But it turned out to be the wrong senior who soared to the forefront.

After University City claimed the second set and nearly the third one after a bad call at the net, St. Augustine rallied behind senior outside hitter Patrick O’Leary for a 25-19, 24-26, 25-21, 25-18 victory to retain first place in the Eastern League boys volleyball race.

O’Leary, who had a team-high 13 kills in the first meeting in a 25-20, 25-10, 25-17 win, collected 14 of his 17 kills in the final two sets.

That’s when the Saints (17-7, 9-1) needed him the most.

“The first time we were healthy and we caught them off-guard,” O’Leary said. “They came with more energy this time. Every team wants to put on a show for Senior Night, but we rebounded after a couple of big setbacks for the win.

“We play a lot of close games like the third set and we’ve learned how to hold our heads up when things are going badly.”

Senior Dash Martin of University City (19-10, 7-3) took game kill honors with 25 kills along with three aces and two blocks.

Martin led the third set charge with eight kills and he finished the night with six kills and three blocks in the last set.

The league leaders, now 13-6 on the road, have won their last four matches, none as tense as Thursday night’s.

After winning the first set, St. Augustine gave up a 5-0 run at the end of the second set to allow the Centurions to tie the match.

There were only two lead changes in the third set, but the score was tied 12 times as Saints, whose last CIF title was in 2012 when they won the Division IV crown, never relinquished the lead after claiming it at 10-9.

“I think this sends a message to them and to us,” O’Leary said. “We’re a better team than what people saw tonight.

“Our game plan going into matches is to not let the other team think they even have a chance to win. We have to stay sharp to make that work.”

University City, which is now 7-2 at home, also got eight kills and two blocks from senior Shabob Asgari, while Lincoln Holzman added five blocks.

The Centurions hurt their own cause with 14 serving errors compared to just three by Saints, who had nine net errors.

Aiding O’Leary was Isaiah Hasten with six kills and two blocks along with Will Stonewell, who had six kills and six blocks.

Andy Boeh, also a senior, added 10 kills for Saints.

Monahan is a freelance writer.

 "...it was the wrong senior that soared to the forefront."

While I appreciate the coverage, I took offense to this headline - this take - on several levels.

This is my rebuttal, submitted on their comment forum (which no longer exists)

Thank you, Saints Alum Terry Monahan, for writing about this matchup. We at UCHS Volleyball are all delighted to get some coverage. Volleyball is a fun, fast-paced sport that is a delight to watch and play. It’s a pity that we don’t pack the gyms. Those that I can convince to come to one match generally come back for more. Thanks for the shout out to these skilled athletes.

I’d like to use my 7000-max characters to share the joy that a team and a community can feel even when pounded by a better team.

UC is a solid team, but lacks the size, breadth, and depth of the best of the League: the Saints and La Jolla (La Jolla had a slow start, but are hitting on all cylinders now. Both may make deep playoff runs).

UC was riding high heading into the first meeting with League Powerhouse Saints. UC had beaten the teams it should have beaten and got lucky once or twice to be undefeated in League play entering the Saints gym in their first matchup earlier in April.

Service errors prevented UC from surprising Saints in the first set. Sets 2 and 3 were a beatdown.

Four matches later La Jolla delivered an even worse shellacking two days before the season-ending Senior Night match. UC was still in a position to tie for first place with a win. We were all delighted to be in this position going into the last regular season match.

Against the Saints. The odds were long, but there was hope.

Losing three of their “Big 5” left 2023 UC with seniors outside hitter Dash Martin and middle Shahab Asgari leading a core of returning underclassman who, while athletic, would be “comfortable in airline seating.” Freshman Lincoln Holzman at 6’-5” was a welcome addition to this year’s team, providing an offensive and defensive presence at the second Middle position to balance Shahab.

The Centurion’s plan coming into the night was to “go all in” on what had been most successful throughout the year: having junior setter Zion Granotowicz feed Shahab and Dash for offense.

