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Finals Fantasy: PCA's dream of a fourth state title dashed by Bishop Lynch
BY Kevin Hageland, khageland@starlocalnews.com
The Prestonwood Christian Academy volleyball team handed Bishop Lynch its lone district loss Oct. 18.
On Saturday, the Lady Friars got the ultimate revenge as they won the TAPPS 5A State Championship by defeating the Lady Lions (25-14, 25-16, 25-19) from the Blossom Athletic Center in San Antonio.
Prestonwood, which split the season series and shared the TAPPS 1-5A Title with Bishop Lynch, was seeking its fourth state title (2003, 2004, 2005).
On the other side of the net, the Lady Friars clicked all afternoon.
"The girls played absolutely amazing and focused in the finals," said Tricia Roos, Bishop Lynch head coach. "I think that was probably the best match we've played all year together as a team. Perfect time to peak."
The key to the match was undoubtedly Bishop Lynch's defense.
Whether it was a stout block up front or the backline, which included a 23-dig performance from Madi Wilkerson, Bishop Lynch continually stifled Prestonwood's normally potent offense. The Lady Lions had 112 set attempts in the match but only 31 assists off completed kills.
"We live and die by being able to put the ball away," O'Neal said, "so it was very frustrating, but you have to give props to Lynch too; they were digging everything."
The bulk of Prestonwood's assists came from juniors Haley Wolken (16 assists) and Courtney Novak (13 assists, eight digs), both of whom were named to the all-tournament team. The Lady Lions' other all-tournament selections were kept largely in check as junior Ashley Morgan amassed just six kills and six assists while senior Katie Staiger, the district MVP, posted 13 kills and seven digs.
"After we got stopped early, we tried to go to people we don't always go to," O'Neal said. "So if you could see the block was lined up with Katie we would throw it out to the right side. But you can only mix it up so much; we weren't just going to go away from Katie or try something completely different in the last match of the season."
While Bishop Lynch's front line bottled up Prestonwood, they also brought the offense with Maggie Joyce, Sarah Bennett, Shalom Ifeanyichukwu and Morgan Reed representing the bulk of the team's terminations. Reed also set up many of those points as she and Li'i Etimani each put up 17 assists.
"With a team like Bishop Lynch, when they are firing, we have to be firing too," O'Neal said.
That point never came as Prestonwood failed to reach the 20s in any set.
"There were times when I thought, 'maybe this is it, maybe this is the break we need,'" O'Neal said. "But we had too much trouble stringing multiple points together and it never really felt like we were in control.
"They only called one timeout and we called all six; that pretty much tells you the story."
Prestonwood sophomore Christina Phillips put down seven kills, junior Natalie Fischer pulled up six digs and senior Brooke Gajdica registered seven digs in the three-set loss (25-14, 25-16, 25-19).
Saturday's match brought an end to the varsity careers of Gajdica and Staiger.
"I think that was the saddest part for me; the loss hurts, but it's even harder to see those two go," O'Neal said. "They joined the team as freshman, which was my first season here too. The first time I saw them I knew they were the kind of girls I wanted on the team ... and now it feels kind of like the end of an era."
The next era looks bright as well.
"We are blessed with the group we have coming back, especially to have six that will be seniors," O'Neal said. "I'm sure this sting won't go away until next season, but that will motivate a group that already has experience and knows how to win."
But the current seniors weren't done dispensing wisdom once the state finals ended.
"I had told the girls they could go home with their parents if they wanted to," O'Neal said. "But Katie said we should all, 'end as a family and go back together.' I think that speaks volumes about these girls."
It also speaks volumes about what may be the most lasting memories from 2012.
"After the match there was no point in talking about what we could have done better because the season was over, so we tried to stay positive," O'Neal said. "The girls were so distraught and I told them that when they look back and when I look back at this season, there are going to be so many positive things to remember."
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