There was no doubt this match was going five.
With the state’s only remaining teams both unbeaten, neither squad was going down in the minimum number of sets.
After Archbishop McCarthy took a two-sets-to-one lead over Seminole Ridge in the state championship on Saturday, the Mavericks’ faithful in the stands erupted with deafening cheers in the St. Andrew’s gym.
That’s when Seminole Ridge coach Austin Clubb knew he had to settle his team down.
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Archbishop McCarthy advances to its first state volleyball final Saturday -
Archbishop McCarthy boys volleyball advances
“The crowd really brought us out of our element, that’s when I realized I had to get them out of here, just completely reset their brains,” said Clubb, who took his team out into the quieter hallway. “I told them, ‘This isn’t the end, we’re not going out like this.’”
The Hawks responded, taking the next two sets to win their first state title 26-24, 20-25, 16-25, 25-16, 15-9.
“I’ve never felt anything like that in my entire life. Just the emotionsI don’t even know what to say,” Clubb said.
When the match was over, none of the Mavericks hung their heads or slouched off the court.
Seniors T.J. Jurko and Eric Koscs sat together, joking in the stands. Junior Corey Marks was all smiles as he talked with teammates, holding the runner-up trophy in his arms. They knew they let the title slip away, but were proud of their performance.
The final set started out as expected, with both teams trading points. A Jurko kill tied the score at seven, but the Hawks (27-0) got four kills from Ray Collet as they closed the match on an 8-2 run, which ended with David Spacien’s block to seal McCarthy’s fate.
“They got up quick,” Marks said of the Hawks’ comeback when down 2-1. “We thought our energy was going to come into the fourth, but they got a big lead on us. …It hurt us. That’s why there’s best out of five.”
Jurko led the Mavericks (29-1) with 22 kills and 12 digs, while Koscs had 26 assists and 11 kills.
The bitter moment for Marks came when he realized he wouldn’t get another chance to win a title with Jurko and Koscs, who are heading to college next year.
“I can’t say enough about those two. People kept telling me, ‘Next year,’ but I wanted it [this year]. I wanted it for them,” said Marks, who had 20 assists and 14 kills. “It ended bad, but that’s how life goes.”
