Mt. Notre Dame wins, Walsh Jesuit suffers painful loss

Mt. Notre Dame won the battle of GGCL schools over Mother of Mercy 25-16, 25-22, 14-15, 25-15 to claim their fifth state crown. Each team registered 49 kills but Mercy committed ten more errors which was one factor in their defeat.

Coach Denise Harvey also thought intangibles that don’t show up in the stats also played a role, such as handling of free balls, being in system, and maintaining composure and consistency. Those are areas she felt her team could have improved upon. Momentum also played a part.

Two other factors were Mt. Notre Dame’s 6’2” junior middle Rachael Adams, who was unstoppable and had a career night with 24 kills, and junior libero Abbie Reese who stopped everything that came her way and had 20 digs.

Adams repeatedly spiked straight down kills that simply could not be dug. Reese repeatedly dove to the floor to dig spikes and save errant passes. On one play in game four she made three difficult saves before 6’1” senior middle Lindsay Upton, who had ten kills, put it away.

Mercy fell behind early in game one 10-2 on kills by Adams and two aces by Upton. The Bobcats never scored more than two points at a time and could not recover.

In game two they again fell behind, 7-1, as Upton spiked two kills and Cougar setter Rachel Rohlfs served two aces. But Mercy rallied behind 6’0” junior Missy Harpenau and junior middle Kelly O’Conner, scoring three in a row four times, and eventually leading 17-15. Unfortunately, three of those runs ended on serving errors. And after another Bobcat service error knotted the game at 18, Mt. Notre Dame went back on top on two kills by Adams and an ace by defender Liane Rousseau, who also had eight digs on the night.

Mindy Stanislovaitis demolished a kill for game point after a somersault dig by Reese prevented Mercy from closing the gap.

Game three was all Mercy with sophomore Stephanie Vorherr serving ten points on an ace, two kills by Harpenau and Colleen Meyers and several attack errors by the Cougars.

But Mercy could not maintain the momentum and Mt. Notre Dame took quick control of game four, going up 10-3 and increasing the lead throughout as Adams pounded out nine kills. Her last one was point 24 which sent her bounding to the bench in eager anticipation. Upton rotated to the front, and one Mercy point later, finished the job.

Mt. Notre Dame coach Donna Mechley said her Cougars came ready to play. They had a team meeting that morning where they watched film and prepared mentally for Mercy. Mechley added that her team had shown in the way they beat Seton and Ursuline in regionals that they weren’t fooling around.

As for winning state, Mechley felt it was sweeter than bragging rights for Cincinnati. Upton said winning it all had been in the back of her mind as a freshman, and having lost the semifinal last year to Toledo St. Ursula, “you can’t get that close and not win it”.

Stanislovaitis, who had seven kills, added “we knew we could win because we had an army”. The Cougars wear army fatigues, or at least they’re made to look like fatigues, for warm-ups, and the student cheering section calls Upton “our soldier”. The “army” stuff got started began because the Cougars have eighteen players on the team, which when they take warm-ups does seem like an army.

Outside hitter Cassie Vome chose to play volleyball because of Mt. Notre Dame’s program. She talked about all the work adding, “you have to do this to win”, recalling how bad it felt to lose last year.

On another note, Adams was asked if she was being recruited. She understated with “Umm…yeah!” Mechley interjected that Adams is the top recruit nationally in her class.

She showed why tonight.

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“It was very tight, and it came down to a few plays”. That’s what Walsh Jesuit coach Missy Christ said about her team’s almost upending Archbishop Alter in the District II final. The Knights pulled it out 25-21, 14-25, 27-25, 25-23.

Last year Walsh pushed Roger Bacon to four and in 2004 West Holmes fought Roger Bacon tooth and nail, before losing game three by two, but not since Galion won in 2000 had anybody played Alter or Bacon an entire championship match on even terms.

Walsh had good chances to win games three and four, but they could not finish either and Alter did what they needed to win. In doing so, they survived an onslaught by Ohio State bound outside hitter Katie Dull that included 34 kills, eight aces and 19 digs.

