The Paul VI High School girls volleyball team is always set up for success.
With two of the most talented setters in the state in seniors Ella Pobre and Lauren Vincenti, the pieces were in place for another thrilling season. And the Eagles didn’t disappoint.
“They are fantastic,” Paul VI volleyball coach Dan Chung said. “They are running the offense exactly how we want.”
The Eagles nearly ran a perfect slate, as they carried a 27-0 record into the Non-Public A State Championship game, beating talented teams from multiple states along the way.
The only thing that stood in their way of back-to-back state titles was the North Jersey volleyball juggernaut Immaculate Heart Academy, which Paul VI defeated last year, breaking a 13-year run of state championships by Immaculate Heart. The two heavyweights collided Nov. 13 at Franklin High School in Somerset County, and Paul VI came up short by the slightest of margins in a three-set thriller (25-16, 23-25, 25-23).
“This season was unbelievable,” Vincenti said after knocking off Donovan Catholic High School in the state semifinal game a few days earlier. “I never expected to go to States twice in a row, and it’s just been amazing. I’m just glad I got to spend it with all the best people.”
Vincenti and Pobre made the most of their senior seasons, combining for more than 400 assists for the powerful Eagles. It didn’t matter which setter was on the floor, the Eagles always had a winner setting the table for powerful hitters like Emily Ezeiruaku, Zharia Harris-Waddy or Paris Lott, who could all deliver a smashing kill. Pobre and Vincenti just needed to put the ball in the wheelhouse, and they did with incredible accuracy.
“I feel like our chemistry got a lot better as we grew up, and especially as seniors now,” Pobre said. “There’s no real weakness when it comes to our setting.”
They seemed to learn a lot from each other, having played both high school and club volleyball on the same team the last few years.
“I think not only do we help each other physically, but we help each other mentally, always being there to support each other and help the other when we are struggling,” Vincenti said. “We build each other up.”
And they never tore the other down. Splitting time on the court can be difficult, as both players deserve to be out there the entire game. Pobre and Vincenti made it work with no jealousy on either end.
The Paul VI volleyball program has flexed its muscle, with an incredible record of 66-6 during the last three years. Last year, the Eagles won 18 in a row. This year, they crushed that mark with 27 straight wins.
The Eagles became the best by playing against the best. Chung stacked the schedule with opponents that would take them out of their comfort zone, playing in tournaments against out-of-state teams that play best-of-five sets instead of New Jersey’s best-of-three format. Battling teams like Ursuline Academy and Padua in Delaware built character. Facing off against Merion Mercy and Philadelphia Catholic League champ Cardinal O’Hara in Pennsylvania presented different challenges.
“I think the expectation was a little bit higher this year,” Chung said. “I believe our kids kept living up to it. We never really talked about a repeat. We just said we were going to play one game at a time and that it’s another year.”
And what a year it was.
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