‘We knew this group was special.’ Great Crossing volleyball headed to state tourney.
Walking into the main entrance of Great Crossing High School on the way to its gym, what’s striking beyond the shiny newness of the three-year-old facility is the vast, mostly empty trophy cases along the kelly green, navy and white emblazoned corridor.
With dozens of shelves aching to be filled, Great Crossing’s volleyball team did its part Thursday night with a four-set victory over Paul Laurence Dunbar in the 11th Region volleyball tournament championship on its home court and in front of a crowd that included a robust and rapturous student section.
The win marked the first regional volleyball title for the school and the first state tournament bid for anyone in the region outside of Lexington since 2004.
“Everything was building for this moment. We’ve been working on it since we were wearing red at Scott County and we knew this group was special,” said Great Crossing Coach Adam Ivetic, who coached one season for the Cardinals before crossing over to the new school along with a solid corps of young players. “We knew, at some point, they were going to turn that corner and they were going to start taking care of business when it mattered the most. I think they’ve done that this week more than I could possibly imagine.”
Ranked No. 11 in the latest Kentucky Volleyball Coaches Association poll, Great Crossing has nine seniors, a number of them with college scholarship offers and all of them had their sights set on both a tournament crown and some revenge for the losses they’ve suffered on the way to the top.
“I don’t think we’ve beaten Dunbar, ever,” said senior setter Teagan Feezor, who was named the tournament’s most outstanding player. “This was huge.”
Each victory in the tournament came over a team that had beaten the Warhawks during the regular season. It took five sets to beat No. 22 Tates Creek on Monday. It took another five sets to topple No. 18 Frederick Douglass in Wednesday’s semifinals. Finally, facing a No. 13 Dunbar team they’d taken only one set off of in two losses this season, the Warhawks played their best match yet.
“It’s a dream come true,” Feezor said. “We’ve been wanting this since our freshman year and we’ve been working towards this. It’s crazy.”
The 16-25, 25-17, 25-20, 25-13 win came with a stumble in the first set. Dunbar came out the aggressor and Great Crossing had to regroup.
“We knew we could do it. It was just nerves, honestly,” Feezor said. “We hyped each other up and we just came out stronger for it.”
The Warhawks won the second set just as decisively as Dunbar had won the first.
Then, the third set brought a pivotal sequence with the game tied 16-16.
Jasmine Koonce and Libby Erwin combined on a block to get the lead and the serve. On the next point, Koonce and Marley Staats got another emphatic block at the net. Then, with Feezor still serving, Morgan Caba and Ryann Thomas each executed spectacular digs to keep a long rally alive. Feezor finished off the play with an assist fake she popped over the net that Dunbar couldn’t handle. The 19-16 lead gave Great Crossing enough cushion to see out the set.
Senior Grace Brooker remembered the sequence.
“I preach and a lot of the others do too to have energy throughout the whole set,” she said. “I think that’s really what pulls you through. It’s being able to rely on your teammates to have that energy. And big plays like that really bring a lot of energy and momentum.”
The play also symbolized a common theme among championship teams verbalized by Feezor. Great Crossing used the momentum to easily win the fourth set and the match.
“It wasn’t an individual thing. It was all of us together,” she said. “And we showed a lot of grit. We just really wanted it and we showed that.”
Ivetic credited Feezor’s serving ability as being a key factor in the match.
“She came in tonight and was fearless from the service line. Every zone I gave her she hit it,” he said. “Even if they weren’t aces … every time she served the ball, they were out of system. We were able to just block and play defense.”
Next, Great Crossing will face No. 7 West Jessamine, the 12th Region champion, in Wilmore on Monday in the first round of the Kentucky High School Athletic Association Volleyball State Tournament. The Warhawks beat the Colts in four sets on Sept. 23.
But for now, it’s time to celebrate and find the keys to that trophy case.
“I teach math here. I love this building. I love being here every day. I love the people I work with. I love the kids,” Ivetic said. “And the fact that we got to do this on our own floor in our own gym in front of … a crowd like that with everybody around. I’m just at a loss for words, man. It’s the best feeling in the world. This is far and away the proudest moment of my coaching career.”
All-tournament team
The following players were named to the 2021 11th Region all-tournament team: Sophie Dufour, Franklin County; Avrey Rigney, Madison Central; Kyla Atkins, Madison Southern; Madi Knapp, Tates Creek; Jamison Gordon and Peyton Hollon, Frederick Douglass; Olivia Bennett and Izabella Carter, Bryan Station; Campbell Gash, Delaney Gash and Ila Smith, Paul Laurence Dunbar; Grace Brooker, Ryann Thomas, Marley Staats and Teagan Feezor (MOP), Great Crossing.
State tournament
Here are the first-round matches for the KHSAA Volleyball State Tournament in bracketed order. All first-round matches are scheduled for Monday at 7 p.m. local time. The quarterfinals, semifinals and finals will be played at George Rogers Clark High School in Winchester Nov. 5-6:
▪ Daviess Co. (22-9) at Bowling Green (32-6)
▪ Letcher Co. Central (21-16) at St. Henry (32-8)
▪ Henderson Co. (30-9) at Sacred Heart (31-9)
▪ Great Crossing (27-7) at West Jessamine (35-5)
▪ Montgomery Co. (27-11) at Corbin (28-5)
▪ McCracken Co. (28-11) at Central Hardin (39-1)
▪ Oldham Co. (15-14) at Mercy (27-10)
▪ Floyd Central (24-6) at Boyd Co. (33-1)
This story was originally published October 29, 2021 at 8:38 AM.
