St. Patrick-St. Vincent High School recently honored three of its former volleyball stars by retiring their respective jersey numbers, enclosing their jerseys in special plaques and mounting them on the wall of the Bruins Lair.
Paige Reed, who led the Lady Bruins to their only North Coast Section championship in 2012, joined Matthew Peretto and Gabriel Domecus of the boys program as SPSV’s first Hall of Fame members.
“I wanted something that honored these three players,” said SPSV volleyball coach Danette Domecus. “They did so much for the progression of St. Pat’s volleyball and there’s so much history behind them. And they’ve all gone on to the next level and are doing great things. This is a good way to give them the recognition they deserve.”
Peretto had his No. 15 jersey retired after leading the Bruins to a 100-27 record in his four seasons (2009-2012). Peretto holds the SPSV boys record for career assists with 1,652 and career digs with 1,111. He went on to win a NCAA championship with Springfield College in Massachusetts.
“None of his Bruin teammates knew anything about volleyball when he came up as a freshman and Matthew had to teach them everything,” coach Domecus said. “He was a captain at a young age and really blossomed as a leader. He was a real leader when we needed one.”
SPSV’s boys won their first NCS championship in Peretto’s junior season – which happened to be the sophomore year for Gabriel Domecus, who went on to win three straight NCS titles. Like Reed and Peretto, Domecus had two older sisters play volleyball for coach Domecus and was a co-coach on and off the court.
“He would practice with the high school team even when he was in sixth grade and was teaching them techniques,” coach Domecus said of her son. “He and Matthew carried our boys program and molded a lot of our players.”
Gabriel Domecus, who had his No. 6 jersey retired, holds the SPSV boys record with 1,347 career kills and now plays for Ohio State University. SPSV’s boys never lost a league match with Peretto or Domecus on the court.
Reed played four years with SPSV, leading the Lady Bruins to a 117-34 overall record and the NCS championship in 2012. Her 1,699 career kills are a Lady Bruins record and Reed also registered 188 career aces and 1,471 digs.
“She made a difference the minute she stepped into the gym and changed the culture of St. Pat’s volleyball for the girls,” Domecus said of Reed. “We made the playoffs every year she was here and she accomplished something everyone who came before her failed to do – win a Section title. She showed the dedication and hard work it took to be a great athlete.”
Reed, who had her No. 13 jersey retired by SPSV, played all 28 matches in her rookie season with Cal State Fullerton this past season and finished third on the Titans with 294 digs.
Leave a Reply