**HIGHLIGHTS BELOW**
The 8th grade girls made their final volleyball game at St. Mary's a memorable, upsetting a second place, playoff-bound team, in a three set thriller.
After losing the first set 25-20, the girls came back and pulled out a nail biter 25-23 in set two, and then won the third and deciding set 15-10.
Marissa set the tone for the entire game as she served the 8th graders out to a 5-0 lead in the first set. They even held an 18-13 advantage before the other team started to kick their game into gear.
They played a team that was (6-1) coming into this final game of the year, and were no slouch. Their opponents were good at the bump, set and spike. A few players served overhand and some of their girls served balls right on a line, which made it very difficult for the 8th graders to return. But they were up to the challenge.
Facing an early deficit in set two, Catharine served the girls right back into the game and the score was tied 15-15. Each point was so precious in a game like this, no pun intended, that one point could swing the momentum the other way. Luckily, when the game was tied at 20-20, St. Mary's took control and Marissa finished it off with a nice tip at the net to force a third set.
Getting to the third set with the second place team was already a pretty good accomplishment, but in their final game as 8th graders, they wanted great. The final set went back and forth, and at one point, the girls trailed 10-8. The girls gained a point on serve receive, and from that point on, they never looked back as they rallied for 7 straight points to close out the match.
Kristine was once again in her familiar spot, serving for the match and she did not disappoint. Although she serves underhand, the trajectory of her ball is very difficult to return and it showed. She anchored six straight points and the 8th grade girls jumped for joy in their final game as Saints.
Every year, there are great stories to tell with the teams at St. Mary's and this team will be added to that growing list. Coming into the season, there was a distinct possibility that there wouldn't even be a team. With only six girls in the class, they needed all of them to join. Sadly, only half of them did.
The four girls from DeMarillac, Gavrielle, Precious, Alexa and Kristine, all decided to take on something they had never tried before. This team of seven won their first and last games of the season, a pretty remarkable accomplishment considering all the girls, sans Marissa, were pretty much foreign to competitive volleyball.
And it's been said so man times, but what if this team had played together for one full year, or for that matter, since 3rd grade? How good could this team be right now?
But in the end, the entire team, coaching staff and parents should savor these last two games, and cherish them, as the girls go out as winners.
Michelle serves nine straight: In her first year of volleyball, Michelle served nine straight balls over in the second set in 5th/6th grade's final game of the year. She put the girls in control of the set, giving them an 9-0 advantage to start off the set. However, the girls couldn't hold the lead and fell 25-16. They lost their first set 25-9 and finish the season with a (2-6) record.
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