Mulcare and the Rams made quick work of Marengo Highland with a 25-19, 25-18, 25-12 victory in a Division II regional semifinal.
“All these games in tournament time come down to who wants it more,” said Mulcare, a senior outside hitter and defensive specialist. “It’s about who’s going to play the hardest, and who has the most heart to win.”
Badin, which has won 10 out of its last 11 matches, will play in its third consecutive regional final when it faces Mercy McAuley (22-4) at 2 p.m. Saturday at Vandalia Butler.
Mercy McAuley beat Roger Bacon 3-1 in the other regional semi. All four teams reached the Southwest Region for the second year in a row.
The Rams (20-7) captured their fourth straight district title to set up Thursday’s match against Highland (23-4). The two programs met in the regional semis last season, with the Rams coming out on top 22-25, 25-23, 26-24, 25-21.
“We had a gameplan, and we worked on it,” Rams coach Courtney Weinheimer said. “We knew their setter liked to dunk. We brought people in to help us get prepared. We worked on what spots were open. I feel like we executed very well.”
That game plan essentially was to take Scots junior Kameron Stover out of the equation as much as possible. Stover, a left-handed right-side hitter, entered the contest with an impressive 623 kills and 1,449 attack attempts.
The Rams received some help during practice the day before.
“We had a lefty from our boys volleyball team come in and smack balls at them all day yesterday,” Weinheimer said before smiling. “So, it worked.”
The Rams fell behind 5-1 in the first set and 7-1 in the second set, but they eventually found their groove. Badin rolled through the third set to complete the sweep.
“As long as we are playing together — and we’re talking and playing as a team — we have the ability to go on those big, long runs,” Weinheimer said. “When we don’t get the long runs, we’re able to quickly adapt and get a side out right away, which is what makes our team hard to beat.
“We’re kind of off in limbo. Nobody’s talking about us — and that’s fine. We’ll give them something to talk about. We want to kind of fly in under the radar, and fly into this game. We will come in with every bit of aggression and every bit of desire to win. I’m excited to see how they come out and play on Saturday.”
Mulcare led the Rams with three service aces and 13 digs. Junior Lucy Heid had 16 kills and 41 total attacks, while senior Grace Glover had 29 assists.
“It’s just mindset. Volleyball, you can have all the skills you have, but in the end, it’s a mind game,” Mulcare said. “We don’t want to get overly confident. We’ve got a really good front line up there — very strong and powerful. Very smart too. They know where to place the ball at the right times. It’s super fun playing with all of them. They know how to have fun while staying focused too.”
The Rams fell to Mercy McAuley 3-1 during the regular season, their last defeat. Badin is on a seven-game winning streak.
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