Scotus Central Catholic volleyball faced a challenging environment on the road against Aquinas Catholic on Tuesday, but the Shamrocks secured a decisive victory, winning all three sets with scores of 25-15, 25-18, and 25-15.
“We knew Aquinas would have a noisy crowd,” said Scotus head coach Janet Tooley. “Playing in this atmosphere was beneficial for us. It was one of the loudest crowds we’ve faced, and it helps us improve our communication on the court.”
The Shamrocks improved their record to 9-2, though they struggled with serving, finishing with seven aces but also eight service errors. However, they excelled in long rallies, amassing 30 kills and 57 digs throughout the match.
“I was a bit disappointed in our serving,” Tooley commented. “We need to serve tougher moving forward, especially against the competition we’ll be facing.”
Related News
Senior Mallory Dreesen led the team with a double-double, contributing 11 kills and 13 digs, while senior Meah Sackett recorded 22 assists and eight digs. Ava Rickert and Shayla Borchers each added five kills, and juniors Kayla Hoffman and Sophia Langan each had nine digs.
Rickert highlighted the team’s resilience, stating, “We stayed relentless and lifted each other up after mistakes, which is crucial for our success.”
In the first set, Aquinas briefly took a 4-2 lead before Scotus responded with a 10-point run. The Shamrocks then led 18-7 after a six-point run later in the set. In the second set, Scotus called its only timeout when trailing 13-11 but rallied back to win.
The third set saw Scotus take control early, scoring six consecutive points. They finished strong, winning 10 of the last 13 points to complete the sweep.
Rickert, who has transitioned to a pin hitter this season, noted the importance of building confidence within the team. “I’ve had to accept my role and it’s been easy to grow my confidence with the support from my teammates,” she said.
Scotus previously faced some challenges at the Malcolm Invite, but they ended on a high note by defeating Malcolm in the third-place match.
The Shamrocks will compete next at the Fairbury Invite on Saturday, entering as the top seed against Wilber-Clatonia in their opening match. “I’m really proud of how we’ve held our ground this season,” Rickert added. “We’ve been relentless overall.”
