Roncalli's Resilient Run Secures Class 3A Volleyball Title

INDIANAPOLIS — After watching her team have to battle back to capture the first two sets, Roncalli volleyball coach Christina Erazmus hoped for a less-stressful finish to Saturday's Class 3A state championship match against Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger. Maybe the Royals could play with the lead instead of having to dig out of an early hole. That did not happen.

They fell behind by four points almost immediately. "Well shoot, we did it again," Erazmus said. But the way that final set (and the entire match) unfolded provided a perfect finish to Roncalli's title defense, encapsulating what made this team so special.

Its season began with the loss of starting setter Addie Haberthy a week before the opener. She was replaced by Norah Bell, a freshman defensive specialist, who steadily developed over the weeks that followed, with steady support from the stable of Division I hitters surrounding her.

There were growing pains early on, but Roncalli (33-5) persevered, collecting 32 wins against the state's 12th toughest schedule to book a return trip to the state championship match. Facing an upstart Bishop Dwenger outfit Saturday evening at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the Royals rallied with 10-3 runs to win the first two sets, then came roaring back on a 6-1 run to take control of the third before closing out with five unanswered points to complete the 3-0 (25-22, 25-19, 25-19) championship sweep.

In a season defined by overcoming adversity, it was only appropriate that the now two-time defending state champions had to fight their way back to repeat. "That's the story of our team," Erazmus said. "We started down at the beginning of the season and we rose to the occasion. It's been a blessing."

Bell's development at the setter position was among the season's most impressive storylines. Moved to the position due to an unprecedented setter shortage within the program, she recalled being shell-shocked through her first few matches—understandable considering she was a first-year varsity player setting for the first time in nearly a year. But Bell began settling into the position as the season progressed, her development driven by her dedication; accelerated by her mom, Roncalli assistant Jessica Bell (a former college setter); and enabled by her teammates, who gave Norah grace and adjusted their game to help facilitate her growth.

Bell looked like a seasoned veteran by the start of sectionals and totaled 40 assists in her final match of the year, confidently running an offense that totaled 45 kills on .299 hitting. "I'm so proud of her," Haberthy said of Bell, who cleared 1,000 assists at semistate. "I don't even know how she did it. And she did it with such composure. I'm so proud of her."

There was a learning curve, Erazmus observed, highlighting the new faces and number of pieces they needed to coach up. So they simplified their focus. "We just said, we can win with grit and Roncalli volleyball, that's what we do," she said. "We play hard and we work on serve and pass."

At the core of "Roncalli volleyball" these past few seasons has been its superstar liberos: Emma Halter (Texas), then Aly Kirkhoff (LSU) and now Reagan Turk (West Virginia). Perfection was expected, and at times required, of Turk. She delivered nearly every time. The four-year varsity letterwinner was a stabilizing force in the back row, especially in service, where she accumulated 59 aces and 272 points (both career-highs). She embarked on multiple multi-point service runs Saturday, stabilizing Roncalli and leading the charge back into contention.

She's like a safety blanket back there, senior hitter Stahley said of her club teammate. "She's always right there to pick us up." "Having Reagan is crazy," senior attacker Lily Jones added. "You don't understand how good she is until she's not perfect, because she's perfect 99.9% of the time. She's had maybe one bad pass this season. She is so dominant, so vocal and I trust her so much. She's amazing."

Stahley, Jones, fellow senior Grace Troxell, junior Ella Stone and sophomore Rosanna Spearing were all critical contributors, as well.

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Addie Haberthy tore her ACL in August. Saturday, she served for championship point. Stahley was the team's offensive catalyst through most of the season, a steady presence who was there with the critical kill more times than not. She collected 19 kills on .441 hitting in her final high school match, and was the one responsible for securing sideout and bringing up Turk to serve.

Jones, who notched 12 kills and a solo block against Dwenger, enjoyed a career year, racking up nearly 400 terminations and 96 total blocks. She moved to outside hitter during the sectional final vs. New Palestine, with Troxell shifting to the right, a position swap which sparked the Royals' rampage through the postseason.

"We had so many ups and downs and lineup changes and they all took it like, 'This is what I have to do for the team,'" Erazmus said. "And when you have kids with that mentality, you're really going to fight and drive to beat some really good teams on the road to state."

Stahley scored a kill then held serve for three straight points before Roncalli made a lineup change, bringing in Haberthy for championship point. The Xavier commit sent the ball over the net and following a brief rally, Bell set the ball to Jones, who threw down the final kill on the Royals' 2025 state championship run.

Roncalli's eight seniors finished their high school careers with two state championships—the fourth and fifth in the program's storied history—and 68 wins over the past two seasons. "They were there as sophomores and felt that loss (at semistate), then last year we went undefeated and because of the struggles we had at the beginning, a lot of these girls had to step up," Erazmus said. "It's hard when you have that many seniors to share the wealth and share the spotlight, but they're just as proud as the next person to honor and give props to their teammates. I'm really going to miss them."