NEWARK — Saint Mark’s overcame small deficits in both the second and third set for a sweep of Padua in the DIAA volleyball semifinals on Nov. 11 at the Bob Carpenter Center. The Spartans will battle Tower Hill for the championship on Thursday night at the Bob in a rematch of the 2022 title tilt, won by the Hillers.
Set scores against the Pandas were 25-17, 25-22 and 25-23.
The Spartans are the fifth seed in the tournament, and Padua was the top seed, but those numbers really didn’t mean too much. They split two regular-season matches, both of which went five sets. On Thursday night, Saint Mark’s took control with a 7-0 run early on and didn’t let the Pandas back into the first set.
The seven points included scoring from a number of players. Lauren Mehelas (St. Margaret of Scotland Parish) served up an ace, and Reagan Garibaldi added a monstrous kill, as well as a block. Ashley Strohmeier (St. Margaret of Scotland Parish) stuffed an overpass, and Maya Frohnapfel chipped in with a kill.
Padua’s Hannah McGuigan (St. Anthony of Padua Parish) cut the Spartans’ lead to one with a block that made it 15-14, but the Spartans scored seven of the next eight points. Strohmeier ended the set with an ace.
McGuigan helped Padua to an early 4-1 lead in the second, the Spartans fought back, helped by consecutive aces from Maddi Way (St. John the Beloved Parish) and attacks from several teammates. Padua recovered, getting three points from Josalyn Carter during a 5-0 stretch to take a 13-10 lead.
The Spartans caught up, with Frohnapfel smacking a shot off the Padua defense to tie the score at 18. That was part of a 6-0 run that ended with a kill from Garibaldi. The Pandas trailed, 23-21, when Cierra Burslem (Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish) smashed a kill, and Kaitlyn Maus scored on an ace, but a Strohmeier attack hit a Panda and then the antenna, and a hitting error provided set point.
Still, being up two sets is not enough, and the Spartans certainly did not want to extend the evening. The teams battled early, and the lead was never bigger than three points in the entire third set. Garibaldi and Mehelas anchored the front line for the Spartans, while Kaitlyn Leberstien (St. Mary of the Assumption Parish) and Carter led the Pandas.
Padua took a 17-14 lead, but the Spartans battled back to tie. Carter stuffed one to put the Pandas up again, and Donavyn Morris followed with a tape ace. The teams battled, with Padua taking a 23-22 lead on a smash by Annamay Hendrixson. After a Saint Mark’s timeout, Strohmeier scored on a kill, followed by an attack that sent it to match point. The Spartans kept the play alive with a spectacular dig, only to have the Pandas blast another shot off the Spartans. Way tracked the ball down near a sideline table and saved it with a one-handed swing, and Mehelas set up at a sharp angle next to the chair umpire. Mehelas’ backward shot stayed inside the antenna and barely got over the net, where it fell to complete the sweep.
The Spartans will play for their 13th state championship and first since 2021. This will be the fourth consecutive year they will meet Tower Hill in the tournament. They defeated the Hillers in 2021 in the second round, then lost in the finals the next year and in the quarterfinals last year.
Photos by Mike Lang.
