of the third set, namely Joe Enright, Vince Holzheimer, and Matt Stankewicz.
The Eagles fought back to within 23-18, but a Catanzaro kill and ace finished off the visitors, 25-18, sending the Wildcats faithful home happy.
"It's not our biggest challenge of the year – we're focused on getting better for St. Xavier and other big teams at States," said Aidan McCaffrey. "But we came out with good energy today, especially with Chahloub. It's nice having the fans here. And it's always good to beat your rival."
After tonight's win over the rival Eagles, the Wildcats will break for Easter. Following a respite, the Volleyball Cats will return to action on April 5, hosting VASJ at home.
Clean Sweep: The JV Cats earned a 2-0 win over St. Edward to start the night, winning 25-6 and 25-23 at the start of the night. The JV Cats will face VASJ's JV squad next Thursday at 6 pm.