Powerhouse Porter-Gaud volleyball denies Cardinal Newman in SCISA 3A championship
Cardinal Newman volleyball was trying to win a state championship for the first time since 1997 and would have to overcome the most dominant program of the last decade in SCISA Class 3A in Porter-Gaud on Tuesday night to do it.
It wasn’t meant to be as the Cardinals fell to the Cyclones 3-0 (25-20, 25-14, 25-16) in the best-of-five set match at South Carolina’s Volleyball Center. It was Porter-Gaud’s ninth title in the last 10 years.
“We worked very hard this season. The girls set out a goal to make it here. We wanted to win but we came up a little short,” Cardinal Newman coach Cynthia Dimapan said. “At the end of the day, I’m still very proud of them. We have a young team and a lot of them will be returning so we do look forward to hopefully making it back here again.”
Porter-Gaud (39-11-1) won eight titles in a row before the streak was snapped last year by Ashley Hall. The Cyclones featured a young roster with just two seniors and that gave coach Megan Crouch the drive to start another streak.
“It’s extra special. Winning eight in a row is something sweet but starting a new tradition with these kids is incredible,” Crouch said. “It’s a really good feeling. It’s been a tough year and they’ve overcome a lot of obstacles so I’m really happy to send these seniors out with a win.”
The Cyclones front-line that featured 6-foot-4 sophomore Marianna Singletary, 5-9 sophomore Alex Hariri, 5-11 junior Sally Branton Crawford and the serving of seniors Anushka Fernandez and Gracie Brown was too much for the Cardinals (26-9-2).
Singletary and Hariri each recorded 15 kills to pace the attack up front. Fernandez contributed 28 assists and Brown led the way with 13 digs.
The first set turned out to be the closest. The teams traded points to start out before Porter-Gaud ran off a 12-4 spurt to take a 16-8 lead. Cardinal Newman got back within 21-18, but the Cyclones were able to serve out the set.
The next two sets followed suit. The Cyclones ran off 10 straight points while Fernandez was serving to take a 14-6 lead before eventually putting it away 25-14. The final set stayed a little closer for the most before the Cyclones closed it out with a 9-3 run.
“It was true teamwork – from the coaching staff in the beginning of the year to this end of the year overcoming everything,” Crouch said. “I’m just proud of how far they’ve come this year.”
The loss doesn’t take away from the fact that Cardinal Newman was back in the finals and did it with a team that has only four seniors. Their starters included sophomores Molly Mazoue and Logan Watson, freshmen Erin Allert and Anna Logan Gillens and eighth grader Damia Ellis.
“It means a lot for a lot of us,” Dimapan said of making the finals. “A lot of players that play this sport, this is what they do with their lives. I’ve dedicated myself to coaching and we’re proud to be here and represent Cardinal Newman.”