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WEIRTON -- Rivalry games are always special, but this one between Catholic Central and Madonna was even more special as the Blue Dons were celebrating their Senior Night.
The Blue Dons had extra motivation to come out on top, however, a strong all-around game enabled the Crusaders to come away with the sweep, 25-12, 25-22, 25-10, Wednesday night on Joanna Bernabei-McNamee Court inside the Bill Barrett Gymnasium.
"They played very well," acting Catholic Central (6-5) head coach Grace Godich said about her team's performance. "They played as a team. We played a lot of subs. A lot of girls were able to get a taste of the varsity level.
"We didn't really sub in the first set. The second set was tough. We had a different chemistry. We had girls on the court who were not used to being on the court.
"They all played together. They played very well. I'm impressed."
The victory enabled Catholic Central to sweep the season series from Madonna.
"It is a nice rivalry," first-year Madonna (5-6) head coach Mike Orecchio said. "We look forward to it.
"We did not do as well as we thought we would. In the first set, they had us on our heels. We fought in the second set. In the third set, I thought we had them on their heels, but we could not put them away.
"I am looking forward to playing Cameron tomorrow. Hopefully, we will do better.
"I expect us to get better every week. For the most part, we have gotten better. Today was just not our day."
Individually for the Blue-and-Gold, Haley Scherepko produced seven points, two kills, six assists and five digs, Ava Marcino contributed four points, four kills and eight assists and Natalie Scherepko collected seven points, two kills and five aces.
Also for the girls from Jefferson County, Lilly Balzano tallied five points, four kills, one block and one ace, and Anna Arai added four points, three kills, one block and one ace.
"Catholic Central's servers are really good," Orecchio said. "We do too, but today we did not put the ball in play. Our servers normally go three or four at a time. Today, we hit the ball out, or we hit it into the net.
"We made notes. We have things we are going to work on. We are going to get better."
For Madonna, Bella DiPietrantonio tallied one ace, one dig, two assists, seven kills and two blocks, Rylee Birkhimer recorded three aces and two kills and Chloe Orecchio collected four sets.
Also for the girls from Hancock County, Gianna Bonar contributed one kill and two blocks, Olivia Shafer finished with two kills and Mia Pietranton produced one assist. Finally, GiGi Orecchio delivered one ace.
"No. 16 (DiPietrantonio) was not there the first time we played them," Godich said. "She is a very good player. She is a senior. Seeing her was a surprise. She is a very good hitter. She is a good player. She played very well."
The Blue Dons honored their seniors – Mackenzie Sargent, Rylie Cottrill, DiPietrantonio and Shafer – before the match.
"I tell the girls I love them," Coach Orecchio said. "I love them all. I love working with them. A few of the girls I have coached for seven years."
Both teams are scheduled to return to the court at 5:30 p.m. for JV starts today on the road.
Catholic Central is slated to play Jefferson County rival Toronto inside the George J. Kunzler Gymnasium.
Meanwhile, Madonna will take on Cameron.