Volleyball Wins 4th Consecutive Championship
Daniel Scott Hinson
October 21, 2010
Filed under Photos, Sports, Top Stories
The volleyball team won their 4th straight state championship on Saturday, October 16 in Shawnee. This championship gives Kelley their 10th championship in the last 14 years and their 14th overall.
“This is one of the most talented teams that Bishop Kelley has ever had, but more than that, this team is one of the most cohesive and all about one another teams,” Head Coach Jerri Berna said.
The Comets finished with a record of 30-5 overall while their in-state record was an impressive 26-1. Their only in-state loss was to eventual 6A state champion Edmond Memorial. This loss was avenged at home on October 1 when the Comets won the match in a dominating three games in front of a record crowd.
“The win over Edmond Memorial was exactly what we wanted to do. They beat us earlier in the year, but we knew we could beat them. It feels so good to get the revenge that we deserve,” senior Stacia Leonard said.
The Comets flew through the their regional October 5 with wins over Webster and Edison. Winning this regional gave Kelley their 25th straight regional championship.
Earlier in the day on Saturday, Kelley beat the Booker T. Washington Hornets in the semifinals in three games to advance to the finals. The first game was tied five times before the Comets pulled away to win 25-20.
After beating Booker T. Washington in the semifinals, Kelley beat the Bishop McGuinness Irish in 4 games in the championship. The Comets fell behind early in the first game, 8-5, but beat the Irish in the first two games. Comets then lost the third game in the heated battle.
“We came out and won the first two games but in the third and fourth games they really played well, and we had to play even better than we did in the first two games,” senior captain Kitan Ajanaku said.
The Comets trailed 17-13 in the fourth game, but came back to win the game by a score of 25-22 to clinch the championship.
“We had to overcome the adversity in the last game because they had a loud crowd and a lot of momentum,” Ajanaku said.
Seniors Kitan Ajanaku and Chloe Berlioux were named to the State Tournament All-Tournament Team while junior Inky Ajanaku was named Most Valuable Player for the State Tournament.
“It feels really good to go out with a big win like this. I can’t believe it’s over, but it couldn’t have ended any better,” Ajanaku said.