Wixom St. Catherine volleyball tops Dearborn Divine Child in 5-set thriller w/ PHOTO GALLERY

Two Catholic League Central Division teams squared up for the second time this season as Dearborn Divine Child traveled to Wixom St. Catherine.

Dearborn Divine Child at Wixom St. Catherine volleyball photo gallery

Both teams entered the matchup heading into opposite directions as October draws near. St Catherine was eyeing two consecutive wins and three in its last four, including back-to-back league wins. Divine Child meanwhile was looking to break a seven-match winless skid.

St. Catherine was also in search of a season sweep of Divine Child after winning the first meeting back on Aug. 26.

After the first head-to-head matchup ended in a sweep, Wednesday's bout needed five sets to decide a winner. However, it was the same team coming out on top as the host Stars survived a five-set thriller, beating the Falcons 3-2 (29-27, 21-25, 25-15, 19-25, 15-12).

It was sort of an unconventional win for St Catherine coach Dennis Belaire, who said they had to shuffle the deck some.

"Today was about using some different lineups," Belaire said. "We've had a rash of nagging injuries and some other things going on. We've tried to create some flexibility by putting players in different spots. And we struggled with that at times as you saw tonight.

"We played better in the long run," Belaire added. "(Divine Child) is a lot better than when we faced them the first time."

The first set ultimately proved to be a precursor of how the entire night would go. Divine Child led most of the way -- as it did in three of the first four sets -- leading by as many as seven at one point (15-8). But the Stars worked it back to a win-by-two situation.

The two teams eventually traded points back-and-forth before St. Catherine finally put together three consecutive points to close out the set and match. That level of resilience was very encouraging for Belaire to see, even though he expects that from his bunch.

"I would have been disappointed if we were not able to come back," Belaire said. "These kids have shown this all season long. This is the third or fourth time that we've changed lineups."

Any time the Stars gained momentum and took a lead in sets, the Falcons answered. They did so in set two, not letting the hosts climb back into it like they did in game one. And after the hosts cruised to a wire-to-wire victory in set three to take a 2-1 lead, Divine Child again responded with a must-have victory.

In the fifth set, it was a seesaw battle throughout. St Catherine at one point led 12-10, leading the Falcons to call a timeout. Divine Child picked up two of the next three points, which then forced the Stars to call a timeout of their own.

St. Catherine after that timeout scored the final two points to seal the deal. The game-winner came off the hands of Megan Grose, who along with fellow senior Ryan Getz has been driving the bus for the Stars.

"I rely on them," Belaire said. "Megan is off to a D1 school for a reason. Her volleyball IQ is incredible. I always thought I had a pretty high volleyball IQ but I pale in comparison (to Megan)."

"(Megan and Ryan) are amazing, it is fun to watch."

Divine Child coach Elizabeth Gazley was unavailable for comment after the match. The Falcons are scheduled to play again on Tuesday, Oct. 4 at Woodhaven, which is currently in first place in the Downriver League. Divine Child will return to league action two nights later with a home match against Farmington Hills Mercy.

Next up for St. Catherine is a road match against nationally ranked Bloomfield Hills Marian on Wednesday, Oct. 5. Marian was in action on Wednesday night and swept a tough Farmington Hills Mercy squad 3-0 (25-20, 25-15, 25-19) in CHSL AA action.

For the Stars, it will be their second of two regular-season meetings with the powerful Mustangs. Marian won the first time around 3-1 (25-12, 22-25, 25-17, 25-16) back on Aug. 31.

"We're obviously going to have to play our best," Belaire said. "(Marian) is obviously very phenomenal, and so is Mercy of course. When every kid on those teams except for maybe two or three are taller than me, that is tough to defend against.

"We have to make sure we bring our absolute best effort," Belaire continued. "And we have to limit our errors... the service errors, the passing, the ball-handling. If we can do that, we can stand a chance but it's a tall hill to climb."

CHSL Central Standings 

Marian - 7-0

Mercy - 3-2

St. Catherine - 4-2

Divine Child - 1-5

Ann Arbor Richard - 0-6