By RICHIE HALL
FISHERS – The two boys volleyball teams that played for a state championship in 2023 faced off Thursday night at the Fishers Tiger Den.
Fishers hosted Roncalli, a battle between the No. 2-ranked Royals and the No. 3 Tigers. When the two teams played each other last May for the state title, Roncalli edged out Fishers in four tight sets.
The Thursday match was even closer, as the Royals needed five sets to beat the Tigers. The final score was 25-16, 22-25, 25-21, 21-25, 15-13. Fishers trailed 11-6 in the fifth set before rallying to keep the set close.
“I love it,” said Tigers coach Carlos Capó. “This is what volleyball’s all about. It could have gone either way. They played a great game, they had amazing digs and started playing a little bit better.”
Roncalli and Fishers have won the last five state championships. The Royals also won state in 2018 and 2022, with the Tigers winning in 2019 and 2021. (There was no state tournament in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.)
“Every time we play, it’s always a battle,” said Capó.
Fishers’ Nate Fitzwater (35) hit 15 kills during the Tigers’ match with Roncalli. Also pictured is Caleb Witherbee (42). (Richie Hall)
Fishers bounced back from that loss to win two matches Friday at the Midwest Battle, which the Tigers are hosting this weekend. Fishers swept Olentangy (Ohio) 25-19, 25-17 and No. 6-ranked Hamilton Southeastern 25-22, 25-21. The Tigers will play Southeastern again on April 23 for the Mudsock trophy.
Fishers is 13-3 this season and has only lost seven sets during its 2024 campaign. The Tigers fell to No. 1-ranked Cathedral and Louisville St. Xavier during a tournament on March 9. Fishers has gotten some solid wins, beating No. 4 Westfield in four sets on March 25, and collected sweeps of No. 5 Boone Grove and No. 10 Franklin Community early in the season as well.
“I believe this year, we easily have six to seven teams that could easily win a state championship,” said Capó. “It’s all about who comes up to play.”
The Tigers have a solid roster of seniors this season. Colin Ryan put down 18 kills during the Roncalli match, while Gavin Hagerty made 16 digs. Ryan collected 14 digs and Dieter Hamm had 11. Hagerty dished out 46 assists.
The junior class is also contributing for Fishers. Nate Fitzwater hit 15 kills, while libero Ian Pifer led the digs with 23.
“He did a great job,” said Capó. “Colin had some really good digs. (Junior) Davis Theobald also had some really good digs.”
Ryan is leading the Tigers’ offense this season with 3.4 kills per set, while Fitzwater averages 3.0 kills per set. Pifer has 3.4 digs per set and Hagerty averages 9.5 assists per set.
Fishers takes on Lincoln-Way East (Ill.) in a match at 11:30 a.m. today, with other matches to follow.