St. Ignatius rallies in fifth set to win first OHSAA boys volleyball state championship

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Down 7-0 in the fifth set of the OHSAA Division I boys volleyball state title game, St. Ignatius kept its composure after dropping the previous two sets to claim its first state championship in program history on Saturday afternoon at Wittenberg University.

For the first time since becoming a varsity sport in 2023, the Division I state champion has come out of Northeast Ohio. The Wildcats completed an improbable comeback on Thomas Worthington to win in five sets.

Junior Jack Ragon amassed a game-high 24 kills, including the go-ahead point to put the Wildcats up 15-14 in the fifth set. An attack error by the Cardinals on the game’s final point sent the Wildcats’ side into a full-on frenzy as the championship point was earned.

Saturday’s match was the second straight game the Wildcats were pushed to five sets after defeating St. Xavier in the state semifinals on Friday afternoon.

Things started off well Saturday for the Wildcats by taking a 2-0 set lead (25-17, 25-23). Then the match started to shift momentum in favor of the Cardinals in the third set.

The Wildcats fell 25-17 in the third, but showed no signs of fatigue or concern. In the fourth set, the Wildcats once again fell behind, but battled back to close a large Cardinals lead, but it was too much of a hill to overcome as the fourth set went to Thomas Worthington, 25-20.

In the fifth and final set (played to 15 instead of 25) everything seemed to be going in favor of the Cardinals with a stern 7-0 lead that left the Wildcats with few answers. St. Ignatius head coach Dominick Adornato called a timeout to recompose his group, and the move paid off in a big way.

From down 7-0, the Wildcats were suddenly in control of the game, 8-7, with the title on the line. Both sides traded off points with the Cardinals close to sealing the deal up 13-11.

But just as they had done all postseason long, the Wildcats rose up to score three unanswered points before surrendering one, then closing the game out in championship fashion.

The Wildcats ended the season with a 25-3 record and another championship trophy to add to the school’s illustrious collection.