PHOENIX – It could have been the breaking point.
Instead it turned out to be the a proving point for the Chandler Seton Catholic girls volleyball team on its way to its second straight Class 4A Division II state title, beating Glendale Cactus three games to one Monday at Phoenix Brophy High.
The Sentinels were already down a game, and trailing 21-17 in the second.
A lesser team might have been holding up the runners-up trophy soon thereafter, but Seton Catholic held it together, clawed back to a 23-all tie and won it 27-25 on a Haley Lawless kill.
Chandler Seton Catholic volleyball team celebrates after scoring a point against Glendale Cactus in the Class 4A Division II state title game. (Photo by Jason P. Skoda, CoachesAid.com)
“We had to dig in,” senior opposite hitter Cassie Kramer, how had six aces, said. “We were down one and were real close to losing the second. We focused, got a few points and finished it off.”
Seton Catholic (27-7) won the third and fourth games as well, taking the match 21-25, 27-25, 25-22 and 25-23.
The fourth game was tied at 23-all when Seton Catholic coach James Felton called a time after Cactus, which was the 4A-I runner-up last season, scored three straight points to force the tie.
“I really wasn’t happy with our effort for the first game-and-a-half,” Felton said. “We’ve played better times and we needed to step it up. We got a little momentum and we felt like, ‘Hey, we could pull this out.’ “
Chandler Seton Catholic's McKennan Ronan, left, and Haley Lawless go up for a block against Glendale Cactus in the Class 4A Division II state title game. (Photo by Jason P. Skoda, CoachesAid.com)
It officially came to end when junior setter McKenna Ronan reacted quickly to Cactus block, and her return shot fell between two sprawling Cobras.
“This is an incredible feeling,” Kramer said. “It’s my senior year and to win it again is even sweeter. We have been fighting for this all year and I can’t believe we did it again.”
Cactus coach Lindsay Walls said the two squads were very evenly matched and the outcome could have easily shifted.
"I had more confidence in our girls this year against this team," she said. "It's a couple of points. The difference is a few things, doing the right thing at the right time.
"I am extremely proud of the girls. I know they are upset and I hope they can feel comfort with the way they played tonight because they had a really successful season.
In the Class 4A Division I final, Phoenix Sunnyslope defeated Cave Creek Cactus Shadows, 25-23, 25-17 and 25-22 for its second straight title.
Madison Kingdon had 16 kills in the match, including four kills in an 11-2 run to erase a 13-11 deficit in Game 1.
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