VERONA, Mo. — A year ago, the College Heights Christian volleyball team suffered a heartbreaking setback in the district championship match.
This year, the Cougars made sure history did not repeat itself.
Top-seeded College Heights Christian earned a 3-0 victory over third-seeded Thomas Jefferson in the championship match of the Class 1 District 8 volleyball tournament on Tuesday night at Verona High School.
With a solid overall performance, the Cougars defeated the Cavaliers 25-16, 25-18, 25-13.
College Heights (23-3) advanced to Saturday’s sectional round of the state tournament with the win. A year ago, the Cougars were upset by Diamond in the district finale.
“That upset last year was so disappointing that I didn’t gear the season towards this match like I did last year,” College Heights coach Mary Colin said as her team celebrated behind her. “Last year, the whole season was geared towards that moment and Diamond played awesome against us. It was such a disappointing loss. This year was much different because you never knew if you were going to get to play tomorrow. This season has been about each day. And now we get another day. I’m proud of them. They’re a great group of kids with great chemistry and they rally together.”
Thomas Jefferson knocked off second-seeded McAuley Catholic 3-1 (25-16, 22-25, 26-24, 25-15) in the semifinals. But the Cavaliers (12-14) were unable to pull off a second upset and the season came to an end.
“I am so incredibly proud of them,” Thomas Jefferson assistant coach Britanie Wacoche said. “They came together as a team and worked extremely hard. This is the best I’ve seen them play. For them to do that in the district championship and in the semifinals is awesome. I’m so proud of them.”
Wacoche, who was leading the Cavs with head coach David Soetaert out sick, said she was pleased with how the team pulled out a hard-fought win over the Warriors (13-17) in the semifinals.
“We weren’t favored to win any of these matches, so to get a win in the semifinals and give them a battle in the championship is a win in itself,” Wacoche said.
College Heights advanced to the title match without taking the court for the semifinals, as fourth-seeded Wheaton forfeited due to COVID-related issues.
“Having the forfeit before, I was a little nervous with us coming in ice cold,” Colin said. “At the same time, they (TJ) had to play a four-set match, so it’s kind of a wash.”
The first set of the championship match was close early, but an ace from Kaynahn Burk gave College Heights a 13-8 advantage.
Moments later, Lainey Lett slammed back-to-back kills from the left side and Sarah Painter served an ace, giving the Cougars a 21-13 lead.
The Cavaliers stayed within striking distance, as Sonia Carlson slammed a kill and Winni Hiebert recorded a block, but CHC’s Catie Secker slammed three late kills to finish off the set.
The intense second set was back and forth most of the way. The score was tied at 18, but College Heights gained the momentum late. College Heights rattled off seven straight points with Secker serving to close out the set.
“We had some unforced errors earlier in the set,” Colin said. “But the momentum off the service line was nice.”
College Heights never relinquished the momentum in the third set, as the Cougars led 11-4 and 20-9 en route to victory.
“I felt they (TJ) returned the ball well and forced us to play offense, which is good and fun,” Colin said. “We were really aggressive. We served well. We played pretty well defensively.”
A senior outside hitter, College Heights’ Secker compiled 21 service points with eight aces to go along with 18 digs and eight kills.
Also for the Cougars, Lett had 15 kills, while Avery Good had 22 digs and Burk added 17 digs. Painter handed out 29 assists, while Layne Jackson had two blocks. Thomas Jefferson’s stats were unavailable.
After her squad posed for pictures with the district championship plaque, Colin noted it was a great night for her program.
“I thought we had a great crowd,” Colin added. “Lots of fans showed up, so that was fun. And this new gym is really nice. It’s big and beautiful and fun to play in. Verona hosted a great tournament.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
College Heights takes on District 6 winner Summersville (10-10-6) on Saturday in the sectional round at Blue Eye, the champion of District 7. The start time was not yet released. On Saturday, the quarterfinal match will follow the sectional contests.
The College Heights Cougars pose with the district championship plaque on Tuesday night in Verona. Photo by Jason Peake.
