Claremorris crowned again

Claremorris girls crowned again


Mount St Michael’s senior volleyball team capture All-Ireland title

Michael Commins

IN one of the most tension-packed finals that Mount St Michael, Claremorris, has ever participated in, the girls completed a remarkable recovery when snatching a sensational victory in the All-Ireland Senior A Volleyball final at UCD last Thursday. This was drama on a grand scale, a roller-coaster of emotions, that ended in jubilant scenes for the ecstatic Claremorris school and real despondency for the gallant girls of St Leo’s, Carlow.
Celebrations in the Claremorris camp looked highly unlikely for long spells. They lost the first set 25-22, despite some very impressive spikes by Edel Nolan, and things began to look bleak when they went down 25-19 in the second set. St Leo’s must have thought they were within touching distance of the cup and national honours when they led 9-2 in the third set. Victory here would have meant game over.
But somehow the Mount St Michael girls dug deep, the belief and confidence instilled in them by coach Fionnghuala King working its way into the team psychology. Slowly but surely, they clawed their way back into the game, urged on by their vociferous supporters, led by Lisa Brett and Chloe Hughes. The scores began to come and, as the gap closed, a new confidence swept over the team.
Strategic use of time-outs by coach Fionnghuala King saw the girls settle into the match.
Stephanie Mellet had a great run of serves, and Stephanie Delaney made a stunning save at this crucial point in the set. Aisling Croghan had some marvellous hits from the wing, and Edel Nolan shone as the driving force behind Mount St Michael’s incredible comeback. With the show back on the road, they stormed to a remarkable 25-16 third-set victory.
Fired up for the fourth set, the Claremorris side began to ooze confidence, while doubt set in for the Carlow girls. Mount St Michael showed the style of real champions by surging to a 25-13 win to level the match at two sets each.
Excitement was at fever pitch as both teams prepared for the fifth and final set. Now it was time for the likes of Con Nolan and Gerry Croghan to take on the role of ‘cheerleaders’, ably assisted by deputy principal Margaret Burke.
Both sides knew it was down to the wire at this stage and the Carlow girls, led by Sinéad Ruth, like their counterparts from Claremorris, rose to the challenge again. Long rallies defined this set and, despite some excellent spikes by Edel Nolan, it became increasingly difficult to break down the Carlow defence. The rules for the fifth set state that first to 15 wins … but the team must win by two points. While Mount St Michael edged ahead on a few occasions, St Leo’s reeled them in each time.
Finally, however, they reached 14–13 and faced their first match point. Sinéad Croghan, whose strength was such a defining feature of her play up to this point, unfortunately hit the serve long and it was back to stalemate. Two more match points followed, but Mount St Michael couldn’t seem to finish Leo’s off. At last, with two sets all and 17-16 on the scoreboard, Nikki Hanley served, raced forward to set the ball and Edel Nolan spiked the girls to the sweetest victory of their lives. Little wonder she was named Most Valuable Player of the match. Mount St Michael had come through to victory in the final set on a score of 16-18.
Team coach Ms Fionnghuala King – who was praised by panel members for all her hard work and unwavering belief – said she never lost faith in the girls’ ability to come back from the early setbacks. “From once we won the third set, I believed they had it in them to take the title again,” she told The Mayo News. “They were superb in the fourth set and then faced a daunting task in the fifth. Thankfully, they showed real heart and talent and recorded a famous win for the school. We were over the moon with this victory. It was magnificent.”
For the 200-plus supporters who had accompanied the Claremorris teams to UCD, joy was unconfined as they celebrated a famous victory. It was a happy contingent that set off on the long journey back to the west. They were met a few miles out from Claremorris by a Garda escort and received a great welcome home on Thursday night. The perfect end to an enthralling and truly dramatic day of volleyball in Dublin. Well done, champions!
* A special thanks to by Evelyn O’Connor and Maria Hughes from Mount St Michael for their help, enthusiasm and assistance in compiling this report.

Mount St Michael
Aisling Croghan, Sinéad Croghan, Edel Nolan, Nikki Hanley, April Higgins, Stephanie Mellet, Stephanie Delaney, Jackie Prendergast, Lisa McGreal, Rebecca Kearns, GrΡinne McNeive, Katie McCormack.