Coming into the 2018 season, Jim Thorpe sophomore outside hitter Brandy Montemuro dreamed of the Olympians getting to the District 11 2A Championship. After Thorpe’s performance Thursday night in the district semis, which included a strong finish from the super sophomore, that dream has now become a reality.

The Olympians looked determined from the onset, defeating the Crusaders 3-1 (25-21, 23-25, 25-12, 26-24) to advance to the 2A finals.

Finishing off an opponent is tough, especially in the playoffs, and Thorpe was able to take every Notre Dame blow in the fourth and still come away with the decider. Neither team could gain separation in the frame — no more than a one-point advantage from point nine through 21 — and it looked like maybe the Crusaders were going to stay alive, holding a one-point lead (24-23) with possession.

Enter Montemuro, who rattled off three straight kills to seal the victory, which sent her and her teammates jumping toward the center of their court in jubilation.

“This is a first for Jim Thorpe volleyball and a first for us. It’s an unbelievable feeling that we’re going to a district championship. It was a dream and now it’s a reality,” said Montemuro. “At the end there I really wanted the ball. I feel like I wasn’t playing well up to that point and I wanted the ball to make up for that, I wanted to help us seal the deal, and we did, and we’re all just really excited.”

Defense was the key in this one as Notre Dame had plenty of scoring opportunities, but the Olympians were able to dig out the Crusaders kill attempts and then convert on the offensive end.

Abby McGinley led the defensive effort with an impressive 33 digs, Montemuro added 25 digs and Thorpe’s do-it-all senior Kelsey Carroll came through with 25 digs.

“We have a lot of girls out there that can play defense and that work well together, and I think our serving has been really key to our defense. We’ve served the ball well all year, and when you serve well you want to keep the ball, which really ups your defensive intensity,” said Jim Thorpe head coach Victoria Nichols. “Tonight was all about defense. Every time we brought it in or talked between sets we talked about defense, and the girls really put forth a monster effort.”

The Olympians will now go on to face fellow Schuylkill League Division 2 foe Panther Valley in the District 11 2A Championship at Martz Hall in Pottsville at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

KILLER KELSEY ... Thorpe senior Kelsey Carroll has made an impact for the Olympians ever since she stepped on the court four years ago. Thursday night was no different, as she lead the team with 13 kills and added 10 assists. Five of her kills came in the all important fourth set.

MONSTER MIDDLES ... The middle hitters for the Olympians on the night were dominant. Sophomore Autumn Snyder and freshman Kristin Pompa combined for eight blocks and 13 kills.