The pursuit towards a sixth consecutive state tournament appearance continued on for Gehlen Catholic volleyball on Monday night as the Jays swept Remsen St. Mary’s in a regional semifinal.
The pressure and hype of the match was palpable from the start. The Jays and Hawks had played a thrilling four-set match early on in the year that made fans excited for this match. Gehlen Catholic head coach Dan Goebel says his team had to silence all that noise and play their game to get the job done.
Set one proved to be the closest finishing set with the final score being 25-23. The Jays had reached set point with the score 24-18 and allowed five points to St. Mary’s to let them back in. Coach Goebel says that’s when he called a timeout to get their mind back in the right spot.
For Remsen St. Mary’s, their fight was an example of what the Hawks have done all season. The Hawks had posted a winning record in conference play, which is something that hasn’t happened in the last 15 years. Head Coach Stacy Bunkers says it’s another example of how tight this team was this season.
The Jays proved to be a very efficient offense in the match recording a team kill efficiency of .265. Coach Goebel says that comes from continuing to work on attacking smarter and not harder.
For Remsen St. Mary’s, their season ends with a record of 20-7. Coach Bunkers says the successful season and number of players coming back will fuel the fire for the next year.
The Jays now move on to play in Wednesday night’s regional final in Denison. The Jays will match up with the Bulldogs of Riverside for a trip to state. Coach Goebel says the main focus will be on improving their own game rather than worrying about their opponent.
The match will begin at 7:00 on Wednesday night. KLEM Radio will provide a live broadcast of the match with pregame coverage beginning at 6:45.