Of course, the Knights put up some numbers too, Sarah Fisher with 24 kills and six aces and Emily Borchers with 17 digs.

Walsh took a 5-1 lead in game one, with Dull contributing four kills, and Alter moved on top 8-6 as Fisher contributed four aces. The Warriors rallied back ahead 11-8 still led 16-14, when Alter scored six straight to go ahead for good. Fisher led the rally with Monica Lachey and Lauren Woeste teaming on a block, and from there the teams basically traded points.

Alter led the first part of game two until Mandi Rowell scored three kills in a row to start what turned into a 20-6 Walsh Jesuit run to the finish.

With Walsh down 17-14 in game three, hitting and serving sensation Katie Dull scored a kill, and after junior middle Anne Dorff blocked Alter’s top hitter Sarah Fisher, Dull served three aces. This put Walsh up a point, but the next serve was in the net. Now, that comes with jump serve territory, and three aces was a fair trade for the error. But after outside Emily Vassil put the Warriors back on top with a kill, there came another service error. And when Mandi Rowell scored a kill for yet another lead, there followed a hitting error. Alter outside Katie Laravie then smashed a short set to give her team the edge.

Warrior setter Rachel Rodriguez scored a dump to tie it at 21 and, more importantly, bring Katie Dull to front row. But Alter sophomore Monica Lachey nailed a clutch kill to tamper things. Dull scored on the next volley, but Laravie followed with a nicely placed tip by the left line and followed with an ace, giving Alter the lead 24-22.

Dull smashed two terminations to tie, only to have Alter go ahead on another clutch kill, this time from Fisher. Dull retied it with a straight down spike, then sent an ace screaming low over the net. Her next serve was fine, but Alter dug it and soon after Fisher blistered a tying point down the right. She then attacked from the left sending the go ahead point to the back middle, and when Walsh followed with a hitting error, a game that could have gone either way belonged to Alter.

Alter scored first in game four, but Walsh jumped ahead 5-1 on three Dull kills and an ace by Rodriguez. The Warriors maintained the lead until Alter tied at 18, and then they went back up 21-19 on two more kills by Dull followed by an ace. But Fisher responded with a kill and ace of her own, and then scored another kill from back court!
Walsh called time to no avail as Lachey scored a kill and Walsh made an error. After another timeout, Alter obliged with two attack errors. But hopes of another tie were squelched when a spike by Laravie was shanked out of bounds.

The title was Alter’s third, and to coach Tina Jasinowski this one felt sweeter because of the pain the current group of players felt as sophomores two years ago losing to Benjamin Logan at districts, and then the disappointment at regionals last year against Roger Bacon.

She told the team that “everybody who plays volleyball wants to work hard, but if you want to win a state championship you have to go beyond that”.

Being in the GGCL helped them go beyond, according to Sarah Fisher, because it provided the practice that made them successful in yesterday’s match.

Walsh Jesuit did beat Archbishop Alter in boys soccer for a state championship yesterday. But neither that, nor the fact that Mt. Notre Dame, whom the Warriors beat September 30, won Division I is any consolation.

They wanted this state title, and it came down to a couple of plays that didn’t happen. And therein lies pain.

Anna overcomes jitters, VASJ back in championship form

Tenth ranked Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph defeated number seven Huron 25-22, 25-10, 25-22 in the nightcap Division III semifinal yesterday. In doing so, the Vikings became the only 2005 champion who will defend a crown in today’s finals, where they will face Anna in a rematch of last year’s semifinal when the jittery Rockets succumbed 25-16, 25-20, 25-16.

The two finalists have most of last year’s teams back, but VASJ has for most of the year been without the services of star setter Colleen Lynch who suffered a stress fracture. She returned around midseason as a hitter, and only recently felt comfortable resuming her setting role.

