Volleyball Eagles Roll Past Wildcats, Move Up in Rankings

On Friday night, the Eagles volleyball team ventured into the hostile environment of St. Ignatius’ Sullivan Gymnasium. The matchup was highly anticipated on both sides. The Eagles came away with a narrow victory last year in a hotly contested match. In this year’s early season both teams were off to a very hot start each having just one loss coming into the matchup. The Wildcats came into the match with a record of 8-1 and were at the top of the rankings for the North region of Ohio (rankings via ohioboysvolleyball.com). The Eagles entered the match with a record of 9-1 and a ranking of #4 in the region. Although the Eagles were a slight underdog coming in, the players certainly didn’t appear daunted and came out with all of the confidence in the world. The first set was crucial to the matchup, it was back and forth the entire time and went to over 30 points. The Eagles eventually won the set and gained a huge swing of momentum. They lost the second set, but were able to bounce back and were reenergized by the presence of their student section and its support. They won the third and fourth sets somewhat comfortably led by the killing ability of juniors Johnny Hutton and Jacob Esteves the Eagles simply overpowered their opponents in this match. 

The win was especially impressive because the winning effort came from all parts of the team. A number of huge blocks and kills came from junior Jared Gibel which helped turn the momentum in the Eagles’ favor on a number of occasions. Additionally Christian Pagan, a senior, had what he called the best game of his career coming up with multiple huge blocks that gave the Eagles crucial points in close sets. Even Michael Gall, the lone freshman on varsity, saw the floor in this matchup and stepped up in a big spot for the team. This team oriented win along with contributions coming from a variety of players is exciting and shows the excellent depth and passion across the roster that this team possesses. This game was so meaningful for the team and players and it was truly on display during this game. After every point scored the emotion was visible on the players’ faces. They had a kind of fight and sheer will to win this game that can fuel a team to be great. Senior captain Will Gareau came up with a number of spectacular digs for the team and was ecstatic after every point. The players’ passion helped energize the fans and students who were in attendance and the support got louder and louder as the match went on. After winning the third set, Senior captain Will Gareau ran up the stands and into the student section. “We got one more set, I need you guys to scream on every single point!” Gareau stated. The moment seemed almost cinematic and showed just how much this game meant to all of the players involved. 

The team is not done yet though, they seem to have further goals and don’t show signs of letting up anytime soon. In a postgame conversation I had with Gareau, he said, “The crazy thing is we didn’t even play our best.” Just how far the team can go remains to be seen, but the team seems to think they have what it takes to do something special and are very excited about the promise their play is showing. They have a stretch of crucial matches coming up that could really position them to make a deep postseason run. On Wednesday, they take on another top team in the region, Brecksville Broadview Heights, at home. They also have a rematch with another powerhouse, Hudson, who handed the Eagles their only loss on the season. That game will be played at St. Edward on Thursday, May 5. Finally they will end off the regular season with a rematch against the wildcats of St. Ignatius. The Eagles will look to stay hot in the coming weeks and build momentum going into the postseason. They have put everyone on notice with their most recent statement win over St. Ignatius, but can they continue their winning ways? That remains to be seen, regardless though, they have made the school community very proud and have represented their school and classmates to the fullest of their abilities with their excellent on court performances.