The Irish stayed true to their objective and persevered. Cathedral High School girls volleyball did this impressively in 2025, facing adversity throughout yet another successful season as one of the state’s most-tradition-rich programs. “I love these girls,” Karrie Quenichet said. “We’ve been working on being a family and that came to fruition. We saw the benefits of that this year.” The ’25 Irish spent Quenichet’s fourth season as head coach ranked high in the state, sweeping their way to the Section 26 title with 3-0 victories over Shortridge and Bishop Chatard despite injury and illness. They finished the season 23-10 and ranked No. 2 in the state in Class 3A, losing to eventual state champion Roncalli, 3-1, in the Greenfield-Central regional. The Irish beat Roncalli twice during the regular season – at Roncalli and in the final of the Providence Invitational four days later. “It’s always fun to win city and it's always fun to win sectionals, but winning that Providence tournament and beating Roncalli twice in one week is what I bet they would say was their favorite moment,” Quenichet said. The Irish late in the season dealt not only with injuries to senior setter Mia Stubbs and junior standout Caroline Hanchar, but also with a virus affecting the roster as the postseason approached. “Our motto all season was ‘Faith Over Fear,’ ” Quenichet said. “We kept in mind that there's faith in a bigger meaning behind the struggles we were having, faith in a plan that was bigger than us. “I can't believe how many people stopped by my classroom to tell me this is a positive culture, that the girls love each other, that there’s no negativity from leadership with the seniors down to the freshmen. It's all positive and it's promising for the future.” The Irish in 2025 were led by a senior class that helped establish a renewed direction for the program under Quenichet: *Middle blocker Avery Lewis, a 2024 second-team All-State selection as a junior and a 2025 Academic All-State selection who will play collegiately at Georgetown University. She had 248 kills as a senior. “She led with her production on the court, and she's so smart,” Quenichet said. “Her volleyball IQ is so high.” *Stubbs, who reached 1,000 assists for her career – with 889 as a senior – after being hospitalized with pneumonia as a junior. “When doing the survey in our team retreat over the summer, all 39 players in the program were asked, ‘What qualities do you see in a leader and who do you think embodies those qualities the most?’’’ Quenichet said. “It was almost unanimous for Mia. She puts everybody else in front of her.” *Defensive Specialist London Murray, who had been injured in every high school season until her senior season. “I would say she was our super-serve sub,” Quenichet said. “She played kind of a position and a half. She was a quiet leader, a very calming presence. The rest of the girls really rallied around her.” *Libero Annabelle Hoban, who Quenichet called “just a great player,” adding, “Liberos are unsung heroes because you don't notice them until something goes wrong. She did a great job anchoring our defense. She was that injection of energy on the court. She led by being consistent for us. That consistency is huge.” Quenichet said the group holds a special place as the first class she coached at Cathedral for four seasons. “All four of them are so different,” Quenichet said. “They ended up complementing each other pretty well. The initial goal for me was establishing the culture. “We made strides every year, this year being the best of the four. That’s what you would hope, that you keep taking steps forward. “Our seniors were a major part in making that happen. They experienced the good, bad, and they wanted to make sure they were being good leaders and mentors to the people that are younger than them. They did that very well.” The ’25 Irish also were keyed by a strong junior class that included: Outside hitter Hanchar, right side hitter and Ball State commit Hayden Mandsager, middle Chloe Moss, opposite Sophia Farah, defensive specialist Sydney Matthews and defensive specialist Celeste Mariani. “We have incredible leaders, incredible kids for the whole team to rally around,” Quenichet said. “All six of them will be back, which will be a big deal.” Lewis and Hanchar earned first-team Indiana High School Volleyball Coaches Association Class 3A honors in 2025, with Mandsager and Moss named second-team All-State. Sophomore outside hitter Blaine Adams also had a standout season, leading the Irish with 276 kills. “She was such a threat that teams had to kind of go after her when we played against them and see if they could pick on the underclassman,” Quenichet said of Adams. “She did a good job.” Also key moving forward: Sophomore Reagan Futa, who could play the libero role in 2026, and freshman Alaina Sloan. “This is what we've been building for – this year and next year,” Quenichet said. “We've had them for a few years and we've been able to kind of mold and shape what we want. We're real excited about it.”