The rivalry between the Tampa Catholic Crusaders and the Academy Jaguars will continue here at Academy this Thursday evening, October 20, the night that the team will recognize the contributions of it graduating senior team members. Emotions will be running high as this game as seniors play their last regular-season home game.
Every year the records between these two schools change, with the two teams switching the advantage annually. As Academy’s biggest rival, any game against Tampa Catholic always makes for an exciting match, especially in volleyball this past Tuesday.
Back on September 27, Tampa Catholic hosted at their gym the Play for the Cure match-up with Academy. A big crowd encouraged the players to play even harder, sparking the competitive fires of both teams. The teams warmed up to the intense, and very loud, TC warm-up CD and got fired up for their big match.
Both teams played passionately from the first point of the first set all the way to last point in set five. Academy gained the advantage in the first set after beating TC 28-26. The match continued with a rough second set when TC rallied past AHN with a final score of 25-20. As the third set came around, the teams began to get even more fired up and the match became more competitive. The momentum changed again when the Jags swept past the Crusaders in the third set with a score of 25-22. TC stole the energy from the Jags in the fourth set, winning 25-23.
Finally, the moment of truth came in the fifth set of the match. The score moved slowly with each rally lasting longer and longer because neither team was willing to let the ball drop. AHN was down 9-12, when Mica Wiley, an Academy freshman, went in to serve and play defense. Her aggressive serve allowed AHN to tie the math 12-12. Three points were to determine a winner, so both teams fought hard. AHN beat TC in the fifth set 15-13. The Jags crushed the Crusaders in five hard-fought sets, claiming the ultimate victory.
Stayed tuned as this rivalry continues this Thursday, October 20th, on Jaguar turf.
