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Royal reign: Roncalli volleyball caps perfect season in championship fashion

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Royal reign: Roncalli volleyball caps perfect season in championship fashion

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MUNICE — The scene Saturday night at Worthen Arena was prophesied (or at least could have been) in the aftermath of Roncalli’s loss to Castle in last year’s IHSAA volleyball Class 4A semistate: A state championship coronation for an established power with most of its major contributors returning as it transitioned to 3A.

The Royals made those visions reality Saturday, powering through Angola, 3-0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-21), to claim their fourth state championship and first since 2006.

“It’s all so surreal,” coach Christina Erazmus beamed. “I can’t believe that just happened.”

But the Royals didn’t just win state.

No, that’s not enough.

They steamrolled their way to title town. 

Featuring a roster overflowing with high-end talent and Division I recruits, most notably senior Oregon commit Logan Bell — a favorite for Indiana Miss Volleyball and finalist for MaxPreps National Player of the Year — Roncalli compiled a 35-0 record with a 97-5 (97-5!!) set differential. It did this, by the way, against a schedule that took it on a three-month tour through virtually all the state’s other top teams, including two-time 4A state champion Hamilton Southeastern and 2024 state finalist Yorktown.

Every single girl pushed one another and made each other better during practice, Bell said. They “demanded” excellence.

And gosh, were they excellent. 

Roncalli has not lost a set since Sept. 18. It has not lost a match since 2023.

Pure domination. And, not that it needs to be said, unequivocally the state’s best team, regardless of class.

“We’re so competitive, even in practice,” Erazmus said. “I have bench players who would be great players for other teams and then we throw our boys players in there and they bring another level, another element. … That’s what’s made us strong. We’re in the gym, we grind and we are pushed all the time. These girls are just ballers. As (Roncalli alum) Emma Halter says, ‘Winners win’ and that’s what we did this year.”

Angola proved a worthy adversary for the Royals. They matched Goliath point-for-point for stretches across all three sets and denied their opponent any significant scoring runs, then rallied and maintained a lead for stretches in the third. 

The Hornets ran their attack through junior Illinois commit Maya Harris, a match-tilting talent who willed her team to Muncie with a heroic effort in last weekend’s semistate championship game. She didn’t necessarily see anything new from Roncalli, coach Brian Harris said, noting how Roncalli constantly had four hands in front of her at the net.

But the players at the net — blockers Mackenzie Kruer and Ella Stone, and right side Lily Jones, specifically — were of a different caliber, not to mention the tireless, insatiable defense — led by specialists Faith Schoettle (seven digs), Eva Hurrle (four digs, one ace, two assists) and Reagan Turk (12 digs, three assists) — which nary let a ball hit the floor.

“They’re an amazing team,” Brian Harris said. 

“The margin for error against them is very small. You can’t make mistakes,” he continued. “We made a few there, but they refused to let the ball hit the floor and that was the difference. And when they have that type of firepower on the offensive side, it’s hard to stop. … We hung with them in a couple sets and really pushed them, but we could never break them.”

Speaking of that offense … it’s really good, you guys.

Kruer — a Michigan State soccer commit — tallied seven kills on .417 hitting, including the title-clinching termination, while Lydia Stahley, the Missouri-bound heir apparent to Bell for next season, tallied 11 kills on a team-best .385 hitting percentage.

“I’m going to remember this for the rest of my life,” Stahley said. “It’s amazing. I have no words for it.”

And then there was Bell.

After watching club teammate and friend Raegan Durbin have her championship moment in the 2A final, Bell scripted her own senior send-off, tallying a match-high 14 kills on .346 hitting with 13 aces, an ace and two assists.

“This is amazing and honestly, I don’t think it’s hit me yet. I need to let it marinate a bit,” Bell said. “And I’m so glad it was with this group of girls, because they are so special.” 

As the celebration ensued in front of the Roncalli student section, Bell found her mom, assistant coach Jessica Bell. The two embraced and shared a few words, Jessica tearing up as they parted.

“I think I’ve seen my mom cry three times in my entire life, so it made me a little emotional,” Logan smiled.

“There are moments when it’s very frustrating (having my mom as an assistant coach),” she continued. “She knows I’m capable of doing my best all the time and so I think from a mom’s perspective, her ‘Mama Bear’ comes out a little bit, but it’s all out of love. … It’s been so special and I’m so thankful that I got to do this with her.”

Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.

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