Pius knocks off Omaha Marian

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By LINCOLN ARNEAL / For the Lincoln Journal Star

The celebration was short and unspectacular for the Lincoln Pius X volleyball team.

The only sign that the victory wasn’t just a run-of-the-mill match was a quick team photo with a first-place plaque and the small gold medals the Thunderbolts carried off the court.

 Class B No. 1 Pius X recorded one of its biggest wins of the year Saturday as it downed Class A No. 3 Omaha Marian 25-20, 25-20, 23-25, 25-19 in the championship game of the Lincoln Northeast Invitational.

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The win earned the Thunderbolts the honor of becoming the first team other than Class A No. 1 Papillion-La Vista to defeat the Crusaders. But perhaps the celebration was subdued because the Thunderbolts (23-1) know they’ll have to face Marian again in two weeks in a triangular on the Crusaders’ court along with Papillion-La Vista.

“Every time we play them it is interesting to say the least,” Pius X coach Jake Moore said. “We’ve battled each other for 10 to 12 years and every match is like this. I love playing Marian because they bring out our weaknesses.”

Papillion-La Vista South claimed third place in the tournament by downing Kearney in four sets. Lincoln Southeast rebounded from a rough Friday with two wins and a fifth-place finish Saturday.

In the championship match, Pius X controlled the tempo early as senior setter Lauren Cook ran an quick offense to keep the Crusaders off-balance. Natalie Braun and Allie Falter led the attack with 12 and nine kills, respectively, in first two sets.

Braun finished with a match-high 21 kills, while Falter added 16. Cook recorded 46 set assists, but the offense was set up by a solid serving game that kept Marian on its heels.

“I thought we served well today and it got them out of system,” Moore said. “We picked up on their tendencies quicker than we normally do, which helped us get a lot of good touches.”

Both teams went to the bench early and often but for somewhat different reasons. The Thunderbolts, who were playing their sixth match in three days, played 10 players to combat fatigue and maintain their focus.

Marian coach Rochelle Rohlfs said injuries and inexperience forced her to go to her bench more than usual.

“I think being a young team this year, in bigger games like this against a faster, experienced setter, you have to make some substitutions to give kids a chance to sit, watch and adjust,” she said.

In the third set, Pius X appeared to be on its way to a sweep leading 23-22. However, Marian came out of a timeout and scored the final three points on a hitting error, a kill by Ellie Pesavento and a Michelle Pettit ace serve.

The Crusaders kept the momentum in the fourth set and jumped to 6-2 lead. But Pius X tied the set at 8-8 with four straight points, then pulled away behind a 7-0 run that included two aces by Liz Bachmann.

Moore said he was impressed by Marian’s defense, which returned shots that would normally be kills. In addition, the Crusaders also pointed out some flaws in the Thunderbolts’ floor coverage — an area he plans to work on before the two teams square off again.

“They are a very disciplined team,” Moore said. “Where they hit the ball, they’re going exploit where you are supposed to be, and you are not. They point out the fact that if we play disciplined on defense, we’re going to be fine.”