Cardinal Mooney volleyball falls in state championship match

Cardinal Mooney could not have asked for a better start to its state championship match against Trinity Catholic. 

The Cougars won a hard-fought first set against the Celtics, 27-25, before easily taking the second, 25-9. The Celtics were making mistakes, the Cougars were not, and it appeared that Cardinal Mooney was on its way to a state title. 

But appearances can be deceiving. 

"I think we took our foot off the gas," Cougars coach Chad Sutton said. "And they (Trinity Catholic) put their foot on the gas more. We lost the momentum."

Trinity Catholic would win the next three sets 25-17, 25-18 and 15-11 to win the state title in come-from-behind fashion, and the Cougars were left wondering what could have been. 

Cougars sophomore Ashley "Skye" Ekes led the team with 17 kills, and juniors Sophia Hritz and Anna Klemeyer each had 12. Of Ekes, Celtics coach Jeff Reavis said watching video of her play "does not do her justice." Hritz led the team in digs with 17, and sophomore Alex Lopez had a match-high 47 assists. On the other side, Trinity Catholic junior Annie Cate Fitzpatrick recorded 27 kills and 20 digs. 

Sutton said he predicted the match would go five sets and called the Celtics a "really good team." Sutton said the Cougars did not pass as well after the second set, a big factor in Trinity Catholic's comeback.

Even though the loss is disappointing, Sutton said, this season put Cardinal Mooney volleyball on the map, and he is proud of his team for that.