Aragon's season comes to screeching end

The No. 7 seed Wildcats (21-11) were actually seeded one spot behind the No. 6 Dons (20-14), but it was apparent St. Ignatius was the superior unit from the start. The Wildcats dominated Games 1 and 2 and simply had too much height, too much firepower and too many options.

Talk about diversity. Twelve SI players recorded a point, with Trinity Lornard and Erin Grady leading the way with 10 kills each. They both hit over .700 in the process, and their teammates were able to hit through, over and around the Aragon blockers with mind-numbing effectiveness. The Dons seemed lost early as a number of tips and soft hits fell on the court or into an open area.

The Dons didn't have many moments, but they kept on battling to the end. In Game 3, they got to within 15-13 on a Katie Hurley kill, but that's as close as they would get. The Wildcats went on a game-ending 10-4 run to seal the outcome. Aragon started to play its best ball in the latter stages, as it engaged in a number of long rallies with SI.

However, the Wildcats won most of those points, including one in which Aragon's Alysha Gillman made an incredible one-fisted dig off a laser hit from Grady. Once again, Hurley led Aragon's attack. She had a match-high 13 kills and was unstoppable early, recording five kills on five attempts in Game 1. Sophomore standout Missy Loeser, who is one of the more versatile players on the Peninsula and can play every position effectively, finished with seven kills.

"I don't know what happened," Loeser said. "We were ready and set to go. We were confident before the match started. I visualized this match thinking it would go well. But when we came out on the court, nerves must have gotten the best of us. I know we could've played better."

Meisi Haupeakui had three blocks and Alexa McDonnell had six digs. Despite the loss, the Aragon players felt like winners afterwards. After all, they went through a tumultuous time near the end of last year, and at the start of this season first-year co-coach Arjuna Manning-Laisne said his players were divided by class groups. But as the season went along, they formed a bond that was unbreakable.

"Obviously we lost but it was the end of a wonderful thing," Manning-Laisne said. "If you would have said at the beginning of the year that we'd be here, I wouldn't have believed you. We came in confident thinking we could play with them. We really focused on the girls doing their best. When you play a WCAL team, you know they're good. I always tell my basketball team if you play the Dream Team you might not beat them, but you can be proud of playing your best. We're obviously excited that we have a lot of the team coming back next year."

The Dons will return nine players in 2008, led by its leader Loeser, who constantly encourages her teammates on the court. While the tears were flowing from a number of the Aragon players, they were tears of joy.

"Our chemistry was unbelievable," Loeser said. "Last year was totally ridiculous. This year to find so much heart and passion in all of our girls was amazing. We had so many positives this year, and that's why it's tough to see our season end. But we'll be back."

Emanuel Lee can be reached by e-mail: emanuel@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344 5200, ext. 109.