Cathedral girls’ volleyball team wins second straight state title

The 2016 girls’ volleyball team of Cathedral High School in Indianapolis is pictured on Nov. 5 at Worthen Arena in Muncie, Ind., after winning the Class 4A state championship. (Submitted photo)

By John Shaughnessy

The pressure and the challenge couldn’t have been more overwhelming at times for the 2016 girls’ volleyball team of Cathedral High School in Indianapolis.

After all, how does a team create its own legacy when the 2015 team at your school finished its season undefeated and ranked number one in the country?

“They were in some big shadows, and they had some big shoes to fill,” says Jean Kesterson, the longtime head coach at Cathedral. “They wanted their own identity.”

So the 2016 team set the goal of winning back-to-back state championships, something that had never been done in the girls’ volleyball program at Cathedral.

That dream was realized and their legacy secured on Nov. 5 when the fourth-ranked Irish beat top-ranked Crown Point High School in the Class 4A finals at Worthen Arena in Muncie, Ind.

Kesterson says the turning point for the team’s season came in late September, during the week of practice following the team’s loss in its own early season tournament.

“We talked about embracing the process, embracing the grind. And the kids bought into it,” Kesterson recalls. “I had this calmness going into the sectionals because of what the kids did. We asked them to give their best, and they did. And the coaches kept holding them accountable.”

One of the reasons their coach relished the state tournament success was because the team avenged three of its four regular-season losses during that stretch.

“One thing that motivated me was how much the teams that beat us celebrated,” she says. “That was hard for me being an old school, CYO [Catholic Youth Organization] kid. That got my competitive juices flowing. I thought, ‘We’ll get ready for you next time.’ ”

Even more, Kesterson was thrilled because she knows how much the state championship meant to her players.

“They love each other, and they have a passion and an intensity when they play the game. When the kids love each other and they love playing the game, it’s so much fun.”

That attitude developed through the efforts of the team’s seven seniors: Cassie Brooks, Shelby Mudd, Olivia Rougraff, Maria Schorr, Evey Trausch, Payton White and Nia Robinson, the recipient of the Class 4A Mental Attitude Award.

While raving about this year’s team, Kesterson also shared the expectation she had for them from the beginning of the season.

“I expected them to win back to back. They bought into it and kept improving. It was enough to get the job done.” †