Franklin’s Chase Alyea goes up for a spike during Saturday’s regional semifinal against Westfield.
Nick Wilson | For the Daily Journal
Four sets weren’t enough to determine a regional champion, which meant the mad dash to 15 points was on.
Two-time defending state champion Roncalli, its back squarely against the wall on Saturday night, displayed the fortitude necessary to rally for a 25-18, 21-25, 26-28, 25-22, 15-12 victory over host Franklin in an IBVCA regional final.
The match, which took just under two hours to complete, ended Franklin’s season with a 26-6 record in what was its final spring as a club sport (boys volleyball will be sanctioned by the IHSAA starting next spring).
Grizzly Cubs coach Sarah Records, reflecting on a fourth set that was tied 21-21 and a fifth that was deadlocked at 12-12, is well aware of how close her team was to qualifying for Saturday’s state finals at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
“When we tied it up in set five at 12-12, I mean, we could taste it for sure,” Records said. “Roncalli came out and just kind of kicked it into a different gear. They wanted it too, so at that point it just was a matter of being able to play clean and put the ball away.
“We just weren’t able to do that.”
Franklin started as the aggressor in the deciding set, jumping to a 4-1 advantage. Junior Chase Alyea and sophomore Henry Houston teamed for a block to begin the scoring, outside hitter Jacob Miller followed with a kill and junior defensive specialist Jackson Clements was credited with a service ace.
The Royals (31-5) responded to go ahead by three points on three occasions — 10-7, 11-8 and 12-9. But the Grizzly Cubs had one final burst in them, the 6-foot-6 Miller sandwiching kills around a beautifully executed tip from junior setter Charlie Sanders.
Roncalli coach Nick Jennings signaled timeout in an attempt to halt Franklin’s momentum. It worked.
Clements’ next serve was long, giving the Royals a one-point lead. Roncalli made it a 14-12 score on soph Xavier Lawrie’s 17th kill of the night, prompting Records to take a timeout.
With Aiden Hill serving, the Royals then ended the suspense with Lawrie’s team-high 18th kill.
The match proved a drastic departure from Roncalli’s 25-15, 25-17 conquest of the Cubs during a tournament at Cathedral early in the regular season.
This time around, Franklin — led by the match-high 19 kills of left-handed 6-4 senior hitter Zach Newton and Miller’s 15 kills — basically played the Royals to a standstill.
But, like champions have been known to do, the Royals remained poised and executed when it most mattered.
Franklin graduates three seniors in Newton, libero Nik Smock and defensive specialist Cole Hufford. All three were vital components in one of the program’s most memorable seasons to date.
“I’m especially going to remember this game, and we went against the No. 1 team in the state, gave it our all and went to five with them,” said Smock, who served three aces. “(Roncalli) obviously seemed composed in those close, back-to-back rallies.
“We know their guys from club. Some of them are friends with us. We knew what we were going into. I went into this match with a lot more confidence than we did the first one.”
Roncalli never trailed in the opening set, but the second was knotted at 17-all in the second when the Cubs, ignited by a Houston block, finished strong to pull even at one set apiece.
The Royals were in control in the third, up 20-15, but Franklin, paced by kills from both Newton and Miller, eventually pulled even at 25-25. The Cubs’ final two points came on a violation against the Royals and Alyea and Houston reaching up for a block on Roncalli junior Eli Berger’s attempted kill.
Roncalli broke free from the late fourth-set deadlock thanks in large part to two Berger kills, setting up the dramatic fifth set.
“This season, one of the things we talked about in the locker room, is just what these guys have accomplished this season,” Records said. “Finishing at 26-6, I mean, that’s a huge accomplishment. We’ve not had a team play at this level in quite some time.
“It’s been seven years since we cracked into the top eight like we did tonight. This group of boys brought something back to our program that we haven’t seen in a minute. I’m just really proud of what they’ve accomplished this year.”
Miller will be among Franklin’s top returnees for the program’s IHSAA-sanctioned debut season. He’ll be joined by other key holdovers Clements, Sanders, Alyea and Houston to again give the Grizzly Cubs a formidable nucleus.
“It just makes me want to play again,” Miller said. “I think we’ve got a shot (next season). We’ve just got to work together, and put up the fight.”
Franklin qualified for the final match by defeating Westfield in five sets in the afternoon semifinal, 25-20, 20-25, 25-21, 18-25, 15-10. The Royals advanced with a 3-0 shutout of Floyd Central.
In other regional action, Center Grove advanced to the title match of the Illiana Christian Regional by virtue of a four-set triumph over Lake Central. The Trojans (21-7) then fell to Cathedral in the title match, 25-17, 25-22, 25-23.
