It turned out to be a memorable season opener for Aberdeen Roncalli Tuesday night.
The Cavaliers defeated perennial Class B power and fourth-rated Northwestern 25-23, 20-25, 28-26, 25-20 in non-conference volleyball action in front of a large and loud crowd inside Roncalli Gym.
“It’s honestly a huge win,” said Roncalli coach Leesa Ware. “My legs are still weak from everything, and the girls are just so full of excitement.”
The opening set provided the tone for a night where every point had to be earned. Both sides traded blows in a tight battle until Roncalli built a late 21–16 cushion. Northwestern refused to fade, mounting a late rally, but the Cavaliers held on for a two-point victory.
Despite dropping the opening set, Northwestern coach Nora Groft saw flashes of resilience from her squad, despite early-season missteps.
“We had 16 errors in the first set alone,” Groft noted, pointing out that sticking close despite the self-inflicted mistakes proved what her team is capable of once things are cleaned up.
Northwestern answered quickly in the second set, coming out hot and pulling away to secure a five-point victory to level the match at a set apiece.
The third set proved to be the ultimate turning point of the evening. Battling back and forth into extra points, Roncalli finally sealed a dramatic set victory on a massive block at the net by Gabby Thomas that sent the home bench into a frenzy.
Tight, high-pressure situations defined the match. For Ware, her message during critical set breaks was about staying grounded in the moment.
“Whenever those times get tight at the end of sets, I just tell them to keep pushing to get to point 25 – or whatever it may be,” Ware said. “Keep pushing, but don’t look too far ahead. Just keep your eyes focused on the next play.”
On the opposite bench, Groft urged her team to stay on the attack during tight stretches.
“When you’re inexperienced, your tendencies are to sink into yourself,” Groft said. “That’s when you really just have to step up and go for it. I would much rather make errors being aggressive than sitting back.”
With momentum on their side, the Cavaliers fought through another tight fourth set. Bound up in the final stretch, Roncalli executed when it mattered most, pulling away in the final five points before dropping a match-winning ace to seal the victory.
Grace Cogley led the charge for the Cavaliers, putting together a stellar multi-dimensional performance. Cogley anchored the defense in the back row with 15 digs, while pacing the attack with 16 kills. Much of that success at the net came from her connection with setters Elyana Roach and Eleanor Kessler.
“I think they are two of the best setters, in my opinion,” Cogley said. “It feels like it’s really easy to talk to them and communicate how to place and set up kills.”
For Cogley and her teammates, taking down a premier program like Northwestern provides a major spark for the season ahead.
“I think this game sets our season on such a positive note,” Cogley said. “I feel like this feeling of winning this game is something we need to bring to every game, because energy is going to win you games.”
Northwestern was led by Breelyn Satter with 14 kills, and Elexis Kramp with 10 kills and 5 aces. The Wildcats will focus on the long-term growth of a reshaped roster.
“We’re very young and we know that – we’re a very different team than last year,” Groft said. “But I see a lot of potential out of this group. What I see now is going to be way different from what I see three months from now.”
Cogley and the Cavaliers know that maintaining their opening-night high starts back on the practice floor before traveling to Redfield on Thursday.
“You need to come into practice with this kind of energy and this wantingness to get better every single day,” Cogley added. “If you bring energy, it’s going to transfer into our matches, and that’s going to help us win.”
Serving: Northwestern 78-90 11 aces (Elexis Kramp 22-29 5 aces, Lila Johnson 19-30 4 aces, Sophia Troske 14-15 1 ace); Aberdeen Roncalli (Jillian Ellwein 3 aces, Eleanor Kessler 3 aces, Grace Cogley 1 ace).
Hitting: Northwestern 159-176 48 kills (Breelyn Satter 14, Kramp 10, Taylor Vetter 9); Aberdeen Roncalli (Cogley 16 kills, Ellwein 11 kills, Karsyn Davis 7 kills, Gabby Thomas 4 kills).
Setting: Northwestern 163-164 42 assists (Johnson 138-139 38 assists); Aberdeen Roncalli (Elyana Roach 35 assists).
Digs: Northwestern 83 (Satter 19 Kramp 15, Brenna Halverson 10); Aberdeen Roncalli (Cambry Feickert 16, Cogley 15, Ellwein 9).
Blocks: Northwestern 1 solo 8 assists (Lily Haven 3 assists, Satter 1 solo 1 assist, Johnson 2 assists); Aberdeen Roncalli (Thomas 1 solo 1 assist, Ellwein 1 assist).
Records: Northwestern 0-1; Aberdeen Roncalli 1-0.
