PLANO — The Bishop Lynch volleyball team survived a five-set thriller Tuesday night, defeating John Paul II 3-2 in the JPII Competition Gym to complete the season sweep of the Cardinals. The victory moves the Friars to 23-8 overall and 4-1 in district play, while the Cardinals fall to 18-15 and 1-5 in district play.
Bishop Lynch 3, John Paul II 2 (25-21, 27-25, 21-25, 22-25, 15-13)
After taking the first two sets, the Friars found themselves in a fifth set and trailing 11-9 before storming back to take the deciding set 15-13 and the match 3-2. Katherine Chavez sparked the comeback when she entered the match and delivered a key serve and dig to help tie the set at 11-11 before following with an ace that gave Bishop Lynch a 12-11 advantage.
A major reason for the Friars' victory was the play of their senior leaders. Camila Figueroa, Kylie Love, and Maia Raleigh all recorded double-doubles. Figueroa finished with 17 kills and 19 digs, Love recorded 22 kills and 21 digs, and Raleigh added 52 assists and 15 digs.
Love recorded her second 20-20 match of the season and the third of her career. In addition to leading the team with 22 kills, she hit .340 for the match.
Defensively, the Friars recorded 88 digs, with four players reaching double figures. Figueroa, Love, Raleigh, and Camille Mitchell, who finished with 11 digs, were all over the court keeping rallies alive.
Charlie Wells also continued her strong play at the net, leading the Friars with five blocks, including one solo. Wells leads the team with 70 blocks this season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET 1 | The Friars started the night strong, recording 20 kills in the opening set. Figueroa led the way with six kills, while Wells added five as Bishop Lynch hit .269 as a team and rolled to a 25-21 victory. Figueroa also recorded 12 digs in the opening set alone.
SET 2 | The Friars needed to rally in the second set after falling behind 23-21. Figueroa led the comeback effort, finishing the set with nine kills on a .438 hitting percentage. Love and Kate Heffernan each added three kills as Bishop Lynch closed out the set 27-25 to take a 2-0 lead.
SET 3 | The Cardinals refused to go away, posting their best offensive set of the night with 17 kills and a match-high .304 hitting percentage. Love and Wells combined for nine kills, but the Friars struggled to find their offensive rhythm as John Paul II took the third set, 25-21.
SET 4 | Everything appeared to be pointing toward a four-set victory when the Black & White jumped out to an 11-1 lead in the fourth set. Love recorded four kills, eight digs, and an ace, but the Cardinals battled back to take the set 25-22 and force a fifth and deciding set.
SET 5 | Love took over in the fifth set, recording all six of the Friars' kills and adding two digs. Raleigh led the team with four digs while also recording a block and an ace. After trailing 11-9, Bishop Lynch rallied to take the deciding set 15-13 and complete the 3-2 victory.
STAT LEADERS
» Kills: Kylie Love, 22
» Assists: Maia Raleigh, 52
» Digs: Kylie Love, 21
» Blocks: Charlie Wells, 5
» Hitting Percentage: Kylie Love, .340
» Aces: Maia Raleigh, 2
GAME NOTES
- The Friars improved to 38-8 all-time against John Paul II since 2007.
- Bishop Lynch completed the season sweep of John Paul II for the first time since 2022, winning all three matches against the Cardinals this season.
- With the victory, the Friars improved their true road record to 5-2 on the season.
- Bishop Lynch is currently riding a four-match winning streak, its second-longest streak of the season.
- With her 52 assists, Raleigh has now reached 50 or more assists three times this season.
- With five digs against the Cardinals, Bay Corrigan has reached 203 digs on the season.
NEXT UP
Bishop Lynch returns home, where the Friars are undefeated this season, to host top-ranked Prestonwood Christian on Thursday, Oct. 8. The Friars will look to defeat the Lions at home for the first time since 2017. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. in the Competition Gym.
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