Mercy-Burlingame's historic volleyball run ends in Nor Cal final

That historic run came to an end Tuesday night in the Nor Cal Division III regional finals, as the Crusaders ran up against a No. 1 seed in Archie Williams-San Anselmo (20-6) that played like a team on a mission. Mercy fell in straight sets 25-18, 25-22, 25-22, falling one game shy of California high school volleyball ultimate stage of the state finals.

It was an emotional scene during the postgame awards ceremony, as Mercy (26-10) was honored as the Division III runners up. Six graduating seniors took their final bows with the team, with tears in the eyes of seniors and non-seniors alike.

“I love every single person on this team and it’s making me really sad that this is the last year I’m going to get to play with six of them,” Mercy sophomore Mia Ferdinand said. “With … us having so many rituals that we do together, and being with each other every single day, I’ve just formed an emotional connection with all of them. And not being able to play with some of them next year is really hard.”

Archie Williams — formerly Sir Francis Drake High School until the name was changed last year — flustered and confused Mercy’s defense with an array of dynamic terminators. Outside hitters Elsa Snipes and Lindsey Jones were a high-flying combination and balanced the attack by sharing the game-high with 17 kills apiece.

No. 3-seed Mercy’s blocking game has been a staple of the team’s nine-match winning streak, including seven straight playoff wins. But the Peregrine Falcons solved the block in the opening set. While Mercy totaled five match blocks as a team, only one of them came in Game 1 on the Crusaders’ first point of the night — a roof by senior middle Katie Callagy.

From there, the Falcons went on to tactically pick apart the Mercy defense.

“Definitely looking at the block, and looking at the holes, and where they are,” Archie Williams head coach Lisa Hudson said. “Mercy did a great job of putting up a block. It made our girls work to put it in a spot where they weren’t.”

Mercy kept pace through the middle of Game 1 and jumped out to big leads in games 2 and 3. In Game 2, the Crusaders held a 14-8 lead. In Game 3, they were up 14-9. But Archie Williams proved there was no lead they couldn’t overcome.

“Particularly in this playoff season, we have come from behind several times,” Hudson said. “Right when we get to that 15 mark, we just accelerate. The team really came together, and everybody is peaking at the right time.”

Mercy outside hitter Anna Snigorenko scored a team-high 16 kills but was not her usual dominant self on the attack. The senior was often out of rhythm as the Crusaders struggled to keep pace with the Falcons’ scoring proficiency. Archie Williams dominated in team kills in the match 45-30.

“I felt like the passes were off, we were out of system, we couldn’t get the sets directly to her,” Mercy head coach Ray Sum said. “I think they knew they were really going to block Anna because she’s probably our biggest hitter, and they were going to try to go after her. And they did and threw us out of system.”

It was the back-row defense of Mercy outside hitter Ava Cacao that carried the team early. The sophomore opened the match on the service line and did well to pick up many of Archie Williams’ high-velocity shots through the first few rotations of Game 1. The set was deadlocked until 15-15, when Snipes using a barrage of punches and fades to lead the Falcons on a 7-1 run.

“[Snipes] is an amazing beach player, and she plays like a beach player by using her hands with what we call a beach-style punch or a tip,” Sum said. “She’s able to push it deep. Most people that tip, tip short, so our blockers cover that. Our players just didn’t move to the position in time.”

It also didn’t hurt Archie Williams played a squeaky-clean opening set, committing just one field error to Mercy’s nine in Game 1.

“Obviously it builds momentum for them,” Sum said. “They were in it to win it. They wanted it. This is their home court. They have … their fans. We tried to bring ours in as well. I think when you have that with you, it really helps to keep that momentum and energy.”

In Game 2, the Mercy switched from a 6-2 to a 5-1 offense and reaped early benefits. It forced the Falcons on their heels, as they’d go on to commit 10 field errors in the set. But the defense made up for it. Despite the Crusaders opening a 14-8 lead, they couldn’t find the floor with their shots. Archie Williams totaled 16 kills in the set while holding Mercy to six team kills.

A 5-1 run by the Falcons — with Jones consistently tooling the block off the left side — gave them new life. Mercy led as late as 19-18, but Archie Williams’ shot angles took on new life later in the set. Snipes faded a block off the left side to tie it at 19, and senior opposite Lauren Barnwell gave the Falcons the lead with a tool off the right side. Archie Williams led the rest of the way.

Game 3 was like an instant replay, with Snigorenko finding a rhythm early. She scored seven kills in the final set of her varsity volleyball career, but Mercy’s 14-9 lead collapsed in the blink of an eye amid a 5-0 service run by Snipes. She’d go on to break a 15-15 tie with a soaring left-side bomb. Mercy kept within a point until 23-22, but the Falcons earned match point on a Crusaders misfire and finished off the Nor Cal title with a service ace by Barnwell.

“They had a lot of smart players,” Mercy setter Clare O’Brien said. “They were very good at placing the ball, and I think by the end we just kind of got tired. But I also think it was just a difficult game.”

Mercy graduates six seniors: Snigorenko, Callagy, Raquel Calderon, Emma Landaverde-Tucker, Cece Murray and Jamie Fabula.

“It’s been a long season,” Sum said. “We started a little bit slow, but we picked it up towards the end like we did last season. It’s a major accomplishment for making it this far, especially making it here to the Nor Cal championship, which is really the first for them and a first for the school.”