By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
SALINA -- A year ago Seaman's volleyball team knocked off St. Thomas Aquinas to end the Saints' Class 5A volleyball championship reign.
Seaman volleyball celebrates a point during Saturday's Class 5A state tournament at Salina. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
Seaman senior Maegan Mills (23) spikes the ball during Saturday's Class 5A championship match against St. Thomas Aquinas. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
On Saturday at the Tony's Pizza Events Center, the Saints evened the score, taking a 25-22, 20-25, 25-9 win over the Vikings in the title match.
"I think we fought hard in games one and two and in game three we kind of let one thing lead to another and unfortunately couldn't find the fight to fight back all the way there at the end,'' Seaman coach Tatiana Dowling said. "But it doesn't overlook all the good moments that they've had all year and the fact that they got to the state championship match.
"I think in this one Aquinas just came out with a better game plan than us and we didn't quite have an answer for it.''
After dropping a straight-set regular-season decision to Aquinas back on Oct. 10, Seaman beat the Saints 25-19, 25-23 in 5A pool play on Friday before Aquinas took Saturday's rubber match in the season series.
Seaman finished its season with a 41-3 record while Aquinas finished the year 34-6.
Seaman claimed the Pool I title with a perfect 3-0 record on Friday but Pool II runnerup Kapaun Mt. Carmel took a 26-24 opening-set win over the Vikings in the semifinals. Seaman answered with a 25-19 win over the Crusaders in the second set before holding off Kapaun 25-23 in the third set to advance to the championship match.
St. Thomas Aquinas also got a three-set test in its semifinal against Pool II winner St. James Academy, taking a 29-27, 22-25, 25-10 win over the Thunder.
After Seaman led 1-0 and 2-1, Aquinas jumped out to 5-2, 10-6 and 11-7 leads in the first set of the title match, but the Vikings fought back to forge ties at 12, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22, with a kill from senior Maegan Mills forcing the final tie.
But the Saints scored the final three points of the set to take the three-point win.
Aquinas took an 11-9 lead in the second set but the Vikings scored three straight points to take a 12-11 lead.
Seaman senior Kinley Wilhelm sets the ball during Saturday's Class 5A championship match against St. Thomas Aquinas. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
There were ties at 12, 13 and 16 before Seaman rallied for a 20-16 advantage and led 23-19 before the Vikings closed out the five-point win on a Mills kill to force the third set.
Seaman trailed by just a 4-3 count early in the deciding set but the Saints took control at that point, scoring nine straight points for a 13-3 advantage.
A kill from Mills temporarily halted the Aquinas run, but the Saints went up 17-5 before Ava Esser scored for Seaman and the Vikings were never able to get back in the hunt.
Seaman volleyball poses for a team picture with its Class 5A runnerup trophy Saturday at Salina. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
Saturday was the final high school match for Seaman seniors Mills, Esser, Campbell Chabot, Kinley Wilhelm, Maggie Moulden and Alyssa Steiner and Dowling said the class's contribution to the school's volleyball legacy, including the first state title, will never be forgotten.
"This senior class has been one for the memories, definitely,'' Dowling said. "They're a class that you never want to graduate. They're talented athletes but they're even better humans and that's what makes them so special.
"We love them to death and we're really sad to see them go.''
CLASS 5A VOLLEYBALL
At Tony's Pizza Events Center, Salinas
Semifinals -- Seaman def. Kapaun Mt. Carmel, 24-26, 25-19; 25-23; St. Thomas Aquinas def. St. James Academy, 29-27, 22-25, 25-20.
Championship -- St. Thomas Aquinas def. Seaman, 25-22, 20-25, 25-9.
Third place -- St. James Academy def. Kapaun Mt. Carmel, 25-15, 25-10.
