Centennial volleyball headed to first state final since 2012 after 3-0 sweep of top-seeded Queen Anne's
Nov. 14—GAITHERSBURG — In Friday's Class 2A state quarterfinal, Centennial had to battle back against Hereford's fast start. Tuesday night in a 2A state semifinal against top seed Queen Anne's, the No. 5 seed Eagles saved time and just came out of the gates quickly themselves.
Senior Joy Chen started the match with a four-point serving run, which set an early tone and proved to be a microcosm of what was to come. Centennial defeated Queen Anne's 3-0, (25-11, 25-22, 25-12) at Watkins Mill High School. The Eagles advance to Saturday's state championship game at Harford Community College's APG Federal Credit Union Arena.
The Eagles are playing in the state title game for the first time since 2012 and will face either No. 6 Calvert or No. 7 Williamsport at a time to be announced.
"A fast start definitely puts the other team on the back foot and they're not able to be as aggressive as they want to be because they don't want to make errors," Centennial coach Michael Bossom said. "I thought that set the tone because in the first game, I thought Queen Anne's made more service errors. Then I thought in game three when they were pushing a little bit, I thought they made more service errors than is probably characteristic of what they wanted to do."
Centennial (15-4) only built on its lead after Chen's strong start, winning 12 of the first 15 points. Senior Mailinh Godschall, who is committed to play college volleyball at Duke, made an early impact with several of her team-high 15 kills and aces. While Godschall consistently split the Lions' back line with emphatic kills, the Eagles' defense excelled.
Senior Angela Aguilar delivered a highlight-reel defensive play with Centennial already holding a commanding 20-9 lead. Unable to reach the ball, Aguilar alertly stuck her foot out, kicking the ball up for a dig that kept the play alive. Little plays like that epitomized Centennial's first-set dominance.
"Being able to sustain the momentum is in general a difficult thing and today I think we did it really well," Godschall said. "We did a really good job of not letting our little errors affect us in the long run and then getting into deep runs. We didn't let one mistake roll on."
The second set was a much tighter affair with the Eagles and Lions tied at 11 midway through. On the ensuing point, Godschall landed awkwardly on her ankle and had to leave the court for several points. Queen Anne's won the next three points and Bossom called timeout.
Sophomore Hannah Shiau replaced Godschall and filled in admirably as the Eagles kept the score close before Godschall returned later in the set. Her return provided an instant spark as the Eagles scored four straight points to take a 20-18 lead.
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"It made me so happy, even I was getting my ankle taped I was still watching," Godschall said. "We played amazing. We still kept our energy high and made some really good plays. I think Hannah played really well too."
Queen Anne's battled back to tie the score at 22. Centennial then took advantage of a Lions service error and followed with back-to-back kills, taking a commanding two-set lead.
That strong close to the second quickly translated to the third as the Eagles built an early 5-2 advantage. The Lions briefly trimmed the deficit, but Centennial quickly took control with a seven-point run spearheaded by senior Kaley Maclellan. The middle blocker had several kills and an emphatic block during the run, pushing the lead to 15-5 as the Eagles' supporters roared louder after each point. That run offered a glimpse into Centennial's growth as a team throughout the season, improving both its communication and attacking efficiency.
"There was that one sequence where the ball was at the net and it went back and forth several times and Kaley touched the ball five times," Bossom said. "I thought there's so many times where you're close to the net that there could have been an error or somebody cut underneath her. They all communicated and were talking to her. I thought that was the epitome of what Kaley talked about with improved communication."
Godschall, Aguilar and Amanda Xu added kills later in the set as the Eagles' attackers continued to fire on all cylinders. Then on the match's final point, Maclellan fittingly fired an emphatic kill right in the heart of the Lions defense to close out a dominant victory.
She was promptly swarmed by teammates and fans as Centennial earned several more days of practice together and a chance to claim the program's first state title since 2008.
"I am definitely somebody who does better under pressure," Maclellan said. "When the game is close and the other team also has a high skill level, I always do a little better. On the last point, I told the setter, 'Please set me.'"
