They were good, and they were close to being much better. Cathedral High School girls volleyball also improved dramatically during the 2022 season, which set the stage for future Irish teams. That made ’22 a successful season. It made it an important one, too. “We were trying to form a culture of family and being a good teammate to the person next to you,” Karrie Quenichet said following her first season as the Irish’s girls volleyball coach. “I feel like progress was made there and I’m proud of that.” ...

Karrie Quenichet likes what she sees so far. That’s not just true on the court for 2022 Cathedral High School volleyball. It has been true in all areas of the program early in Quenichet’s first season as head coach. This is a new regime, a new era. And the transition has been smooth. “I’m very excited at the prospect of working with these girls,” Quenichet said in late August. “They have a lot of talent. I think this season they’re going to surprise some people. They’ve already done that to some ex...

Girls volleyball head coach Mary Ording '09 Hemer has decided to step down from her position to focus on her family. The volleyball program has won three consecutive sectional titles and two City Championships including a program sweep in 2021. "I am honored to have spent the last 3 years as the head coach of such a historic program & to have spent so much time working with many of our remarkable student-athletes," Coach Hemer said about her time as head coach. "While I will miss the girls dearly, I am also extremely excited abo...

The progress continues, and so does the building. That was the theme for Cathedral High School girls volleyball in 2021 – a season in which the Irish again navigated one of the state’s toughest schedules on the way to a solid showing in the postseason. That didn’t necessarily mean a satisfying season in Mary Hemer’s third season as coach. It did mean a successful one. “In all positions around the court we made huge progress,” Hemer said. The Irish, long one of the state’s top high school girls voll...

Mary Hemer feels great about 2021 Cathedral High School volleyball. “I feel like this team could really surprise a lot of people,” she said. Hemer, entering her third season as the Irish’s girls volleyball coach, said while the Irish may not have Central Indiana’s biggest names – or a slew of players from big-time club volleyball teams– entering 2021, that may not matter. What the Irish have is a tight-knit, focused coachable group led by a solid core of experienced players. The Irish also have speed and athle...

The 2020 season was about beating adversity. Specifically, it was about sacrifice and overcoming injury. Cathedral High School girls volleyball did both in 2020 while taking steps forward under Head Coach Mary Hemer – and Hemer said all that made it hard to see the season end. “It really was a full team – and even program – effort,” Hemer said. The Irish (12-14), playing one of Central Indiana’s toughest schedules, lost two key players – including senior leader/outside hitter Sarah Casper. Despite that, ...

Cathedral volleyball honored five seniors on Tuesday, September 1, as the Lady Irish hosted the rebranded Roncalli Red Devils in the Welch Activity Center. Senior players Sarah Casper, Lucia Corsaro, and Mia Finn and senior managers Kimmie Mattingly and Gabe Keltner were recognized prior to the match. The Irish came out swinging and were never threatened on their way to a first set win 25-17. The Irish were on the verge of staking themselves to a two-set lead, but the Red Devils stormed back to even the match by stealing the second set 25-27. Cathedra...

The Cathedral Irish came out swinging in the Welch Activity Center in their victory over the Center Grove Trojans. The Irish offense found its mark consistently while the defense was relentless against the Trojan attack. On the evening, the Irish scored 41 kills while the defense recorded 62 digs. The Irish jumped out to a quick lead in the first set with senior Lucia Corsaro thwarting attack after attack from the Trojan hitters and pulled away from the Trojans on the way to a 25-14 win. Center Grove found their footing somewhat in the secon...

The goals are simple and real. Yes, Mary Hemer wants improvement for Cathedral High School girls volleyball in 2020 – her second season as head coach. And yes, the state tournament is always a program goal. But Hemer said another goal must come first. “Our biggest mindset is always, ‘We’re going to fight,’ ” she said. “We’re going to go out there and put our best effort on the floor. We’re going to work as a team and play to everybody’s strengths, and cover each other’s ‘not...

The Cathedral Lady Irish captured the IHSAA 4A Sectional 10 volleyball championship on Saturday, October 19, in dramatic fashion defeating the Lawrence North Lady Wildcats in the championship match for the second straight year. Finding themselves down 1-2 after three sets and in a win-or-go-home situation, Cathedral overpowered Lawrence North in the final two sets to defend their title by a match score of 3-2 (25-15, 20-25, 19-25, 25-18, 15-7). The Lady Irish won the first set in convincing fashion with an unrelenting offensive attack and unfaltering ...

Cathedral defeated Heritage Christian in dramatic fashion on Thursday, October 10, to win the Indianapolis City Alliance Tournament. The Lady Irish squared off against the Lady Eagles in the Championship match for the second straight year. With the win the Lady Irish improve their season record to 14-12 and enter post-season play on a positive note and 3-game winning streak. Cathedral won set one by a comfortable margin 25-18 to establish an early 1-0 match lead. Cathedral delivered strong performances in sets two and three only to be turned away by H...

The Cathedral Fighting Irish volleyball team hosted the Carmel Greyhounds on Senior Night at the Welch Activity Center on Tuesday, October 1. The evening began as the Cathedral faithful recognized and honored six Senior volleyball players and their parents for their commitment and dedication to Cathedral Lady Irish volleyball. Seniors Mia Dittoe, Jami Hansen, Mae Hedrick, Anna Neale, Jojo Suppiger, and Anna Trieloff were escorted by their parents onto the court as their memories of Cathedral Volleyball and future plans were shared. The first set wa...

Cathedral Lady Irish volleyball bested the Bishop Chatard Lady Trojans in four sets in front of a packed house at the Welch Activity Center on CYO Night on Tuesday, September 10. Fans of both schools filled the stands and saw the Lady Irish win the first two sets convincingly, drop set three, then extinguish all hopes of a Lady Trojan comeback with a dominating fourth set win to take the match 3-1 (25-18, 25-15, 19-25, 25-12). Sarah Casper blistered the Chatard defense with 18 kills on 33 attacks for a .545 kill percentage, misconnected on only 2 attacks...

The Cathedral Lady Irish volleyball team faced off against cross-town rival Roncalli Lady Rebels on Tuesday, September 3, in a packed Roncalli High School gymnasium. The match was a back-and-forth affair which saw the Lady Irish trade set wins with the Lady Rebels over the course of the first four sets. Roncalli ultimately prevailed in the match 3-2 by outlasting Cathedral in the decisive fifth set by a 16-18 score (11-25, 25-13, 19-25, 25-21, 16-18). Senior hitter Mia Ditto let the Lady Irish attack with 19 kills on 49 swings, and Junior libero Lucia C...

This is a new year, and a new era. Mary Hemer, part of Cathedral High School’s rich volleyball tradition as a player and assistant, in 2019 for the first time will be the program’s head coach. Her objective: take one of Indiana’s most-successful high school volleyball programs “back to what we know.” Her passion for the task couldn’t be clearer. “It’s personal for me,” Hemer said recently. Hemer, a two-time first-team All-State selection and two-time state champion who graduated from Cathe...