Andrean volleyball swept out of semistate

PLYMOUTH | Despondent, deflated and dabbing tears, Ana Nicksic and Taylor Mullen anchored the post-match handshake line and were the last two out of the locker room area Saturday morning.

Following Andrean's 25-23, 25-17, 25-15 loss to South Bend St. Joseph's in the first semifinal of the volleyball Class 3A Plymouth Semistate, the two seniors received one last round of applause from appreciative fans as they hugged parents and said goodbye for the last time as teammates.

"I feel kind of numb," senior setter Nicksic said. "I can't believe it's over. ... It was a wild ride. It was so fun."

Mullen said the shock hadn't subsided.

"I'm probably going to put my volleyball bag back in my car on Monday," Mullen said. "I'm not ready for this to be over. It hasn't hit me."

Andrean's first semistate volleyball match since 1998 did not last long. Nicksic (30 assists, three blocks) and Mullen (18 kills), were fighting against a stout squad of Indians (26-10) and their own bouts of disbelief after years of losing with two coaches in the previous three years.

With 10 seniors on their third coach, Andrean finished 31-6 and won the Northwest Crossroads Conference.

"Ana and Taylor have been amazing for us, and they did what they could to try to push us through," Andrean coach Julie Wiejak said. "We wanted bigger than this, but this team had a historic season for the school, and they represented the 59ers."

The first-year coach, who was a collegiate assistant the last 11 years, treated semistate like a college trip, booking rooms at a nearby resort for Friday night and drafting an itinerary that included a cell phone-free dinner and other opportunities to stay clear-headed.

"Just the overall experience was very emotional," Wiejak said. "At this point it had little to do with volleyball, and it was more about staying confident and believing we belonged here."

The 59ers appeared rested and had some momentum in the first game, with leads of 9-7, 14-12 and a 19-15 advantage. The latter dissipated quickly, though, following an Indians timeout, and St. Joe took a 23-20 lead on a block by 6-foot-1 junior standout Lauren Gillis.

St. Joe libero Chelsea Suppinger had 47 digs to frustrate the hard-hitting 59ers.

"They were a very scrappy team," Mullen said. "They did a good job controlling the ball, and we just got into it too late."

After the close first-set loss, Andrean only had a few bursts of consistently stellar play, and those often came when the 59ers were down by five or more points. Andrean never held significant leads in either of the final two games.

"It was rough because we were notorious for coming back from huge deficits," Nicksic said. "(The Indians) were good, and they weren't going to let us do that."

Andrean will have a new look next year when Nicksic is setting at Elon and nine classmates are also graduated.

Nicksic's 6-4 sister and the rest of a junior varsity group that went 25-4 will replace them.

"What a legacy for us to embark on together," Wiejak said. "The expectations are definitely going to be here."