Home matches have never been this loud. Future matches could be louder.

Fired up from the crowd's noise and pumped at its first-ever home match, the Maryknoll girls volleyball team won in its long and overdue homecoming, sweeping St. Francis, 25-20, 25-18, in an Interscholastic League of Honolulu match yesterday afternoon at the Spartans' new Clarence T.C. Ching Gymnasium.

The gym, housed inside the $21 million Maryknoll Community Center, was blessed along with the rest of the building in Friday's grand opening that included an all-school mass — the first time the 1,400 pre-kindergarten to 12th-grade student body could convene together.

Yesterday, a crowd of about 500 packed an entire section of bleachers on one side of the gym, providing more noise and support than ever before. In 82 years, Maryknoll never had its own gym and had to play and practice elsewhere.

"There's a lot more energy because there's a lot more people in the crowd," said freshman Kourtney Tirrell. "We felt really confident."

Whereas previous matches were typically attended by just the families of players, this one had students from the school's grade and high school campuses, waving signs and maroon-and-gold pom-poms. They rooted for the Spartans and threw their hands up when a student led them in a wave during a timeout, all while cooling off in the gym's air conditioning.

The school's band played during timeouts, fans took pictures and reminisced with longtime friends and classmates they hadn't seen in years.

One of them was former school president Michael Baker, who received a loud round of applause when he was introduced before the match. Baker, who retired after 11 years at Maryknoll, played a big part in the center's construction, and former students and parents shook his hand and gave him hugs throughout the afternoon.

"It's so much more than a gym," said Baker, who now lives in New Hampshire. "It's a central gathering place and that's something we never had before."

The 35,000-square-foot, two-story center has study areas, a fitness center, locker rooms and an alumni room — all expanding possibilities that were once limited.

"It was exhilarating, it was satisfying, it was awesome ... did you see how large that crowd was?" said Anthony Chun, whose daughter, Christina, is Maryknoll's libero. "It really felt satisfying. I wished I could've experienced this when I played (basketball here) for Tony Sellitto."

Both sets were close until the Spartans pulled away late. In Set 1, St. Francis scored three straight for its first lead at 14-13. Tied at 15, kills from Capri Tirrell and Jessica Garcia put Maryknoll ahead for good.

"We were so excited, I guess the nerves came in a little bit in the beginning," said Maryknoll senior Michele LaPorte. "But we all pulled through."

Set 2 was tied 12 times until Taylor Lum's kill and block gave Maryknoll a 17-15 lead. Capri Tirrell's ace, a St. Francis error and a kill by LaPorte made it 20-15.

Garcia and Tiffany Sakamoto had five kills each, and Capri Tirrell and Krista Lizardi had four each for Maryknoll (4-1).

Harlee Meyers and Kapua Cameron had six kills each to lead St. Francis (1-4).