Holy Cross is widely viewed as the best volleyball team in the D.C. area, with enough depth to fill out two competitive varsity teams. And yet, through the pack, senior Louisville commit Hannah Sherman sticks out.
On Friday night, Sherman — with plenty of help from sophomore Emmy Sellman — carried Holy Cross to a 3-1 win (23-25, 25-15, 25-17, 25-21) over host St. John’s, the second time in four days the Tartans chopped down a team previously undefeated in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference. It seems the most challenging conference in the area will run through the Tartans (6-0, 5-0 WCAC).
The Cadets, ranked fourth in The Washington Post’s preseason poll, did stay close Friday, taking a 21-20 lead in the fourth set. But a block from Sherman put that inertia to rest, quieting the St. John’s crowd as the outcome drew closer.
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A point later, St. John’s (9-5, 4-1) was called for its first net violation of the match. The Tartans secured the next three points and the match.
“Our team can come back from anything,” Sherman said.
The match provided Holy Cross the type of healthy struggle it had not experienced much this season; it had lost just one set through five matches. Despite the Tartans leading for most of the first set Friday, far-sailing hits gave St. John’s a 25-23 win.
The home crowd chanted “overrated,” and Sherman and Sellman put that idea to rest, responding with hard-hitting strikes that froze the Cadets.
“We were a little bit down on the second set, but we got back up with all the energy from our school and our booster club and our bench,” Sherman said.
In addition to boasting considerable size and ability at the net, the Tartans displayed soft skills, too.
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In between every point, Sherman communicated to her teammates on the front line. Coach Dave Geiser said she has always been extroverted but this year she has especially flourished as a leader.
Leading 17-8, Sherman found an opening and converted a kill, smacking the floor without a defender remotely close by. She spent the next 15 seconds laughing with her teammates, with her black mask bouncing up and down. At one juncture, after receiving a particularly poor pass, Sherman didn’t even let the ball touch the floor before mouthing “that’s okay” to her teammate.
The Tartans won the second set 25-15, their greatest margin of victory of the night, and were able to close out the third and fourth as well, with Sellman thriving down the stretch.
“It’s been really fun to play with her since I got here; she’s been really inviting to the freshmen and everyone else,” Sellman said of Sherman, who doesn’t restrict her nudging to just teammates.
“Now she’s giving me feedback,” Geiser said through a chuckle. “Not too many players are willing to give a coach critical feedback.”
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