Providence Christian volleyball wins first TSSAA state championship

McKenna Shotwell and the rest of her Providence Christian volleyball seniors have grown a lot over the past four years.

They have helped the program develop even quicker than Coach Mary Ruth Jones expected.

The pinnacle of that progression came Thursday when the Lady Lions captured the TSSAA Class DII-A state championship in their first trip to state. PCA defeated St. George's 3-1 (25-18, 25-14, 24-26, 26-24) at Middle Tennessee Christian.

"We were not good...we were kinda skirting the bottom," said an emotional Shotwell, of her first year at PCA as a freshman in 2020. "We did make a record (wins) for our school that year. Each year we've set another record. This is the cherry on top. PCA has never been to the state in volleyball, and it's so rewarding to be a part of it."

"It was a special thing to watch them slowly work their way to this goal," said Jones, in her third season with the program. "I didn't think we would get there this quickly, but it's special to see how they've bought into this."

Providence Christian (36-3) appeared to be on its way to a sweep, winning easily in the first two sets and then taking a 24-22 lead in the third.

However, the Gryphons (17-17), despite having played three consecutive five-set matches in the tournament, found some extra energy and stayed alive with a comeback win. They actually led 22-20 in the fourth before PCA took control to finish it.

"They're tired," St. George's coach Samantha Gruse said. "You could tell, the way our hitters and blockers were moving. They were a step slow. We had moments of greatness, but the consistency of our speed, it fluctuated. Obviously disappointment is the biggest (emotion), but they fought their butts off."

After a dominant state run, PCA sophomore outside hitter Sadie Kroeger was named DII-A state championship game MVP. She had 30 kills, eight digs, four blocks and two aces against St. George's.

Kroeger hopes this is the start of string of state tournament success for the Lady Lions.

"I wanted to win this for all the seniors...they're my favorite people," Kroeger said. "This team has such a great chemistry."

Jones was a standout player at Siegel in the early 2010s, getting accustomed to success while with the Lady Stars. However, winning her first state title as a coach is a different feeling.

"Honestly, I would rather win it this way," Jones said. "It would have been nice to (win state) as a player, but to be able to take what I know and pour it into the girls and see them have that success is much more sweet."

Shotwell had 21 kills, 24 digs, two blocks and three aces for PCA. Junior Lillie Meinhart had 49 assists, 12 digs, three aces and two kills while sophomore Kayte-Madison Bjornstad added six blocks and senior libero Tia James had 26 digs.