By Jacob Cersosimo & Chris Parker
Strafford volleyball made its first appearance in the state final four since 2017, so no players on this roster had ever experienced this stage of the post-season.
It showed early in set one.
The Indians went down 7-2 to Notre Dame de Sion to start the first set.
“A lot of downs and ups. I felt we came out kind of tight. Last time we were here was four years ago and a lot of these kids haven’t been here to experience this,” Strafford head coach Ashley Bough said. “I thought we played a little tight. We were making a lot of the errors. I felt like the kids stuck with it and felt confident out there. They didn’t let up.”
Strafford did not let up in the least. The Indians pressed on and took their first lead of the set at 13-12 before going on to win 25-21.
That momentum carried over into set two where Strafford kept the Storm at arm’s length most of the set. The Indians led 16-12 and 20-18, but ultimately were outscored 7-1 to finish set two down 25-21, which evened the match up a 1-1.
“Coming into this year I told this team that they are capable of big things. They have to be disciplined out there. They have to be good communicators and bring that effort and energy. I felt like we lost that game two because we let up on those things,” Bough said. “Between those two sets (sets two and three) I said…we know what we have to do. We challenged them to make somebody else around them better. Their goal that game was to communicate more to a teammate; tell them what was open and work a little bit harder for somebody else. I really think that paid off for us especially in games three and four.”
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It paid off in a big way.
Strafford dominated sets three and four by scores of 25-14 and 25-10 to take the match and advance to Friday’s Class 2 State Championship match.
This will be Strafford’s third appearance in the state title match. The Indians finished runner-up in both 2015 and 2017.
“We have been here two other times before this in this same situation. We are going to have to compete harder than we did today and play a little bit better and I think we will. I think we will respond. We are going to go back and talk about a lot of things that we need to control on our side and make a game plan,” Bough said. “We are embracing the moment. We are excited for it. We are figuring out everything that we can possibly do to make sure that we can put our best out there tomorrow. That is all you can ask for. Play hard and come to compete.”
Christa Duffel led Strafford with 14 kills. Sophia Frerking was just behind her with 9 kills. Abby Chadwell distributed 31 assists while also leading Strafford in digs with 17. Emma Mullings (14), Halle Forester (13) and Ashley Suter (10) also contributed double-digit digs.
Strafford (30-3-3) will face Blair Oaks (34-4) on Friday at 2 pm with the Class 3 state championship on the line.
There will only be six players on the court at a time in that game for Strafford, but the Indians an extra boost with the crowd in the stands.
“I would put (our crowd) as the best in the state. We’ve already won that battle. I would guarantee that,” Bough said. “This whole year they have been so supportive. They have really made an effort to get people here no matter if it is four hours away or on our home court. They are a big part of why we are here today. Our whole community is. When people come to visit Strafford they ask ‘what is it about Strafford?’ It is just something you can’t put into words. It is just a feeling. It is a sense of pride. It is a sense of community and family. We always say ‘Strafford strong’ and I believe that. It is a big part of who we are.”
