By Lucy Jackson
Kasey Kissick â08 prepared to serve the final point of CIF Division III State Championship match Dec. 1 in San Jose as the outnumbered Wolverine fans held up one finger. She served an ace, and the girlsâ volleyball team celebrated in a huddle at mid court, much like the previous 19 games of their undefeated streak through league, regional and state competition. After just 59 minutes of play, the team captured the state title, sweeping Sacred Heart Cathedral of San Francisco in straight sets, 25-12, 25-12, 25-20.
The Wolverines got off to a quick start, gaining a 3-0 lead in the first set on three consecutive kills from middle blocker Cathryn Quinn â08. Quinn and sophomore outside hitter Meg Norton combined for 11 of the Wolverinesâ 29 total kills in the set, and a 16-6 final run propelled the team to a one set lead over the Irish.
After the Wolverines resoundingly won the second set, the Irish took its first lead of the match. Down 8-10, Norton shifted the momentum as she dove to reach Sacred Heartâs return on her own serve, setting up a Wolverine point. The team won the next point to tie, and didnât give Sacred Heart the lead for the rest of the game.
âEven when we got down, we knew that we could pull through and get it done,â Norton said. âItâs such a surreal moment. This is the state title, and we finished it off. We won it in three sets.â