Center Grove finds its footing, makes Carroll earn third straight state championship

INDIANAPOLIS – The two-time defending state champion Fort Wayne Carroll Chargers were in complete control Saturday night, and then the Center Grove Trojans remembered who they were.

On the verge of getting swept during the IHSAA Class 4A volleyball state finals inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the Trojans flipped the switch to force four sets, and their last stand began as the magnitude of the situation finally sank in.

Down 2-0 (25-16, 25-18) against top-ranked Carroll (36-1) in downtown Indianapolis, No. 6 Center Grove found their attacking efficiency in the third set and let their competitive fire breathe life.

“In that third set, we just started playing together as a team, and we all came together during the second set, and were like, this is it,” Center Grove sophomore outside hitter Gabby Gilliard said. “We got to play our hardest. We got to put everything out there, and I think in the third set they were underestimating us.”

The Chargers rightfully assumed the match was over, leading 17-11 with eight points needed to end the formality of their probable three-peat championship finale.

And then, Gilliard found openings for kills. Senior setter Annabelle Schembra kept setting up her hitters with 27 assists overall in the match, and the digs started to keep rallies going.

“I knew we could do it. We just weren’t clicking early enough, fast enough. We saw a little bit of light, and they started to remember, like, who we are,” Center Grove coach Jennifer Gandolph Hawk said. “I think we lost ourselves for a while, and then once we found it, it was fun.”

A six-point deficit in the third set turned into a 21-21 tie, marking one of the eight deadlocks the Trojans fought to obtain. The final of three lead changes unfolded into a 25-22 win, ending Carroll’s string of five consecutive three-set sweeps this state tournament.

“We weren’t tired. We had a lot of energy for the third set, and we played like how we normally play,” Gilliard said. “We played without nerves. We played because that was it.”

Do or die, and the Trojans weren’t going to go down without leaving a scar at least.

Gilliard converted 10 kills in 47 attempts through four sets. Sophomore Anna Smith, another one of Center Grove’s talented young hitters, finished with a team-best 11 kills by the end.

Junior Kali Kieninger tallied a match-high two solo blocks. Sophomore Olivia Bastien, Gilliard and Smith had 10 digs apiece.

Even in the fourth set, which Carroll won, 25-17, the Trojans stood tied with the Chargers 10 times and held a two-point advantage, 13-11, before the eventual three-time state champions pulled away for their 3-1 victory.

“We were on a mission to get here, but it was just not our night,” Gandolph Hawk said. “It was just unfortunate, but I love the fight that they showed. We could have just folded and left in three. We didn’t.”

Instead, the team that few believed could reach the state finals showed glimpses of the group that ran through Perry Meridian, Roncalli and Franklin Central to win its own sectional – the program’s 38th all-time and 12th straight.

They relied on the grit they showcased to defeat Brownsburg in the Cascade Regional and later Bloomington South and No. 4 Yorktown at the Jennings County Semistate.

“I’m really proud of our team, and I’m really proud of everything that we’ve done and everything we’ve accomplished this year,” Gilliard said. “This is such a great accomplishment.”

Center Grove’s state finals appearance was its fourth in program history and first since 2009. The Trojans’ lone state title was earned in 2000, but with five sophomores and two juniors on the roster this season, it might not be their last trip.

“I think going into next year, we can do a lot more, and we can give a lot more,” Gilliard said. “It just didn’t click that this was the end, and I think for a lot of us, it didn’t click that this was state. We were playing scared, and we couldn’t do that.”

It was a lesson learned and a painful farewell to a group of seven seniors that helped raise the bar.

“The senior class was on a mission, and they set the standard and the tone. If this is the bar, I think we have a nice road ahead of us,” Gandolph Hawk said. “We have a good, solid youth core coming back, and they know what it feels like to get here, so I look forward to what we can do with that group. I love that the seniors set that standard for them to follow.”

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Center Grove finds its footing, makes Carroll earn third straight state championship