Crusaders Sweep Damien in the Quarter-finals
May 6, 2019
In one of the most important games this season, Saint Louis (7-8) swept the fourth seed Damien (5-10) in three sets (25-11, 25-13, 25-22). Saint Louis played exceptionally well and was too much for the Monarchs to handle. The Monarchs and the Crusaders challenged each other in the regular season twice, where Damien won once, and Saint Louis also won once.
I just kept my head down and focused on the task at hand. I am proud of what my team accomplished, and we are ready for our next game. — Brian Cox on his performance.
With the home court advantage, the Crusaders were hot from the get-go. Collectively as a team, they accumulated 31 kills and kept the pressure on Damien, keeping their scoring to a minimum. Saint Louis dominated for three sets, Damien struggled to contain Outside Hitter Brian Cox. Himself alone contributed 11 kills, 3 solo blocks, and 2 aces to stump the Monarchs defense. Other notable players were Isaiah Filisi and Girwen Lat who both had 3 kills each and 3 blocks in total. In addition, Chaz Omura had a 100% kill percentage with 4 kills out of 4 attempts. Damien had a difficult time against Saint Louis for the first two sets. However, Damien showed spurts of energy in the third set, but there best efforts were no match for the Crusaders.
This win boosts Saint Louis to the Semi-finals where they will face-off against powerhouse Saint Francis (13-2). The two teams played each other twice in the regular season, where Saint Francis won both games. However, whoever wins this matchup goes to the ILH Championships where they will play first-seed UH Laboratory. Following the ILH Championships is the Division 2 State Tournament. Where the top two seeds from the ILH, Top 3 seeds from the OIA, and the top seed from the Outer Island division will face off in hopes of winning the Division 2 Championships, will the Crusaders be able to pull through and accomplish the unimaginable? Saint Louis plays Saint Francis in the Semi-finals on Thursday, April 18.
