The Carmi-White County Lady Bulldog Volleyball team traveled to Shelbyville on Monday night to face Bloomington Central Catholic in the IHSA 2A Super-Sectional with the winner heading to the IHSA State Finals.
For one of the few times all season, the Lady Bulldogs entered Monday’s match as an underdog. Although CWC came in the match with a 37-2 record, compared to BCC’s 34-5 mark, the Saints are a perennial volleyball powerhouse in central Illinois. Central Catholic made it all the way to the 2A State Championship match last season before falling to Breese Mater Dei in 3 sets. They won the state title in 2015, finished 3rd in 2010, and finished 4th in 2016.
Central Catholic’s roster is full of Division I recruits, including Kampbell Niepagen, a 6’1 junior committed to Auburn and Aubrey Fair, a 6’0 senior committed to Southern Indiana. Chris Lucas’ squad knew they had their hands full against the private school superteam, but the Lady Bulldogs did not back down.
Carmi stole the momentum right out of the gate, coming out on fire and grabbing an 8-2 lead and forcing BCC to call a timeout. The Saints however would respond with an 8-1 run to storm back and take a 10-9, and from that point forward both teams traded punches.
BCC rallied for an 18-15 lead, forcing Lucas to burn a timeout as the momentum shifted back to the navy and gold. Carmi was able to trim that lead at 19-18, but that would be as close as they got. The Saints ended the set on a 6-1 run to take it 25-19.
Despite dropping the first set, the Lady Bulldogs proved that they could compete with the defending state runner ups, and they continued to prove that in set 2.
The second set was a continuation of the first, with both teams scoring back and forth and neither team taking a lead larger than three. The Saints would go up by 2, and then Carmi would answer with a 2-0 or 3-0 run, then BCC would answer with a 2-0 or 3-0 run of their own. Neither team was able to run away.
Central Catholic won the race to 20, taking a 20-19 lead and forcing Lucas to call a timeout. Carmi was hoping that timeout would help propel them to finish the set on a strong note, but the opposite happened. The Saints would go on a 5-2 run after the timeout, winning the set 25-21 and ending the Lady Bulldogs’ season.
For Carmi-White County, Monday night marks the end not only of a historic season, but it marks the end of a historic run by a group of five talented seniors.
Jaya Smith, Addi Elliott, Caroline Simmons, Audrey Taylor, and Torrie Rider.
Over the last four years, those five seniors led CWCHS to a 107-15 record which included 2 Black Diamond Conference Championships, 3 Regional Championships, 3 Sectional Championships, a Super-Sectional Championship, a 4th Place Finish in the 2023 IHSA State Finals, 3-Straight Benton Tournament Championships, and the three winningest seasons in CWCHS history.
“There’s nothing but good things to say about our kids. Sometimes you come up against a team that can outgun you and almost every position. They [Central Catholic] are going to win the State Championship, there’s no question in my mind about it. We battled them and gave them everything they wanted. Just a tremendous effort, they gave everything they could. They played great, and I couldn’t be any more proud of our kids,” said Lucas.
The Lady Bulldogs end the 2025 season with a 37-3 record. Those 37 wins tie last year’s squad for the more wins in a single season in CWCHS history.
Congratulations to Coach Lucas and the Lady Bulldogs on a remarkable 2025 campaign!