Eric Keppeler '95
Sports Writer
This was supposed to be a down year.
After graduating much of its starting lineup from the championship squads of the previous two seasons, the St. Joe’s volleyball team figured to be in a rebuilding phase.
Instead, the Marauders capped off another unbeaten Monsignor Martin Athletic Association season and swept arch-rival Canisius for a third straight league championship last Thursday at Hilbert College.
“It feels different because last year we were supposed to be the favorite, and this time we were the underdog because we lost so many of the guys from last year,” said senior Luke Cloen, who led the Marauders with eight kills and four blocks. “But we always believed that we were going to win.”
Scores of the match were 27-25, 25-22, 25-21.
With no state playoffs for the Catholic schools, the Marauders finish the season at 9-0 in the league and 19-3 overall.
“As the years go on, it still feels just as good as the last one,” said junior setter Chase Lipps, who’s been part of all three championships. “It’s a new team every year, which makes it even more exciting.”
The teams traded the lead frequently throughout the match and neither team ever led by more than five points – but when the scores entered the twenties, it was St. Joe’s that found a way to push through.
“These guys put in the hard work during the offseason,” said St. Joe’s coach Mark Anzalone. “Not a lot of these guys were on the court last year – really, only two of them had significant playing time. So we really flipped the roster over with five new guys, and one guy playing a different position. These guys worked their tails off and they earned this.”
The Crusaders led for significant portions of each game but invariably got caught in unfavorable rotations that the Marauders were able to exploit.
“What am I going to get mad about? The guys played their hearts out, but that’s a very good team over there,” said Canisius coach Angelo Calabrese. “I thought my guys did a really good job of staying with them. Losing is part of the game – it sucks, but that’s how it is.”
The Marauders had a bit more size at the net and served more consistently, and Anzalone said that was an important factor in the match.
“We spent a lot of time on serve and serve receive – I think we did win that battle, and that led to better net play for us,” Anzalone said. “That was key – I think we beat them in that aspect and it made a difference.”
The teams were neck and neck in the first game before a couple of late aces from Alex Porterfield put St. Joe’s ahead for good and Thomas Barcomb and Brody Henzler put down kills to give St. Joe’s the winning margin.
The second game was tied at 20 when Cloen had a kill and back-to-back blocks to get some breathing room and Barcomb pounded out the last two kills for the win.
Canisius led for much of the third game before a pair of kills from Ryan Mahoney put the Marauders ahead for good. It was Cloen that delivered the final blow, touching off a celebration on the St. Joe’s bench and in the stands.
Henzler finished with seven kills and two access for St. Joe’s, while Barcomb also had seven kills. Porterfield had six kills and five aces and Mahoney also had six kills.
Matthew Jackson paced Canisius with 10 kills and Elijah McKissick added eight kills.
“When it’s Canisius, we don’t treat it like any other school that we go against,” Lipps said. “We know we have to play our best game if we want to beat them.”
