THUNDER BAY – A fast start gave the St. Ignatius Falcons all the confidence they needed.
It paid off when it mattered most.
Down two sets to one to the three-time defending high school senior girls’ volleyball champion Westgate Tigers, and playing in their opponent’s gymnasium, the Falcons collected themselves heading into the fourth set, never trailed and evened things up with a 25-20 win.
The momentum carried over into the deciding fifth set.
The Falcons scored first, burst out to a 9-3 and held on to edge the Tigers 15-13 to capture their first championship since 2019, ending Westgate’s three-season championship run.
Captain Maia Peterson, a force throughout the match, said it was a tight match, but given that the two teams finished tied atop the Superior Secondary School Athletics Association standings with identical 11-1 records, and only dropped eight sets between them, it wasn’t all that unexpected.
“It was really great,” said Peterson, who accepted the championship plaque on behalf of her teammates.
“We’ve had a rivalry with them for years now. Last year we lost to them in the fifth set. This year we had a team that was really tight-knit. We’re all really close friends … and we wanted it really bad. We really fought for it and I’m really proud of them.”
Getting the first set under their belt, winning it 25-18, was a huge confidence boost, and though they’d go on to lose the next two sets, 25-18 and 25-21, it stuck in the back of the heads knowing they had what it takes to hang with the Tigers.
“It was pretty important, especially since it’s an away gym. It’s always good to win the first set to quiet them down a little bit. I think we did great,” Peterson said. “Winning the first set really set the tone. We lost a little bit in the second and third and then we came back with the same energy.”
Not losing control in the do-or-die fourth set was also key.
“After coming out of the second and third set, when we were down, we knew we had to switch it up. We thought about the first set, when we were up, and how and why we were up. It was our energy and our momentum, just being positive and always smiling. Stuff like that was really important in the fourth set, bringing it back,” Peterson said.
The Falcons jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the fourth, lead 16-11 and 21-15 before Westgate rallied to score five straight, cutting the St. Ignatius lead to 21-20.
St. Ignatius closed it out with a 4-0 run of their own, taking it 25-20 to set up the decisive fifth set.
Like in the fourth, the Tigers never trailed in the fifth.
They led by as much as 9-3, but Westgate made a match of it, Andi Rissanen serving up four straight points to even the set 13-13.
The Tigers fell just short. The Falcons stopped the run, retook a 14-13 lead and then Oliva Cupp served out the championship, the Westgate defenders unable to handle her serve, the ball sailing into the stands, igniting a trophy celebration.
Coach Vanessa Houghtby, whose team will host the NWOSSAA championship on Tuesday and Wednesday, said the strong start was important, helping overcome complacency that set in during the second and third set.
“Then they really turned it on in the fourth, came through that set and started the fifth set strong. Westgate put up a hell of a fight in the end there and we luckily pulled through,” Houghtby said.
