For The Dialog
WILMINGTON – In front of a boisterous sellout crowd on Senior Night, second-ranked Padua managed a 3-2 come-from-behind victory over No. 4 Ursuline. The set scores were 25-23, 20-25, 25-27, 25-21 and 15-12 as the Pandas finished the regular season at 13-2.
Long rallies and powerful kills were the hallmarks of the first set. The Raiders found themselves ahead, 7-1, getting kills from Taylor Wright, Corinne Furey and Emma Popham. But Padua junior Emily Jarome took over, with three of her match-high 31 kills cut the lead to 14-12. Two straight aces from Raiders senior Alexandra Kochie put Ursuline ahead, 23-21. Padua responded, however, with four straight to win the set as Jessica Molen recorded three consecutive kills, and Jarome blasted one for the win.
The second set started as a back-and-forth affair, as Jarome and Wright were trading kills. The teams were tied at 19, but the Raiders scored six of the final seven points, with the win coming on a Sam Davis ace.
The teams were toe-to-toe in the third, but a kill by Wright gave the Raiders a 24-22 lead. Jarome fought off two match points with a pair of powerful swings. Ursuline appeared to have the set on a nice block, but the Pandas’ diving defense helped them tie the set at 25. Furey finally ended the third with a kill two points later, and it was 2-1 Ursuline.
Jarome led a quick 6-1 run in the fourth with two more kills, but the Raiders responded with a 13-3 run headlined by Abigail Rzucidlo and Wright to push their team ahead, 13-9. Padua used great defense, led by senior Maddie Judge, and the offensive talents of Molen and Jarome to send it to a fifth set.
Jarome said the Pandas had regained the momentum at that point.
“It’s hard to get back the momentum in the fourth after losing two in a row and down, 14-9, but we got it back in time,” she said.
Padua kept things going their way in the fifth, racing out to a 6-2 advantage, but the Raiders did not quit, bouncing back to within one at 13-12. Molen then delivered her final kill, and a hitting error ended the match.
“It was very exciting, but also sad being the last home match, but that motivated me,” Judge said.
In addition to her kills, Jarome added 21 digs, while Molen had 20 kills, and Judge finished with 40 digs. The Pandas will now wait until Sunday to find out where they will be seeded in the state tournament. Padua will receive a first-round bye, so they will next play on Nov. 5.
Ursuline (10-4) received 25 kills from Wright and 19 from Furey. Davis had 24 digs and Wright 20. The Raiders will meet St. Mark’s at home on Saturday at 6:45 p.m. in the state’s final regular-season match. The Raiders also will be a high seed in the tournament.
