Talk about a revenge match.
The table was all set for payback Sept. 24 when the St. Pius X girls volleyball team visited Incarnate Word Academy in north St. Louis County. The Red Knights beat the Lancers in straight sets in last year’s Class 4 championship match, denying Pius its fourth state title.
Despite the packed, partisan gym and the pressure of the moment, the Lancers prevailed in four sets (25-16, 16-25, 25-17, 25-20) for their 18th victory in 19 matches to that point. The Red Knights dipped to 14-7.
“It felt great,” St. Pius head coach Shannon Leftridge said. “The girls have been waiting for that match. That was a goal for this year, to meet them and win. When you go there, it’s not the easiest place to win. All of their friends come out and their parents, so they pack the stands.”
The hosts were missing 6-3 senior middle Tara Greenberry, out with a shoulder injury. Greenberry led IWA with 17 kills against the Lancers in the state final.
“(Greenberry’s absence) was a huge difference,” Leftridge said. “Their middle presence is not as big (without her) and they have a new setter. Ellie Whitthaus (senior outside hitter) terrorized us outside at state.”
Pius and IWA will not meet in the postseason this year because the Red Knights were moved up to Class 5 as determined by the state association’s competitive-balance formula.
“We had that feeling they were going to be moved up to Class 5,” Leftridge said.
The Lancers followed up that pivotal win with a 5-1-1 run in the 15th annual Gateway Matchup Sept. 25 and 28 at Oakville. Pius beat the host Tigers twice along with Francis Howell, Pattonville and Webster Groves, tied Parkway West and lost to up-and-coming power St. Dominic (20-2) of O’Fallon. Howell finished second in the state to Lafayette in Class 5 in 2023.
“We were challenged at Gateway,” Leftridge said. “We played (St. Dominic) during the COVID year (a four-set loss in 2020). We didn’t look good against them (this year).”
With two-thirds of the regular season behind them, the Lancers (23-2-1) will take on private schools in their next five matches. Since St. Pius is no longer part of a conference, Leftridge said it’s been challenging to schedule matches, and the frequency of matches has been a grind.
“It’s wearing a bit. I can usually tell when they are too tired for practice. Since I live with a player who doesn’t come off the court, those cues are built in.”
Senior Hannah Leftridge, Shannon’s daughter, leads the Lancers with 41 aces. St. Pius scores a lot of points off the serve with five players (Leftridge, juniors Harper Gass, Bennett Raterman and Elena Ruble and senior Peyton Meyers) racking up more than 20 aces apiece.
Like a baseball coach might call pitches, Leftridge dials up the service options for the six zones on the court.
“(Hannah is) pretty smart. I call them, but she has a good touch and works on her float serve. Her variety works.”
Ruble, the daughter of assistant coach Therese Ruble, surpassed 2,000 career assists at Marquette Sept. 10. Ruble has 728 assists this fall, 11 per game. Former St. Pius player Carley Nicholson (2014-2017) ranks second in state history with 3,722 assists. When Nicholson played, matches were best-of-three; now they’re best-of-five.
“By her senior year, (Ruble) can get to 3,000,” the coach said.
The centerpiece of the St. Pius attack is Raterman, a 6-4 junior middle. She leads the team in kills (257) and blocks (48) and Leftridge has to monitor her for stress on her hard-swinging shoulder – with IWA’s Greenberry as a cautionary example.
“Hitters take more swings,” Leftridge said. “Bennett’s shoulder is starting to wear. Hannah and (senior Anne Makowski) take so many swings and jump so much during a match. (Shoulder stress) is very common among hitters. It has to do with how many swings you take in a match. Bennett is very precautionary. She ices and does the right things.”
After a trip to Frontenac to play Visitation Academy (4-13) on Tuesday, past the Leader deadline, St. Pius hosts St. Joseph’s Academy (8-9) tonight (Oct. 3). The Angels have won nine state titles – the last in 2017 – and host Class 4 District 2, which includes the Lancers as well as Festus (12-4-1) and Windsor (15-3).
“For us to get to the (state) quarterfinals, we have to take care of (St. Joe’s),” Leftridge said. “I’m so glad we scheduled them. They’re always strong and tough.”