Midweek matches can often be trap games. Teams can often succumb to the difficulty of playing a game after a full day of strenuous classes and homework.

While the Massillon Jackson Polar Bears provided a difficult challenge, the Saint Ignatius varsity volleyball team narrowly avoided the trap, earning a 3-1 victory on Tuesday night at Sullivan Gym.

The contest proved to be more difficult than advertised, as the Polar Bears adjusted to a strong Wildcats' front line and nearly came back in the fourth set to force a fifth, which could have gone either way.

The first set of the evening saw the Wildcats in full control. The hosts burst out to a 9-4 lead, thanks in part to four early aces by Phil Catanzaro. The lead stretched to 16-7 Cats before Jackson burned a timeout. Catanzaro contributed four kills down the stretch and Flanagan added a dynamite spike to bury the Polar Bears, 25-15.  

The Wildcats experienced a role reversal in the second set. The Polar Bears began to switch strategies and moved to a more defensive posture better for digging. Jackson burst out to a 14-7 lead, leading to a Wildcats' timeout.

A host of kills by Catanzaro, Teddy Koncelik, and Vince Holzheimer brought the lead back to Saint Ignatius, 17-16 and then 19-17. But then errors haunted the Wildcats, allowing the Polar Bears to roll to a 8-2 run to steal the set, 25-21. The Cats' 13 errors and Jackson's 4 aces were the difference in a tough set. 

But the Wildcats responded with an absolutely dominant third set. Tearing off an impressive 16 kills, the Volleyball Cats used hard and soft hits at the net to keep the Polar Bears off guard. Quinn Flanagan, Eric Larsen, and Andrew Boeckman all tallied kills to help the hosts leap to a 13-7 advantage. Following a Jackson timeout, the lead grew to 17-9 and 20-11. Catanzaro, Flanagan, and Koncelik provided kills to finish offf the Polar Bears in decisive fashion, 25-15.

The fourth and final set was an all-out war, as close as it comes. The Wildcats tied the score five times before snatching their first lead of the set as 12-11. But the advantage quickly vanished, as the Polar Bears used critical digs to thwart promising spikes. 

Trailing 15-14, the error bug hit again, allowing the Polar Bears to build a 19-15 lead. The home team took a timeout to regroup and began its comeback. A big Castele kill and a Jackson service error placed the ball in the hands of the Wildcats' star – Phil Catanzaro. 

The junior forced a Jackson error and then aced the visitors on back-to-back-to-back serves, granting the Cats a 23-22 lead before committing a service error of his own. The teams then exchanged errors, tying the game at 24 and ensuring that 25 points would not win it.

A fierce battle ensued. A Castele kill sent the game to match point before an error tied it at 25. Another Wildcat error gave the chance for the Polar Bears to win it before Jackson made an error to knot the contest at 26. A Larsen kill placed the Cats up one before the Polar Bears tied it again. Near misses by both teams tied the game at 28 as both fanbases held their breath.

Then, Catanzaro ended it. His crucial kill sent the contest to match point and his block at the net concluded the game in dramatic fashion, 30-28. Catanzaro ended the contest with a team-high 15 kills, none more crucial than his in the fourth set. 

Aidan McCaffrey and Vince Holzheimer held it down in the assist department, with 21 and 18, respectively. Holzheimer led the way with 14 of the team's 46 digs, Catanzaro added 11, and Matthew Rogers contributed seven. 

Now 8-1 on the year, including 4-0 at home, the Wildcats will hit the road for a long stretch. The Volleyball Cats will be at Hudson on Thursday, the first of seven road matches, not including the Centerville Elite 8 Meet. The team's next home match will not be until May 9 against Archbishop Hoban.