SHC girls' volleyball team took on the St. Ignatius Wildcats at the USF War Memorial Gym last Tuesday, facing off in the first leg of this year's Bruce Mahoney Trophy. It was quite the drama filled match that took five sets to decide a winner. It was the Irish who came out strong winning the first two sets, but St. Ignatius fought back to wins three straight sets and grab an impressive victory.

"People thought that SI was going to sweep us," head coach Symone Mackiewicz said after the game.

The Irish domination of the first two sets was impressive, staying close behind SI in the first set and then catching up at the end to win. During the second set, they held the lead the entire set never letting the Wildcats surpass them. At the beginning of the third set, Madi Mullins had three consecutive saves that set up Evelyn Law for a great spike that got the Irish another point. Unfortunately, that was not enough for the Irish and St. Ignatius took the third set. After the Wildcats won the fourth set, the teams went into the fifth and final set.

SI took the early lead, but SHC wouldn't go down without a fight fending off three match points and cutting the Wildcats' lead to just four. SI would not give up another point and grabbed the winning point on a lucky bounce of the ball. 

"I'm really proud of the girls," Mackiewicz said after the tough defeat.

Although the end was not the desired outcome, Coach Mackiewicz knows that with focus and determination, the team will bounce back and battle in league play.