DUNDALK — For the second time in school history, Calvary won the Maryland Christian School Tournament (MCST) championship, defeating Salisbury Christian in five sets on Saturday at Greater Grace.
“This was a great tournament for us,” Calvary head coach John Wall said. “This year’s MCST state tournament had some great teams. It was a thrill to face two of them, one in the semifinal and one in the final. Both times Calvary was outgunned and both times we showed grit and determination to win the day.”
The Eagles (21-8) won with scores of 25-12, 18-25, 25-23, 18-25 and 15-9.
“We thought we may be able to wrap this one up in three, but the Salisbury Jaguars came alive in game two and we knew we were in for a battle,” Wall said. “We struggled with our passes and serves throughout the next three games, forcing a tiebreaker.”
Paula Ganoe recorded a double-double, finishing with 35 kills, 14 digs and a block.
Ganoe was named the MCST Most Valuable Player.
“Paula Ganoe is always the toughest all around player on the court no matter who we play,” Wall said. “She always leads our team in kills and often leads us in multiple disciplines every match. We have relied on her middle hitting, back row attacks and difficult serve all season, and today, her explosive attacks on the ball led us to our second state title.
“Today, she was everywhere calling for the ball and helping to direct traffic for our defense. She faced a couple of big hitters and neither she or DeValk backed down. Ganoe’s attacks today were huge. Thirty-five kills in a match can only be achieved by the best of players. She single handedly killed her way to nearly half of our points today.”
Allie Maust also had a double-double with 20 assists, 12 digs and two aces.
Arabella Devalk finished with 10 digs, seven kills and three blocks.
“We gave up some opportunities to finish the match earlier, but in the fifth game, Arabella DeValk had a couple key stops at the net to give us a lead at 11-8,” Wall said.
Madie Robinette recorded 17 assists, seven digs and six kills.
Devalk and Robinette were named to the MCST All-Tournament Team.
Kaitlyn Bender added 22 digs, two assists and an ace.
“Our girls played their hearts out,” Wall said. “They gave it all they had and today they came together one last time and beat another bigger team to claim the state title.”
It’s the first MCST title for Calvary since 2013, who made its third appearance at the MCST final.
The previous two seasons, the Eagles elected to participate at the National Christian School Athletic Association (NCSAA) tournament.
In 2022, the Eagles won it all with a unblemished 36-0 record.
Last season, Calvary’s season ended in the consolation round of the NCSAA tournament, finishing fifth.
The Eagles last competed at the MCST tournament in 2021, and elected to play in the state tournament over the national tournament this season.
“This season is considered a rebuild season for us,” Wall said. “The victory today is a result of a culture of excellent volleyball at Calvary. To win a state championship on a rebuild season just reinforces that our little school will continue to be a volleyball force around here, and not just volleyball, Calvary wants to show that a small school can compete in athletics across the board.”