Members of the state champion St. Francis DeSales volleyball team pose with the trophy after winning the Division I title on Saturday, Nov. 9.                                                                    Photo courtesy St. Francis DeSales

DeSales upsets top-ranked team to win state volleyball championship

There’s no better high school girls volleyball team in Ohio than Columbus St. Francis DeSales.

The Stallions can make that claim after slaying a giant with a major upset on Saturday, Nov. 9 in the Division I state championship match at Wright State University’s Nutter Center in Fairborn.

DeSales won its first state volleyball title since 1982 with an impressive 19-25, 25-21, 25-20, 25-22 victory over Parma Padua Franciscan, which entered the match undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 1 nationally by USA Today.

Padua (28-1) had won two of the last three state titles and four overall in nine final four appearances. 

“The title means so much to all of us because it is the first Division I volleyball state championship for our whole entire (Central) District in 30 years,” DeSales coach Brenden Pence said. “That is astounding. Every member wanted to win that match for their teammates, for their community, for their families.

“But the championship itself does not define any of us as individuals or as a program. We were that team before the first serve, and we were that same team when the final point was scored. ... I think every single member will look back on this time together as something so special, something they will all share for the rest of their lives. And at the end of the day, what more could we hope for?”

Newark Catholic, which also advanced from the diocese to the state final four in Division IV, came up short, falling 25-16, 27-25, 20-25, 26-24 in a tight semifinal with Fort Loramie to finish the season with a 19-7 record.

DeSales (27-2), which reached the state’s final four for the eighth time in school history, capped its historic season with a 15-match winning streak that included a semifinal victory over Solon on Friday, Nov. 8.

“No disrespect at all to Padua, because they are an amazing team and have had an incredibly strong season and resume, but so have we,” Pence said. “We knew that we may not have the national ranking or hype, but that never defined who we are or what we do. ... I think when the match was over, it hit our kids that it was an ‘upset,’ but in the moment, and to anyone who watched what we could do on the court ... I think it was two extremely well-rounded and tough teams battling it out for a state championship.”

DeSales recovered after dropping the first game against a Padua team that had lost only nine games all season to sweep the next three and take home the championship trophy.

“In the finals after dropping the first set, there was definitely no panic from my kids or staff,” Pence said. “We have been down before, and I thought we were actually playing pretty well overall. We just missed some opportunities to execute and left too many points on the court. We knew we were battling and we knew we could take a set if we executed a few things a little bit better. And if we could take a set, we knew we could win the match.” 

In the third game, DeSales opened a decisive lead and finished the set by winning the last three points, including a kill by Maryanne Boyle, after Padua closed within two points. 
The decisive fourth game found DeSales trailing by five points at 13-8 before taking its first lead at 17-16 on a kill by Saje Washington. 

Four ties and two lead changes followed before the Stallions went ahead to stay at 21-20 on a block by Boyle and Boyd. Padua never got closer than two points again, and a kill from Brown ended the match. 

“The two biggest turning points in my mind were, first, down 19-12 in the first set, we made a big run to get within two points,” Pence said. 

“I think that demonstrated that we had matchup advantages. We just had to stick to what got us to that point.

“And the other one was in the second set, when Saje Washington came alive. ... Saje was just a little off her game. When she came off the court in a rotation, we talked a bit about going back to what got her here in the first place and trusting her vision. 

“She came back in a few rotations later and looked like a completely different player, like the one she has been all season. When she caught fire, I knew that they couldn’t stop all of us.”
The Stallions received key contributions up and down their roster.

Bella D’Amico, who is committed to Georgia Tech to play volleyball, led the team in assists with 43 and added 18 digs. Bridget Javitch and Gabbi D’Amico chipped in with 28 and 19 digs, respectively. 

Brown, who is committed to play in college at Robert Morris, delivered 17 kills and Boyle, who is headed to Providence, was right behind with 16 kills. 

Morgan Tydings, Brooke Stablein and Grace Barber also played in all four sets.
“Faith is so important to all our students, and absolutely to our whole program. We begin every practice and match with a Hail Mary, prayed out loud and together,” Pence said.

“Each year, a senior ‘bequeaths’ the role of prayer leader to the next class of seniors at the end-of-the-year banquet. We have faith in each other, in ourselves, and in God every day. We wouldn’t be who we are without FAITH, Family and Tradition!”