'I was hoping to be playing there': Case volleyball set for the bright lights in D4 finals
WORCESTER — Jamie Moniz said playing at the Worcester State campus will be a special moment in her life.
"I was hoping to be playing at [there]," she said after No. 3 seed Joseph Case won the Division 4 state semifinal game against No. 2 seed Lynnfield. "I'd loved to play there. My family has played there and my brother is there now."
Moniz and the Cardinals return to the state finals for the first time since 2016 when they won it all. They will take on two-time Division 4 state champion Ipswich at Worcester State University on Saturday, beginning at 10 a.m.
"I'm so excited," Moniz said. "I'm beyond proud of my team."
The journey for Case (22-1) began in the Round of 32 where they quickly beat 30th seed Bay Path RVT in three sets. Next up, the Cardinals swept all three sets against Sandwich in the Round of 16 to advance to the Elite 8.
There, the Cardinals took care of sixth seed Ursuline Academy in three consecutive sets. The Pioneers won the first set against Case in its Final Four matchup before the Cardinals rallied to win 3-1 in a dramatic fashion to head to the finals.
"Fantastic," said Case senior setter Olivia Silva said. "I am super excited."
The Tigers (20-2) won the state title in 2019 and 2021. They did not play in 2020 during a COVID year.
Ipswich, under the direction of head coach Staci Sonke, zipped its way on its side of the brackets. First they defeated 32nd seed Stoneham, followed by 16th seed Advanced Math & Science. In the Elite 8, the Tigers won their third consecutive 3-1 decision over Medway. Ipswich won a tough, three-set match against fifth seed Weston.
Cardinals head coach Brendan Kelly has a lot of players who can score and defend.
Silva leads the way for Kelly's group. Moniz and junior middle hitter Hannah Storm can score in bunches. Senior Loagan Brown and junior Ava Silva can also score at any given moment. Sophia Conos, Brianna Campos and freshman Madilyn Botelho are key pieces on the team.
Best on the court:Who were the Fall River area's best high school volleyball players? Here are our picks
On the other side, Ella Stein, Grace Sorensen, Addison Pillis, Tess O’Flynn, Kendra Brown and Rachel Alleva are very active players and can defend for the Tigers.
All the marbles come down to this game.
The question remains which team will shine on the biggest stage Saturday.
The first serve begins at 10 a.m.
Herald News and Taunton Daily Gazette sports editor Steven Sanchez can be reached at ssanchez@heraldnews.com. You can follow him on Twitter @Chezsports. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News today.
This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Joseph Case volleyball team to compete for MA state title vs. Ipswich