Leading the league in Aces, second in Kills, and having taken game kill honors with 16 in the previous meeting with the Saints, the pressure was on Dash to have a career-best match on Senior Night and hope that the rest of the team played their best as well.

It could happen.

Saint’s Wesley Newton, who Dash complemented as Middle in last year’s National Bronze Medal 16u Club team, hobbled into the UC Gym in street clothes. “I won’t be able to roof Dash tonight.” “You couldn’t roof him, anyway!” And it was on.

Maybe it COULD happen.

Saints grabbed a three point lead early in Set 1 and were comfortable in fending off runs by UC. Multiple kills by our setter Zion and Junior Outside Hitter Jeremy Kim and some good net play by Justin Byrd wasn’t enough with Dash playing an “average” set of four kills.

UC needed a “senior to soar to the forefront.”

One did.

Late in Set 2, UC held a 21-20 lead on kill contributions from Shahab (2) and Jeremy and Lincoln (1 each) and a career high nine kills in the set from Dash. 

After four straight points, Saints were serving for the win at 21-24. The next three minutes would become legend at UC.

Dash hits low into two blockers to get his tenth kill of the set and get the “opportunity” to serve – any error throws the set to the Saints.

Dash’s 58 aces leads the league, but he can go a long time without an ace. He serves hard, but teams keep it in play. But he does force opponents “out of system” so we get points. He serves a lot, but not a particularly high ace percentage.

At 22-24, he gets his first ace in five sets.

23-24

His hard serve is played, but the stressed set leads to a Saint hitting into the net.

Could it happen?  The crowd thinks so!

24-24

Ace shanked over the scorers table!

Crowd goes wild.

25-24

Dash’s hard serve is played, but the hit is soft. Sophomore Trinton Phung passes to Zion who sets Dash for a back row attack.

Off the arm of the Saints Middle Blocker to the floor.

Mayhem.

Thirteen of 26 points came off the right hand of this one senior. As Daryl Newton, Wesley’s dad said, “Dash put his team in his backpack and carried them.”

If Set 2 wasn’t the “right senior” “soaring to the forefront” I don’t know who is.

St. Augustine is a tall, experienced, talented, deep team and a deserving League Champion.

Saints’ Senior Patrick O’Leary stepped up in Sets 3 and 4, taking Kill Duties from his teammates, and edging out Dash in the final two sets 14 to 11 (with totals 17 and 26 repsectively for the evening).

UC hung around until 19-20 in Set 3 before the Saints pulled away taking Set 3 21-25 and Set 4 comfortably.

We lost to a much better team, like most expected. But we fought, we took a set in dramatic fashion, and we provided a good show for a great crowd (on both sides).

Dash’s volleyball career ends when our playoff run ends this week. But that “One Shining Moment” isn’t exclusive to one team only at the end of a tournament.

The value, the learning, the joy isn’t in the final tally, it’s in the journey, the camaraderie, the love of it all and each other, the community, the extended family. Occasionally someone steps up and has the night of their lives, something of Legend, if only to themselves or a few. Fleeting and eternal. The frustration fades; the friendship, the joy, the love remains.

Sometimes you get a moment that’s really special. It’s icing. Memorable icing.

Thanks, Terry, for writing it down. Thank you, Denis Poroy, for photographing for the story (that's Denis behind Dash's arm in the photo).    So that we remember.

Thank you all for showing up. For being loud. For being there. It matters.

[[ this comment is from Jeff Martin, Dash’s father (you might have detected some bias). I created ucvolley.com because I understand all too well how memory – of even amazing moments – fade. I am extremely thankful that Dash has had the amazing opportunity to do very well in a sport representing his school and the life-changing experience of working with wonderful coaches, teammates and the San Diego volleyball community. It is important for youth to experience the value of in-person connection in this time of internet and isolation. Sports has been an integral part of his and his peer’s emergence from quarantine. Calling sports “life-saving” is hardly hyperbole. Thank you everyone who make their lives better, our lives better. ]]