WICHITA, Kan. - —
The Kapaun Crusaders traveled to cross-town rival Bishop Carroll’s court for a volleyball match up. Kapaun put up a good fight, but couldn’t outplay the Golden Eagles, who earned the win in four games.“It’s always good beating your rival,” Carroll head coach Rita Mernagh said. “But we knew it wasn’t going to be easy.”
Kapaun didn’t let them have the win too easily, either.
While Carroll won the first two games 25-20 and 25-16, Kapaun didn’t let the Golden Eagles have the third. The Crusaders came back strong to win game three 25-23.
Freshman Sydney Kuhn led the Crusaders with 17 kills, but even that wasn’t enough to keep the Crusaders afloat. Carroll’s experience – all but one player is an upperclassman – proved too much for Kapaun, who returned only two seniors this year. After a hard fought battle, Carroll came back to seal the deal, winning game four 25-21.
Kapaun’s Hannah Bongers and Jenny Gerlach, both honorable mention all-city hitters last season, combined for 17 kills and two aces in the loss against Carroll.
“We’re pretty young and trying to figure out where everyone fits,” Kapaun coach Terri Hessman said. “As long as we improve every match, we’ll be fine.”
Cara Detmer, Bishop Carroll’s only returning all-league player at libero and one of six seniors on the team, not only led the Golden Eagles to victory over Kapaun, but into the No. 4 spot in the latest 5A volleyball rankings.
Bishop Carroll holds the Greater Wichita Athletic League (GWAL) title after finishing 14-2 last season, earning Mernagh GWAL Coach of the Year honors. Kapaun finished fourth in the league with a record of 12-4 last season.
