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Mount St. Mary repeats as 5A volleyball champion with three-set sweep

Nationally ranked Rockets finish season with single-season school record 41st win

By Michael Kinney

NOBLE - Mount St. Mary has been on a tear. 

Since the start of the season, the Rockets' volleyball team has had a target on their backs. As the defending 5A champion and carrying a national ranking, the Rockets always get their opponent’s best.

While that could add pressure to some teams, for MSM, it was all part of the enjoyment of playing the game.

When the Rockets entered the 2022 5A championship match against Bishop McGuinness, they didn’t shrink for the moment. They attacked it head-on and claimed their second straight title with a 3-0 sweep in front of a packed and raucous gym at Noble High.

“We like big game environments,” MSM coach James Ward said. “We actually feel like our team plays worse if there are no fans.

"The more people there, no matter which side, the better our team plays. So that's kind of fun, it kind of fuels us.”

Mount St. Mary concludes the season with the program’s fourth championship and a new school record of 41 wins and one defeat.

Its lone loss came when it competed in a very tough Mustang Tournament near the end of the regular season. They dropped a 3-0 match to 6A No. 8 ranked Norman North.

“I think we were able to learn that we weren't like untouchable,” sophomore Liv Ward said. “It really showed what we needed to work on and that whole match we didn't play as a team, and I think it really emphasized how we had to come together and we had to have energy in order to win.”

That seems to be what happened since they not only didn’t drop another match the rest of the season, but they also didn’t even give up a set. That includes shutting out No. 7 Sapulpa and No. 6 Midwest City Carl Albert in the state tourney.

“I think after losing to Norman North, it opened our eyes as to us pushing and not just relying on our talent,” junior Ally Fees said. “And so we focused on getting our mental game more than just our physical.”

The tone of the championship match was set early on in the first set when Gia McGrew sent a spike off Greer DeLeon’s face to give the Rockets an 18-12 lead.

But the Fighting Irish clawed back into the contest behind the tenacious play of senior Grace Smallwood. They cut the deficit to three, 19-16.

“I always have to say Grace Smallwood from McGuinness is just so fun to watch; what a great player she is,” James Ward said. “And she was the person we felt like we had to defend against the most. She could do a lot of damage real quick.”

However, the Rockets went on to win, 25-23, to claim the opening set.

Bishop McGuinness was never able to find the right scheme to stop MSM. They would make a run and close the gap, when all of a sudden, the Rockets countered with big plays from McGrew, Fees, Liv Ward and Georgia Ahlert.

In the second set, after trailing by as eight points, the Irish closed the deficit to four, 20-16. But MSM reeled off four points to earn set point.

It was freshman Ella Hale who threw down a pounding kill that the Irish were unable to handle, giving the set to the Rockets, 25-17.

The third and final set was more of a coronation than anything else. While Bishop McGuinness kept scrapping to try and make it a contest, the Irish just didn’t have the weapons to threaten MSM as the Rockets won, 25-16.

The Rockets' celebration was muted compared to other championship teams. But that didn’t lessen the excitement the players had over claiming a second title.

“The feelings are so hard to describe. The ball hits the ground and you win the last point and you're like, ‘Oh my God, we just won state again,’” Fees said. “And it's definitely great, winning state twice. But I think that it feels the same both years.”

The Rockets will be losing only three seniors off this team. So, the prospect of a Mount St. Mary dynasty is in the realm of possibility.

“I think it's awesome, it's really fun,” Liv Ward said of winning back-to-back titles. “But I'm hoping to get four in a row all my seasons and I think we can do it.”