Groveport — You would be hard pressed to find anything but confidence from Madison Christian Head Coach Mark Hennosy after their loss to Shekinah Christian on Friday in Mid-Ohio Christian Athletic League (MOCAL) play.
“I’ve been doing this a long time and that was some of the best volleyball I’ve ever seen,” Hennosy said. “Shekinah is a phenomenal team, very disciplined, and we went toe to toe with them.”
The matchup carried plenty of weight, as both teams entered unbeaten in MOCAL play. With the victory, Shekinah secured sole possession of first place at the halfway point of the league schedule.
However, the bigger story was what this loss represented. Madison Christian’s strong showing marked a return to the top tier of the MOCAL in volleyball, a league that for the better part of the last decade has been dominated by Shekinah Christian and Delaware Christian.
Though the Eagles came up short, the performance signaled that they are not content simply competing for the middle; they’re ready to chase the top.
“Everyone in the gym thought we were underdogs, but we didn’t think that,” Hennosy said. “They just got to 25 before us, it is just a timing thing. They were just a little faster than us and never stopped sprinting.”
The Eagles started strong, taking the first set 25-20, but fell into a late five-point hole in the second set at 18-23. Madison Christian rallied to push it to overtime, only for Shekinah to close out the set 27-25, tying the match at 1-1.
After Shekinah dominated the third set, Madison Christian responded in the fourth to force a decisive fifth set. The final set featured four lead changes and five ties before Shekinah pulled away late to claim a 15-10 victory, securing first place in the MOCAL.
For a program that has long lived in the middle of the MOCAL standings, steady but never breaking through, Friday’s five-set battle felt like a turning point. Madison Christian hadn’t captured a set against Shekinah since 2019, yet this time they pushed the league power to the brink.
“Everyone is here to win the league, but right now it’s Shekinah’s,” Hennosy said. “We had to show that we belong and we do. This isn’t a big deal; we’re here to play volleyball and so are they. If everyone plays their best, we will be successful.”
Madison Christian (7-2, 4-1) turns its attention to a road matchup at Berne Union on Monday before resuming MOCAL play Tuesday against Genoa Christian Academy.
The schedule loads up next week with four matches in six days, including dates with Berne Union and Whetstone on the road. Then, on September 26th, a road rematch with Shekinah that holds much water and implications for the MOCAL race and the program.
As the Eagles climb back into MOCAL’s top tier, Madison Christian pursues Shekinah with nothing to lose. The implications extend far beyond any single game; a strong showing this season could mark the program’s emergence as a consistent contender for the first time in over a decade.
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