Mcminnville Church of God wins Church League title

Josh Moore made a huge impact as Mcminnville Church of God won the league tournament championship Thursday.

Call it home-court advantage or call them Cinderella.

Whatever the case may be, McMinnville Church of God's volleyball team has a new title: Church League Volleyball champions.

Catching fire at the perfect time, every member of McMinnville Church of God left its home court Thursday night wearing championship medals after completing an incredible postseason run. In the title match, McMinnville Church of God defeated Westwood Church of Christ 25-17 and 25-18 to cap a week in which it proved it could beat anybody in the league.

Earlier in the night, the eventual champions punched their ticket to the finals by defeating Covenant Fellowship Church 25-16, 20-25 and 15-6. Westwood also survived a three-set thriller in the semifinals, rallying past Rock Island Church of Christ 21-25, 26-24 and 15-6.

While Westwood spent much of the summer among the championship favorites, few would have predicted McMinnville Church of God's run after an uneven start to the season. Little by little though, the team found its footing before putting together its best volleyball when it mattered most.

Josh and Cameron Moore were the catalysts, capable of playing opposite one another in the rotation while covering nearly every inch of the court. Halle Lowe settled into the role of lead setter, Anniston Page and Journee Page became consistent serving threats and key pieces in the rotation, while Dorlia Haycox quietly became one of the team's unsung heroes down the stretch.

Everything clicked in the championship.

The Moores' vision and shot placement repeatedly found tiny openings in what had been one of the league's toughest defensive teams. Josh Moore mixed soft push shots with thunderous spikes, while Cameron Moore kept Westwood guessing by changing his attack in midair, alternating between power swings and perfectly placed tips.

As the Pages began stringing together points from the service line, Westwood started running out of answers.

The energy never disappeared from the runner-up. Fueled by nearly 20 teammates standing and cheering throughout the night, Westwood fought back from an early deficit and pulled even at 10-10 in the second set, threatening another comeback after rallying from a first-set loss against Rock Island in the semifinals.

McMinnville Church of God never blinked.

Lowe continued to orchestrate the offense with pinpoint setting, the Moores continued finding open floor and the champions gradually pulled away - quieting the cheers from the other side as they moved closer to a match point.

The celebration that followed echoed throughout the gym, bringing to a close a summer that exceeded expectations.

When Holly Palombo revived Church League Volleyball, the hope was to bring churches together through competition and fellowship. Two months later, 10 teams had filled the gym throughout the summer, new rivalries had formed, old friendships had been renewed, dozens of memorable matches had been played and the championship medals will forever belong to McMinnville Church of God.

Plans are already in place to expand the league in the future. Watch The Warren County Way for more information as it becomes available.