Saintes VB Wraps Season

Posted: 11/23/2018 - by Spencer Sanchez

The Kingda Ka is considered by some thrill seekers to be the best roller coaster in the world. At 456 feet, it is the tallest roller coaster and the 418 foot initial dive ranks number one on that list as well. Kingda Ka drops to second on the fastest steel roller coaster list with a top speed of 128 mph, 21 mph behind United Arab Emirates' Formula Rossa.

If the Saintes volleyball team has been on a roller coaster since the start of their 2018 season, then Sunday night's banquet was the ride back to the train station with coaches and players reflecting on what they just experienced. 

Emotions are part of any memorable ride and sports are no exception. Whether from a close-up view while standing in line or looking up a video on YouTube, expectations for any of the world's best roller coasters can be discovered long before the rider is strapped into their seat. No one could predict the highs and lows that would accompany the Saintes on their journey through the pre-season, Hawkeye Ten conference and regional playoffs, but KMA Coach of the Year Angie Lantz provided the emotional safety belts. 

After a quick intro by Coach Lantz, every player told the crowd their favorite memory from the season followed by reliving the highlights. 

Full Throttle at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, CA - no St. Albert team in recent memory has been sent on a bigger loop to start a season than these Saintes and at 160 feet high, this coaster features the world's tallest inverted loop.

Wicked Twister at Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH - an early season matchup with next-door neighbor Abraham Lincoln featured a lot of drama in a five-set thriller. Like the U-shaped Wicked Twister coaster, whose track repeats climbs up twisted towers and backward freefalls, the back and forth sets were scored 25-23, 23-25, 25-20, 21-25 and 16-14 in favor of the Saintes. 

Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH - this Indy race car inspired ride shoots out of the launch area and reaches 120 mph in just 3.8 seconds. Allie Petry led the Saintes out of the conference schedule gate in similar fashion, recording all three winning points in St. Albert's 3-1 victory over Lewis Central. The first of many to come in the Hawkeye Ten.

Intimidator 305 at Kings Dominion in Doswell, VA - similar to the Knights dynamic front-court duo, the Intimidator 305 features scary heights and length. Falling down two sets to none via scores of 12-25 and 11-25, the Saintes hill to climb mirrored this ride's initial 305 foot lift. Once riders overcome the first rise and fall, the coaster banks turns that tosses them to and fro at 90 mph. Coaches, players and fans alike felt similar turbulence in what may go down as the most epic win in school history 12-25, 11-25, 26-24, 25-16, and 15-8 for Kuemper Catholic's only loss in their only state championship season.

Battlestar Galactica at Universal Studios in Singapore - the world’s tallest dueling coasters features two separate trains, one called Cylon and the other Human, which couldn’t be more opposite in style and experience. Similarly, a pair of mid-season, five set nail-biters took different tracks to reach the win column. The Saintes took a 2-0 lead against Shenandoah before a series of inversions, cobra rolls, corkscrews, a vertical loop and a zero-g roll tied the match at two games a piece. St. Albert would prevail over the Fillies in what must have felt like a near-miss, 25-21, 25-15, 11-25, 24-26 and 15-10. In their five-setter vs. Red Oak, the Saintes fell behind two sets to none, the opposite experience of the Shenandoah match, only to mount a G-force comeback 16-25, 20-25, 25-10, 25-17 and 16-14.

Steel Dragon 2000 at Nagashima Spa Land in Nagashima, Mie, Japan - The long, emotionally-charged regular season came to an end at Clarinda on October 15th, where St. Albert not only won the match in straight sets 25-13, 25-13 and 25-16, but also clinched the outright Hawkeye Ten conference title. In addition to being the longest roller coaster in the world, the Steel Dragon 2000 also requires far more steel than other coasters for earthquake protection. Despite a series of five-set close calls, ranked opponents, 2-0 deficits and even the eventual Class 3A State Champion, the Saintes conference record, and more importantly their team, was never shaken. 

The regional playoffs featured a couple of easy wins on their way to a showdown with Treynor, where the Saintes fell just short of their fourth state tournament appearance in a row.

Later in the evening, the team-voted end of season awards were handed out for Most Improved, Most Valuable and Most Inspirational Players.

Matterhorn at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA - prior to the construction of Disney’s tubular steel Matterhorn, roller coasters were all made out of wood, limiting the speed, thrill and overall joy. The Most Improved Sainte in 2018 is Veronica Svajgl who will look to add to this accolade next season as a team leader.

El Toro at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ - Most Valuable Player went to Sophomore Allie Petry, whose airtime on kills is akin to El Toro's negative G-force. The out-of-your-seat sensation can describe both the ride and what fans in the stands experience when watching Petry put a set down from what feels like the ceiling.

“Live Like Jill means to see the absolute best in people and make the most of every moment you have with those people,” Most Inspirational Player, Bailey White.

Six Saintes were acknowledged by the Hawkeye Ten for their all-conference talent:

1st Team: Allie Petry and Maggie Wettengel 

2nd Team: Emily Recher and Bailey White  

Honorable Mention: Olivia Barnes and Alesha Johnson

No matter how fast, no matter how high, no matter how fun, no matter how long, every ride eventually must come to an end. To cap the evening, the seniors were recognized and presented stadium blankets embroidered with their name and number.

Like a wall of monitors in a coaster's exit tunnel, the volleyball banquet showed myriad emotions from parents, coaches and players. Given the events at the beginning, middle and end of the season, 2018 was a ride this team will never forget and will rank number one in their hearts forever.

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