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Alter girls volleyball earns state berth

Knights dispatch CJ to win regional championship.

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By Debbie Juniewicz, Contributing writer 12:03 AM Sunday, November 6, 2011

WILMINGTON — A sweep was possible but not probable.

The last time Alter and Chaminade Julienne faced off on the volleyball court, the match went five sets with the Knights squeaking out a 15-13 win in the fifth. There was much more on the line than bragging rights, however, when the conference rivals met at Wilmington High School in the Division II regional final on Saturday.

A state berth was the prize.

“I knew if we performed and played our game, there was no doubt we could win in three,” Alter coach Tina Jasinowski said. “But that was a big ‘if.’ ”

The Knights came to play, defeating CJ, 25-22, 25-18, 25-13, to earn their sixth trip to the state tournament since 2002 and third in the past four years. CJ earned regional runner-up honors for the first time in 20 years.

The Eagles kept it close in the opening set as it was knotted at 21-21. Sophomore Sara Crotty gave Alter the go-ahead kill and the Knights never trailed again in the set. “Sara was a beast today and Mary (Rodehaver) played the best she has ever played,” Jasinowski said.

CJ had the early momentum in the second set. But the Knights blockers came up big, stifling the undersized Eagles offense. The third set was all Alter as the Knights maintained the momentum from the opening serve to Natalie Seiler’s winning kill.

Last year, the three-time state-champion Knights fell to Mentor Lake Catholic in the D-II semis. It will be the third and final state trip for four-year varsity players Kristen Kaiser and Courtney.

• In the Division IV regional final at Tippecanoe, St. Henry defeated Lehman Catholic 25-13, 25-17, 21-25, 20-25, 15-12.

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