Cardinal had slow starts to the second and third sets in its Division VII district semifinal against Cornerstone Christian on Oct. 22. But the Huskies remained composed. A massive swing in the second set righted the ship for a 2-0 lead, but the third set came down to the wire. The Patriots’ Tamarra Talbert and Huskies’ Ali Puruczky traded points back and forth, but it was an unlikely hero that came through. Senior Lizzy Lucariello threw three huge blocks, two resulting in kills, for Cardinal to complete the sweep and move to the district final. The Huskies will play Kidron Central Christian or Western Reserve at Smithville on Oct. 24. First serve is at 7 p.m. Cardinal came out of the gates hot, taking an 8-2 lead during the first set and forced an early Cornerstone timeout. The Huskies led from the jump in the opening frame to take the early lead. But they needed time to get comfortable in the second set. Cornerstone built up a six-point lead, but Coach Michael Chaffee knew his team could work through it. “I think one of the best things we had going for us was the league we played in,” Chaffee said. “We’re playing Berkshire, Crestwood, Kirtland, a lot of really great teams. Because of the level we were playing, we were forced to get better. We knew Cornerstone was good, but they were comparable to who we were playing in the league, and that gave us confidence.” The Huskies turned to the pair of Puruczky and Natalie Soltis to lead the charge with their attack. The pair combined for 26 kills in the match. Their relentless swings, plus the Patriots’ own miscues of serves going long into the net, allowed Cardinal to inch back into the second set. Being the go-to player for Cardinal is nothing new for Puruczky. But she is glad she has someone now on the opposite pin as well who’s an equal threat. “We wanted to keep the energy high the entire time,” Puruczky said. “No matter if we were up, down, we just wanted to focus on that energy. It really fuels the energy for us and the entire team. If I get a point, there has to be a good pass and a good set. It’s good to celebrate those moments.” Soltis also had the ace that capped the second-set rally for the 2-0 lead. One thing the Huskies came in prepared for was the serve of Cornerstone. Chaffee knew it was going to be strength vs strength with how well their receive game is. Puruczky and Adelyn Grant led the way with nine digs apiece. “It’s one of our strengths and we knew theirs coming in,” Chaffee said. “We wanted to make sure that we were in a good position and that we were comfortable doing it. I think one of the best things that we did tonight was when they had an ace or a dig, we bounced back and stopped runs. When we play our best, we do well.” The third set saw neither team to build up a lead of more than a few points. Cornerstone called a timeout after Cardinal took a 14-13 lead, but the Huskies came out on a 4-0 run and aimed to ice the game. After the Patriots second timeout of the set, they mounted a rally of their own. A 4-1 run shrunk the Huskies lead to two and forced their second timeout. Cornerstone took the lead off of a Talbert kill from the middle. Then the teams started to trade points. But then it was Lucariello’s time to shine. Her three blocks with the game on the line pushed Cardinal to the district final. Her teammates were happy to see it be her chance to shine with a trip to the district final on the line. “I had to be ready,” Lucariello said. “I had to be there for my teammates no matter what, and they were there for me, too. It means a lot. I had a tough season being out with injuries. So it means a lot that I’m getting the time to be on the court and get the points that I lost during the season.” Soltis added: “We were only focused on the next point. I’m glad we get to keep going, and it’s awesome that she gets to have that memory.” While an historic season for Cornerstone comes to an end, the Patriots do have a lot of players coming back who can make an impact. One of those players, Gabby Colquitt, was big in the first set where six of her 11 kills came. Talbert finshed with 12 kills and four aces in her final game for the Patriots while Lia Camerieri added six kills.