They won. A lot. They moved forward and overcame adversity, too. Cathedral High School girls volleyball achieved much in 2024, continuing to grow a program that long has been one of Indiana’s best. “When we revisit memories from this season, it will definitely be with pride because of how much this group overcame,” Karrie Quenichet said. The Irish in Quenichet’s third season as girls volleyball coach overcame injuries to key contributors and starters – and the absence of multiple projected starters – to again achieve postseason success. “Before the season even began, that senior leadership looked a little different than what we had envisioned at the end of last season,” Quenichet said. “But these girls rolled with that, and they worked so hard to redirect and reshape this program for what would eventually be their legacy to pass on. “Not many people thought we'd be able to accomplish everything we did out of those hurdles. It's because of that I could not be more proud of this group.” The Irish, who finished 2024 22-11 and third in the final Indiana Class 3A coaches poll, won the Class 3A, Section 26 tournament with a 3-1 victory over Bishop Chatard in the title match. They beat Shortridge 3-0 in the first round of the sectional and Attucks 3-0 in the semifinal. The Irish lost in the regional round 3-0 to Tri-West Hendricks, a loss that snapped an 11-game late-season winning streak – and a game junior opposite Avery Lewis missed with a stress reaction. “Saying goodbye to seniors in our program is never easy,” Quenichet said. “Every senior class represents another chapter in the volleyball history book at Cathedral. Our regional loss stings because it’s just closing another chapter. “That part's always tough on all of us.” The Irish in 2024 were led by a core group of senior leaders, with younger players keying roles and developing as needed. “What's so cool about this program is there's such a legacy and tradition, and every senior class wants to kind of protect that for the next group and make that be a part of their contribution,” Quenichet said. “That was great to see. As a coach, you like to see that.” The senior class was led by: Outside hitter Mackenzie Land, opposite/middle hitter Ava Granson, outside hitter Ryleigh Plunkitt and setter Alexa Green. Granson and Green transferred to Cathedral during high school, with Land and Plunkett four-year players who were dual-roster junior-varsity/varsity players as juniors. Granson will play for Indiana-Columbus, with Land playing for Tusculum University and Green and Plunkitt considering playing opportunities collegiately. “They were in the right place at the right time to help guide a very young and inexperienced group together – and they did,” “Quenichet said of the senior class. “They pulled off some amazing things. So very proud of them for that. I think they had something to prove. All of a sudden, this all lands in their lap, and they just really rose to the occasion.” The Irish in 2024 finished 3-1 in a strong season-opening tournament at Crown Point, then finished second to nationally-ranked Roncalli at the Providence Early Bird Tournament. “I had several coaches come up and say they couldn't believe we were we pulled that off with –everything we were dealing with in spite of the fact of being much smaller than people thought we were going to be,” Quenichet said. The Irish in 2024 also registered a victory over Class 2A power Brownstown Central, who entered the postseason ranked No. 1 in the state, and two victories over Center Grove. The also beat strong Westfield, Brebeuf Jesuit, New Castle and Penn teams – and also won a City Championship. “Even in the losses, they were competitive in all but a couple of matches,” Quenichet said. The Irish finished in the Top 15 overall in the state for a third consecutive season while again navigating one of the state’s toughest schedules. “I couldn't be happier with where they are and what they accomplished,” Quenichet said. “It's unfortunate we had to go into the postseason without the roster we thought we were going to have at this time last year. It's unfortunate that we never had everyone healthy at the same time, especially for the postseason. “But I'm a religion teacher at Cathedral, so I believe God puts us where he does in this place and at this time for a reason.” Also key was a solid group of underclassmen that could form the core of a bright future, a group that included junior hitter Avery Lewis, junior setter Mia Stubbs, junior libero Annabelle Hoban, junior DS London Murray and junior DS Gabi Gerdts as well as sophomore opposite Hayden Mandsager, sophomore outside hitter Caroline Hanchar, sophomore middle hitter Chloe Moss, sophomore middle hitter Sophia Farah, sophomore outside hitter Sydney Matthews and sophomore DS Celeste Mariani. “They had something to prove,” Quenichet said of the ’24 Irish. “I think it was that our program's resilient. We're not going away anytime soon. We had a lot of people talking. We just had lots of ups and downs. We had to roll with the punches a little bit. “Cathedral's a special place. Cathedral volleyball is special too. Even with what we were dealing with, we were a top contender. That was the biggest message that our group sent this year.”