Player of the Year: Bianco treasures final season at Oxford
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Dec. 5—OXFORD — It's been long enough that Catherine Bianco can now see beyond the heartbreak and appreciate her final season as a volleyball player.
The senior led Oxford on a dominant run to the Class 6A state finals, where victory seemed to be in hand. But the Lady Chargers lost a 2-0 lead and fell 3-2 to Brandon.
The ultra-competitive Bianco, Oxford's setter, did not take the loss well. But her father, Ole Miss baseball coach Mike Bianco, gave her some perspective.
"My dad told me that after a few days, after you lose, it's always the hardest thing," Bianco said. "But then after you move past that game, you realize how much of an impact this season had on my life. We were a really successful team, and it was my favorite year to ever play volleyball."
Bianco, who will not play in college, had a tremendous swan song. She recorded 713 assists, 183 digs, 94 kills and 27 service aces.
She is the 2021 Daily Journal Player of the Year.
More than her stats, Bianco was the heart and soul of this Oxford team. She became a starter in the eighth grade and evolved into one of the most versatile players around.
"She has a very high volleyball IQ," said second-year coach Ashley Martin. "That helped her a lot, being able to read the court and see where defense was lacking throughout the teams we played and being able to execute and place our hitters where they needed to be."
Bianco defers credit to her teammates, and there was certainly plenty of talent around her. Senior Ainsley Tacke had 298 kills, while junior Brianna Lyons had 182 kills, 176 digs and 42 aces.
"I think my role's the same as it's always been," Bianco said. "I just try to keep everyone mentally stable on the court and with high energy. The whole team did a good job of watching out for each other and being leaders."
The Lady Chargers were nearly untouchable this season, winning their first 51 sets. They finished the season with a 29-3 record.
It was quite a jump from the previous year, when Oxford went 13-10. That team had no seniors, while this one was full of them.
As much fun as she had this year, Bianco is done with volleyball. She plans to attend college at either Ole Miss or LSU.
"I think I'm going to miss playing with my team from high school, because they're my best friends," she said. "But I don't know, I think I'm ready to move on to the next part of my life."
