Moeller Volleyball Secures 3-Peat
With the Moeller Crusaders coming off a hot streak of winning state championships in 2021 and 2022, they found a way to secure their third consecutive state championship in 2023, setting a new record for volleyball wins at the school.
Going into the state run, the Crusaders had a record of 23-4, with two losses to St. X, one to Olentangy Liberty, and one to Jackson. The first game in the state run was against Hamilton High School. Moeller won 3-0. After two more wins against Lakota West and Sycamore, both 3-0 , the team moved onto St. X.
Knowing they had lost to X twice in the regular season really put some steam behind the Crusaders, with the game going to a five-set thriller. St. X. took set one 25-22, but Moeller fought back and won the second set 25-20. St. X. responded with a 25-20 win in the third set, putting them one win away from victory. With a school record on the line, the Crusaders battled in the fourth set to win 25-21.
The fifth set would now determine who advanced to state. The team had to dig deep after X took an early lead, but Moeller called a timeout and afterwards, made a comeback, tying the set 8-8. After an X timeout, Moeller took the lead, ultimately winning the game and the chance to continue their state run.
They faced Hudson next, a team with a stunning record of 20-0. Still, this did not stop the Moeller Crusaders. With a bad loss in the first set, the Crusaders locked in and went on a streak. They beat Hudson 25-20, 25-16, 25-20 and moved onto their 5th state game appearance in a row, looking to 3-peat!
Moving onto the state game, they faced Olentangy Liberty. The Moeller Crusaders had a very rough start, losing the first set 19-25 and the second 16-25. Ben Marcum who is the starting setter and is now a senior explained, “I wasn’t very confident, but I knew if we worked as a team we could come back.” That is exactly what happened. With another rough start to the third set, they fought back and won 25-23. Trailing 6-13 in the 4th set, Liberty thought they had the state title, but the Crusaders kept fighting and never looked back, taking that set 25-23. Trailing 12-13 in the 5th set, Moeller fought for three points in a row, winning 15-13. Moeller reverse swept Olentangy Liberty to take home their 3rd state win in a row!
Going into the upcoming season, the Crusaders have lost five seniors. Knowing those five had a big impact on the last state runs, this season’s seniors are going to have to fill their shoes. Will the Moeller Volleyball team be able to get their 4th state championship in a row? Make sure to go out and support them once their season starts back up. Good luck boys!