The No. 12 Holy Cross girls volleyball team became the area’s first quarterfinalist on Wednesday night.
The Crusaders defeated fifth-seeded Goodwin Tech by a score of 3-1 in New Britain in a Class S second round matchup. The set scores were 22-25, 25-20, 25-10 and 25-12. Holy Cross will play yet another New Britain-based school, fourth-seeded Innovation, in the quarterfinal round on Friday at 6 p.m. The full name of the school is the CREC Academy of Science and Innovation. (Ironically, Goodwin and Innovation are both on Slater Road)
Holy Cross played really well around the net in the Goodwin Tech win. Meah Austin had a match-high 19 kills, but teammate Nicole Strielkauskas wasn’t far behind with 15.
Maia Regan made sure her teammates were set up properly and tallied 41 assists. Regan also had five aces in the match. Lizzy Diorio was the top service receiver with 42 digs, and she also had two aces.
Innovation (18-3) had a first round bye, then dispatched No. 13 Whitney Tech by a score of 3-0. The set scores were 25-17, 25-5 and 25-20.
Crusader boys soccer eliminated
While one Holy Cross team fared well on Wednesday, another was eliminated. Boys soccer, seeded 23rd in Class S, lost 5-0 at No. 7 Coventry. The Crusaders finished the season at 6-8-4. Of course, the last win was a big one, as the lowest seed in the Class S tournament upset city rival Sacred Heart, seeded 10th, by a score of 2-0 in the first round. And there’s more to be optimistic about.
“We can’t wait to watch this young team next season!” read a tweet from the main Holy Cross High School account. “Best of luck to graduating seniors and thank you for your contributions to this program.”
The CIAC roster included seven freshmen, 10 sophomores and three juniors. Mike Mara and Sean Price were the team’s two seniors.
Bristol Central competes in Class M diving
Meghan Curtis finished 18th in the meet, which was held at Bulkeley High School in Hartford.
