Seniors and bond of love lead Providence to state championship
Players and coaches of the girls’ volleyball program of Our Lady of Providence High School in Clarksville are joined by school officials in posing for a celebratory photo after winning Indiana’s Class 3A state championship in the sport on Nov. 4 at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind. (Submitted photo)
By John Shaughnessy
In the days leading up to its state championship match, the volleyball team of Our Lady of Providence High School in Clarksville was reeling emotionally.
Tears flowed when team members learned that an MRI exam showed that one of its key players, senior Nicole Stratford, had suffered a serious knee injury in the semi-state match and wouldn’t be able to play against the top-ranked team of Bellmont High School in Indiana’s Class 3A state championship.
Knowing that Nicole’s teammates were heartbroken for her, Providence’s head coach Terri Purichia gathered the team together at the end of their last practice in their home gym and gave each player the same small gift—a gift to symbolically take Nicole on the court with them.
“We gave them a pink ribbon to put on their left shoe. That was a reminder of Nicole. Her favorite color is pink, and it was a hot-pink ribbon,” Purichia recalled about the team’s starting left-side hitter. “I told them this is always a symbol when people want to remember somebody that is either in pain, or they have a special circumstance that you want to remember to pray for them.
“I said, ‘I want this to be a reminder of our strength and love. And every time you get nervous in the game or something doesn’t go your way, I just want you to look down at your shoe and remember how much love you have for your teammate and how much support you have, and that should be a calming effect on you.’ We kept reminding them to fight for each other, to never forget how powerful that love is.”
Two days later—on Nov. 4—the Providence girls walked on the Worthen Arena court at Ball State University with their pink ribbons on their left shoes and won the state championship.
In defeating Bellmont 25-19, 31-29, 23-25 and 25-21, the Providence girls especially dug deep in that breathtaking 31-29 game, which had 15 lead changes. And while their thrilling win was in part an emotional show of their love for Nicole, it was also a stirring reflection of the combined power and dedication of the other nine seniors who also led the team this year: Camila Adams, Ella Baldwin, Reese Carver, Avery Drury, Claire Gillespie, Lilly Kaiser, Anna Rodewig, Lilly Tappel and Makenzie Wagner.
“They’re such a committed group, and their dedication just has shown in so many ways,” Purichia noted. “They’re also really good students. All 10 of them are Academic All State. They’re the leaders of the school and leaders in the classroom. They’re just great, great people who have done so many awesome things for our program.”
In winning the state championship, the Providence girls continued the program’s legacy of success in the sport. It’s the second year in a row that the team has won a state championship. It’s also the fifth one in the past 11 seasons under Purichia’s leadership, making her the leader among active coaches in the state in that category. Still, the head coach steered the spotlight away from herself.
“It’s always nice to be recognized, but these things aren’t about me and for me. I coach for these kids,” she said. “The most important thing for me was to see those kids hoist that trophy. That was just so special. And I would never be in this position without the people around me.”
At that point, Purichia turned the conversation to her three varsity assistants—Brandy Denning, Charly Neal and Ryan Neal. She also praised the contributions of the parents in the program, former players and the coaches at the junior varsity and freshman levels.
“That’s a lot of wins that people had a hand in,” she said. “That’s what makes me really proud.”
Similar to the 24 other seasons she has been the head coach at Providence, Purichia has filed away some special memories from this one.
She remembers the touching moment she shared with Nicole on the bus ride from Providence to Ball State University.
All week, despite her heartbreak, Nicole had been happy and supportive of her teammates, never showing them her disappointment about her injury and about not being able to play in the championship she had prepared for, for so long. Yet on the ride to Ball State, when her teammates were asleep, Nicole texted Purichia from the back of the bus.
“She texted me and asked me to come back there. She said, ‘I need a hug,’ ” Purichia recalled. “I held her in my arms and let her cry. She never did that in front of her teammates.”
The head coach also remembers the last practice session the team had on the morning before the championship match later that day.
“At the very end of the practice, we did this thing called, ‘high-fives, handshakes and hugs.’ That’s where each member of the team goes around to each other, and they do those three things. Sometimes they say some really sweet things, too. You just feel that love.
“That was a really emotional session because everyone was in tears. I pulled them together at the end of that. I talked about how special we are in that circle—and how we don’t need to focus on anything except the love that we have for each other, and how we’re going to fight as hard as we can for the person next to us.”
Purichia also remembers the way that Nicole reacted that afternoon as her teammates pursued their shared goal of winning a state championship.
“She was the first one off the bench, yelling and screaming for them. She was so proud when we were able to pull it off. Because she knew they were really inspired to do it for her.”
When Providence clinched match point and the state championship, the dancing, the celebration and the hugs began. The over-the-top joy flowed from the players and coaches on the court to the cheering sections filled with Providence students, family members and fans—the usual but never-taken-for-granted tremendous support that Providence teams have received for generations.
Remembering that scene, Purichia glowed with joy as she said, “So much excitement. Just so proud. We battled a very good Bellmont team.
“In the locker room, I told them how proud of them I was. I said, ‘I don’t see a lot of tears because we’re all cried out.’ It was just absolute happiness and pride. They were laughing and loose and having so much fun.”
Memories of a championship season to last a lifetime. †
