Sacred Heart Prep volleyball lays claim to WBAL

SHP doubled up NDB in the scoring department, totaling 68 team kills to the Tigers’ 32. And while junior outside hitter Isabelle Marco was a force with a match-high 24 kills, the distribution of dramatically different shot angles among the versatile Gator attack won the day.

“I think when have a team of 12 human beings that you can rely on in any moment, that’s just an unstoppable team,” SHP head coach Ali Magner said. “There’s an impeccable chemistry. We have a lot of weapons, not just one or two. I think that we bring a lot of depth and that’s going to be key for us this season.”

Junior outside hitter Mia Radeff, and junior middle Naomi Watson each scored 11 kills, while senior opposite Tatum Baker added nine.

It took the Gators a while to warm up though, perhaps an effect of playing in the cooler temperatures inside Moore Pavilion. In SHP’s Monday practice, their home digs of McGanney Gym felt like a sauna. So, it didn’t take long after walking into NDB’s gym Tuesday before the Gators were bundling up.

“It’s freezing,” Radeff said. “When we came in, it was very cold, and we all put on our sweatshirts.”

The Tigers (2-2, 13-5) took advantage early, jumping out to a 6-2 lead in Game 1. The Gators would never catch them, despite playing virtually point for point. NDB freshman Gia Rivera got off to a hot start, scoring five of her team-high 17 kills in the opening set.

But the tables turned in Game 2.

“I think they just became more aggressive,” NDB middle blocker Julia Breckenridge said. “They just found our weaknesses. And their serving was really tough.”

Radeff scored an early ace in Game 2 to set the tone. Then with the set deadlocked 6-6, the varying looks of shots sent SHP on a 5-1 run, with kills from Watson, Marco out of the back row, and outside hitter Natalia Romero, with a service ace by Kelsey Chad mixed in for good measure.

“I think it was a really great team effort,” SHP libero Ellie Wheeler said. “We lost the first set and I think we did a really good job of coming back and not letting our foot off the gas. … We just adjusted the way we needed to adjust because it was our first time playing this team.”

Wheeler was an anchor in the back row totaling 11 digs. Marco and Radeff shared the team high with 12 digs apiece. Beyond the numbers, the Gators’ defense played with exacting organization, especially in the back row, where they consistently played between the sidelines.

“And playing symbiotically,” Magner said. “Lots of communication. Ellie Wheeler has just been incredibly improving every single match, and just really taking charge back there. And [Radeff] is just kind of like this silent assassin. She’s just there; she just gets the job done. And she’s also starting to attack more, and so we have an offensive presence out of her as well in the back row. They’re playing very mature volleyball.”

And Marco is playing with an impressive amount of energy. The burgeoning star balanced her play throughout, recording a triple-double by virtue of her 22 assists to complement 24 kills and 12 digs. The opening of Game 3 was perhaps her most impressive stretch of attacking, as she exuded a tremendous amount of energy with the strength of her swings. Yet she proved to have plenty left in the tank.

Nine of Marco’s kills came in the final set.

“I honestly just really look up to her as a player,” Radeff said. “She can set the ball, she can hit the ball, she’s someone you can really count on. And it’s just really fun to play next to her because you know when she’s going up to swing, she’s going to get that kill, and she’s going to set that ball. She’s going to make the right choices. It’s just very cool.”

The Gators worked some new faces into the rotation in Game 4, with junior middle Eduarda Sjobom scoring two late kills. And starting middle Paige Egan saved the best of her two match blocks for last, finishing off the night with a decisive roof.

“We have been working a lot on team defense, especially our block play at the net,” Magner said. “And we were telling the girls: ‘It’s your No. 1 priority to execute at the net.’ We need to make sure we’re taking care of that. As I told them at the end of the game, we applied everything that we’ve been working on in practice, and those moments came in clutch, like Paige getting that block at the very end of the game. Our middles have been working relentlessly on that.”