Padua beats Ursuline 3-2 for first-ever state volleyball title

It was Panda-monium at the Bob Carpenter Center Monday night as the Padua Academy Pandas defeated Ursuline Academy 3-2 in the 2012 DIAA state volleyball championship match before a packed house. The scores were 21-25,25-18, 20-25, 25-21 and 15-8.
It was Padua's first ever state title in volleyball, and the Pandas are the first team in twenty years to win the championship other than Ursuline or St. Mark's.
“We knew it was going to be a tough match, and when we got to the fifth set, we just dug down deeper, and this year we didn't want to go home disappointed as we did in the past,” said Padua junior Jennifer Borio.
Ursuline won the first set 25-21 after trailing most of the set. Padua went up 13-7, but the Raiders drew to within one at 15-14 before the Pandas regained some momentum. But after Ursuline tied the score at 20-20 and 21-21, the Raiders took their first lead at 22-21, then finished the set at 25-21.
Padua stayed alive with a decisive 25-18 victory in the second set. The team seemed quicker to the ball, moved around the court well and developed a number of quality set-ups for the front line to finish. The Pandas did a great job of distributing the ball and were more effective in finishing plays than Ursuline.
A resilient Raider squad looked solid in the third set after winning the first point of the set in three tries, but had to battle to maintain the lead. Padua stayed close throughout, but Ursuline finished strong despite Padua's strong poise on offense and defense.
There was another great comeback in set four, as this time it was the Pandas taking control of the see-saw
match that saw ten lead changes in the first half of the set. Padua then settled in, went on the offensive and gradually pulled away to tie the match at two sets apiece, setting up a very exciting fifth and deciding set for the state championship.
“When it got to the last set, we really just played it point-by-point, and we never gave up. Whether we won the point, we just kept playing our game on our side of the court, and taking care of our side,” said Padua junior Allyson Jennings.
In the fifth and final set, Padua again won the first point and jumped out to a 6-2 lead, with the front line doing a great job of dominating against a smaller opponent. After Ursuline coach Sue Heiss called time out to rally her troops, the Raiders picked up the tempo and drew to 9-8 before making two rare but fatal mistakes by hitting long on two possible kill situations. At match point 14-8, Ursuline last shot attempt was blocked in bounds for the winning point, giving Padua its first-ever state volleyball crown as Panda faithful jumped for joy in the stands.
“Ursuline is a very strong team, so we knew they were going to be on fire after beating St. Mark's, the defending state champions, in the semifinals. So we knew we had to deal with their defense and we couldn't let ourselves get frustrated because their defense is very solid,” said Borio.
“Volleyball is such an emotional game, you can win one and think you have it and then lose one and think you don't have it,” said Heiss.
“Tonight was a good back and forth game, with both sides hitting very well, and I'm happy for Padua winning their first championship they were well coached,” she said.
In the consolation match, St. Mark's defeated Concord 2-1 (23-25, 25-12 and 15-11) to win the third place trophy.