Marist College's Luke Brannigan knew what was at stake.
The senior outside hitter played one season on the junior varsity team and two more on the varsity team as the Redhawks won 98 games but lost in the district tournament all three years.
“I was talking to Marty Canavan the other day,” Brannigan said of his former teammate, “and he said, 'I don't want to go to the district finals because we're cursed.'”
Consider the curse broken.
Brannigan had six kills and five digs Tuesday night to lead the host Red Hawks to a 25-13, 25-13 win over Jones in the Marist Regional championship game in Chicago.
Christian Teresi, who will attend Ohio State, added seven kills, 11 assists and five aces for Marist (36-2). Ethan Kuziela contributed six kills and eight assists, Nathan Toth four kills and four aces and Rory Donnelly had 11 digs. Dallas Barkenboiel led Jones (27-11) with five kills.
Marist, ranked No. 2 in the country in the latest USA Today/American Volleyball Coaches Association poll, is reaching the quarterfinals for the first time since winning the state championship in 2019. The Redhawks will face Payton (25-13) at 11:30 a.m. Friday at Hoffman Estates.
Two teams from the Southland will advance to the state tournament. Lincoln-Way West (32-7) defeated Belleville East (33-5) 25-18, 27-29, 26-24 to win the Collinsville Regional Tournament. The Warriors will play York (35-4) in the other quarterfinal on Friday at 2 p.m.
Brother Rice defeated the Redhawks last season after Lincoln-Way East prevented Marist from reaching the district tournament in 2021 and 2022. Brannigan is determined to make sure that doesn't happen again.
“It's special for our program to have overcome the challenges this year,” Brannigan said. “This group of seniors is very special to me and I'm really proud of them.”
Marist's lineup is packed with power hitters, but Brannigan has embraced his role.
“I'm not going to be the guy that gets 20 kills a game and sends the ball through the ceiling,” Brannigan said, “but I know I can contribute and play a big role on this team.”
Brannigan is retiring from volleyball to attend the University of Miami to major in kinesiology. This will be his final season, and his peers know he's making the most of his final season in the sport.
“He brings a lot of talent to the team,” Teresi said, “and the way he leads the team helps a lot. He's been our captain the last two years and he holds all of us accountable on what we should and shouldn't do.”
Marist College coach Jordan Vidovic noted Brannigan is a valuable player.
“He does it all over the court,” Vidovic said. “He does a lot of stuff that nobody notices, and it's amazing.”
“At our best, we had guys that were willing to do the dirty work to make other guys look good. It's an extremely selfless attitude and he demonstrates that every day.”
Marist has won state championships in 2002, 2010 and 2019, and Brannigan is hopeful the Redhawks can bring home a fourth title this week. He believes Marist has the right mentality.
“We’ve done a lot of preparation since before the season even started,” Brannigan said, “We’ve been more prepared this year, mentally and leadership-wise, during the offseason than any other year I’ve been in this program.”
“I had a great experience coaching the girls during their season and was able to put myself in their shoes and really understand what a coach’s mindset is like.”
Jeff Volva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
