Whitewater wins state volleyball title

Whitewater head volleyball coach Ben Thacker knew he had something special before a lot of other people did. Parents, fans and other coaches recognized the potential of the Lady Wildcats but a slow start and an 0-5 record at a tournament against some of the state’s top teams had many thinking “maybe next year.” Not Thacker.

“I wasn’t disappointed at all,” Thacker said. “I felt like we had a chance. It was the best I’ve ever felt after an 0-5 weekend.” Thacker and the team tweaked a few things and the players started to gel some more. What followed was a tremendous 23-1 run that started on Sept. 15 and led all the way to the Class AAAA state title.

“After the Lovett Block Party, where we went 5-1 (the team lost to Pope in the final game), I thought this could be good. The girls responded to the pressure in the area tournament and came back from a 2-0 deficit to Sandy Creek, last year’s AAAA state champs. I knew they were ready to meet any challenge and they did.”

The Lady Wildcats of Whitewater went undefeated in the state playoffs, knocking off each opponent 3-0. On their way to the state final against Marist, Whitewater defeated Dalton (25-15, 25-13 25-8), Hardaway (25-9, 25-16, 25-22), Dutchtown (25-10, 25-14, 25-7) and Northgate (25-23, 25-20, 27-25).

They had one week to wait before the climactic battle with Marist, a school that has a history of knocking off teams from Whitewater in the state playoffs.

“Some of the other coaches at the school kept telling me ‘you have to get them for us,’ but it was just like any other game,” said Thacker. “We’ve played strong competition all year and this team likes to compete.”

Whitewater came out strong in the first set and topped Marist 25-12. In the next two sets, the team showed a tremendous amount of character coming back from a 5-0 deficit in the second set and a 9-1 deficit in the third set to win them 27-25 and 28-26 respectively.

“Earlier this year, if we were faced with those deficits, we wouldn’t have been able to come back,” Thacker said. “We got mentally tough as the season went on and that is what made us champions.”

Thacker had tons of praise for his team and their championship performance. Outside hitter junior Helen Menchinger, team captain, had 13 kills in the final and made numerous big plays. “She made it for us,” said Thacker.

Junior right side hitter and setter Kaylee Kehoe had 30 assists in the championship. “She puts hitters in great positions and really runs the show for us.”

Senior Lizzie Knapper, right side hitter, had 10 kills against Marist and hit .643 for the match. “She was a big reason why we won,” Thacker stated. “She took it to them.”

Thacker also had a lot to say about freshmen sisters Annika (middle hitter)and Teegan Van Gunst (outside hitter).

“They compete like nobody’s business,” said Thacker of the twin sisters. “They won’t let a ball drop.” Teegan had seven kills, seven digs, three aces and two and a half blocks, while Annika added 13 perfect passes, three kills, eight digs and three blocks and hit .600 for the match.

Senior Joy Smith, another team captain who led the team in digs for the season, also had a perfect passing day and tracked down everything, while junior Christina Bacallao had 100 percent serve efficiency, not easy against tough teams like Marist, as well as five important digs.

Freshman Abby Baker, the defensive specialist, had six digs and played a great game according to Thacker. “She is just lightning quick.”

The team celebrated their win with lots of hugging and tears of joy, wearing the t-shirts and visors reserved for state champions.

“It’s a goal you think about and talk about, but it’s one that not many people get to experience,” said Thacker. “It’s pretty special.”

The team will graduate three seniors from the squad and will get back together next summer for work in the weight room and games in the sand. Thacker knows there will be a target on his team’s back, especially since they and other southside teams are so dominant in the sport. A team from Fayette County has won the last three Class AAAA state titles in volleyball and three of this year’s final four were from the area. The teams from Fayette County seem to reload every year and contend for a state title and now Whitewater joins that elite group. The girls on the roster, their coach and their fans can tell you that it is a good place to be.