BY ALEC STIMAC ‘19
The 2016-2017 school year was a fantastic one for the Saint Ignatius Wildcats, with four state championship titles and three runners-up. The Volleyball team gained the first title in program history on Sunday afternoon at Capital University in Columbus. The team played their hardest and continued to push through the tournament to gain the ultimate victory. There was a total of 28 wins, and only 3 losses. The Volley Cats have really accomplished great things this season. On June 4 at Capital Main, the last match was close against Hilliard Darby, but the Cats pulled through with a 3-0 win.
.Coach Casey Marcelo said, “the season was about putting the puzzle pieces together” The addition of Coach Jacob Layden with high level volleyball knowledge and leadership pushed the team over the top. “The seniors Richie, Danny, Purcell, Sean, John and sophomore Phil with freshmen Quinn lead the charge, but the reality was it was a big team effort.” The players off the bench played pivotal roles in stopping Darby. This team celebrated each point and picked each other up when things did not happened as planned. “Our team strength is while other teams may be bigger or stronger, we were bigger and stronger with the sum and cooperation of all our players.”
The Volleyball team faced the number one ranked tournament favorite Hilliard Darby. They expected a win in quick fashion in the quarter. Coach said “we were the Cinderella team and we lived up to the story.” The boys played relentless volleyball attacking at the net. Great set selections were made by Rich (35 assists) and terminating by hitter lead by Danny with 14 kills. From the endline Phil had 2 aces. It might not show in the stats, but John really put the pressure on by aggressively serving which put Darby off balance. “Overall, the team was a joy and to win the state championship for Ignatius for the first time in the school’s history was a pleasure,” senior John Moynihan said.
