STATEMENT GAMES
Arundel’s quest for third consecutive state title ends in heartbreak vs. Urbana in 5-set match
Momentum wins volleyball matches. Unfortunately for Arundel, momentum turned against it at the wrong time — and in the worst possible place.
The Wildcats who donned the Kelly green and white for four years learned what defeat in the Class 4A championship felt like. After a night-and-day rally in the third and fourth sets, Arundel lost momentum early in the fifth to bow to No. 3 seed Urbana, 25-22, 25-22, 12-25, 9-25, 15-11, losing its first final after capturing consecutive titles in 2019 and 2021.
After two opening sets surrendered to Urbana by too-flat attacks and mistakes, the Wildcats found themselves.
This team that had blazed to an undefeated season coming into Thursday’s final at Harford Community College roared once again to life, screaming with joy on every won point in lopsided third and fourth set victories.
“The third and fourth set is the team we’ve been,” Wildcats coach Ashley Yuscavage said, “and I wish we could’ve been that all tonight. Just didn’t do what we needed to do when we needed to, and that’s disappointing.”
Almost immediately, Arundel’s fear that Urbana would not lie down came true.
The Wildcats drummed the Hawks’ hardwood with kills from Audrey Owens, Kiara Harmon, Payton Swinton and Taylor Johnson.
But Urbana packed a little spice, too. Just as
Arundel peeled a bit away at 7-3, the Hawks regained the serve and pattered Arundel’s side with a few kills and an ace, buoyed by a few Arundel errors here and there. Urbana scored five in a row for a 10-9 lead.
Hawks senior Logan Burge needled Arundel in the side. Her powerful fist practically single-handedly kept Urbana locked with Arundel, tied at 12 and then again at 18.
Arundel beat Severna Park, Reservoir and Broadneck in the county championship match, all in five sets. In most cases, the Wildcats were quite used to razing opposing teams with kills, dragons against foot soldiers. But in Urbana, they’d met another squad with just as much firepower. Maybe more.
“We expected Urbana to be a little similar to us,” Yuscavage said, “and that comes with its own set of challenges.”
Opposing kills and self-inflicted mistakes mixed into a nasty poison for the Wildcats. The Hawks swiped the first set away, 25-22.
Arundel could block. It could kill. But as the second set began, it couldn’t claim momentum as it could not stop hitting the net.
“We definitely came out a little nervous,” Owens said. “I should’ve definitely come out swinging more in that second set, but I played it safe with a lot of free balls.”
Yuacavage drew her girls in for a timeout at a 9-5 deficit in the second set, and out of it, that gap only worsened. Three more points and two timeouts burned before a net violation against the Hawks rose Arundel from the wreckage. Johnson hit a kill, as did Owens.