Cubs, Lions roar to state volley titles

    If Mount Carmel and district rival Dominican met 100 times on the volleyball court, one would probably win 51.
    Which one is anybody’s guess.
    And that’s the way the two rivals played for the final time his year in the Division I semifinals match at the Pontchartrain Center on Dec. 9.
    Although Dominican won a district tiebreaker before the playoffs began, Mount Carmel won the marathon 25-22, 20-25, 23-25, 25-16, 15-10 match that ended at 11:30 p.m. to gain a berth in the title match against defending champion Fontainebleau to whom it lost last year.
    The win over Dominican, which evened the series at two match wins apiece, set the stage for the Cubs to avenge their 2011 loss to the Lady Bulldogs.
    The No. 1 Cubs rallied from a 2-1 deficit to win their eighth state championship, 25-20, 22-25, 17-25, 25-21, 15-8.
    Losing the third game by an eight-point margin gave her team the resolve to win the championship, head coach April Hagadone said.
    Led by sophomore Katie Kampen’s 30 kills and the overall play by Megan Davenport, Jade Sorrell, Regina Baxter and Jillian Clark, Mount Carmel made the victory its 42nd of the year in 46 matches.
    Dominican earned a spot in the semifinals by eliminating perennial power St. Joseph Academy, to whom it had twice lost, in three easy games, 25-15, 25-18, 25-21.
    Ursuline Academy was a repeat champion in Division III.
    As did Mount Carmel, the Lions fell behind E.D. White, 2-1, but seemed to get stronger as the match ensued. They rallied to win in five games by the scores of 19-25, 25-20, 24-26, 25-16, 15-9.
    It was Ursuline’s second straight title under head coach Jay Jay Juan, who also led Mount Carmel to two championships prior to Hurricane Katrina.
    Cabrini reached the semifinal round before losing to eventual Division II champion St. Thomas More. The Crescents eliminated St. Scholastica, 3-1, in the quarterfinals.
    No. 2 seed De La Salle’s 30-10 season ended in the quarterfinals when No. 7 Riverside upset the Lady Cavaliers in five games.