Even in districts the Vikings were experimenting with lineup adjustments, and they struggled with talented Independence and Elyria Catholic. They returned to last year’s form with a big regional win over undefeated fourth ranked Smithville, and if yesterday’s win over Huron is an indicator, perhaps they should be favored today.

The Vikings are deep with hitters. Their three all-Ohioans, Hannah Groudle, Hailey Martin and Margo Amigoni had 11, 10 and 10 kills respectively. But their leader against Huron was unheralded junior Tiana Vuyacih, who had 14.

Amigoni led the defense with eight digs, while Lynch, a Third Team All-Ohio selection last year, had 36 assists and eight digs.

Huron hitting sensation Sara Sage topped all players with 25 kills, many of them the kind you’d expect to see at UCLA, to which she has verbally committed. Susie Isphording added 15.
Viking coach Mark Royer said his team dealt with Sage in two ways. First, they tried to try to involve her in the defense as much as possible, sending serves her way whenever possible. More importantly, they accepted the fact she was going to get her kills, and did not get rattled. He added “I’ve got some great players on my team and they’re going to get their kills”.

Game one was close with eight ties, but Huron led only once at 7-4. VASJ broke from the last one to a 22-18 lead on two kills and a block by Groudle and a kill by Vuyancih. Sage retorted with three blasts, but Vuyancih ended that run and Amanda Cramer served up an ace. Sage score one more, after which and Amigoni ended the game with a kill.

Game two was all Vikings who led 2-0, 4-1, 8-3, and 14-4 after Amigoni started a run that she served with a kill.

The final game was like the first with seven ties, and although VASJ trailed only once they never shook the Tigers. Their biggest margin was 16-12, at which point Sage led a three point run to cut it to one. Soon after, Isphording scored two kills to again make it a one point game at 20-19.

Lynch spiked a set from Amigoni to put VASJ up 22-20, and Martin spiked a kill in between two more missives from Isphording. But a block by Martin and Lynch put the Vikings on the edge, and Vuyancih sent them to the final.

Top ranked Anna was again jittery in game one yesterday, but overcame them in game two, prompting a fan to say “they had butterflies as big as pterodactyls, but now they have them all flying in formation”. The Rockets ousted unbeaten third rated Albany Alexander, which was making its first ever state appearance but was not jittery, 18-25, 25-14, 25-13, 25-19.
Alexander came out firing against Anna. Led by lone senior Jami Turrill with 14 kills, and sophomore Whitney Smith with 12, they never trailed in game one. It looked like Anna was rolling when they rallied to a tie at 13, from a 9-4 deficit. But Alexander kept their poise, as they edged back in front and burst it open at the end.

Anna never trailed again the rest of the match, and there was only one tie. The Rockets were led by 6’3” senior Kelli Barhorst with 24 kills. Sophomore Laura Gehret, who coach Karen Zumberger said “some teams forget about…but she’s grown a lot and handles pressure well”, added 15 and senior Rachel Billing had 9. Sophomore setter Kelsie Zumberger had 31 assists.

The Rockets defense was balanced with four players in double figures, led by Billing with 20 and Emily Stewart with 18.

Alexander also had four diggers in doubles with libero Lauren Thomas topping the charts at 22. Sophomore Lauren Raines had 30 assists.

Can you believe the sophomores on these teams?

Mother of Mercy and Mt. Notre Dame head for all Cincinnati final

“Our defense can be really stifling. Ball control is our thing”. That was Cincinnati Mother of Mercy coach Denise Harvey’s assessment of how her 24-4 top ranked Bobcats shut down 21-7 Perrysburg 25-12, 25-12, 25-15 in first of two Division I state semifinals yesterday.

Mercy’s defense played a huge role in their taking such tight control of the match that there was only one tie and one lead change the entire evening.

At the very beginning Yellow Jacket outside hitter Hanna BredenbackCorp scored a kill. That was the lead, and when Perrysburg’s next serve went into the net, came the tie.

Kayla McWilliams was particularly awesome, diving repeatedly to pass spikes and well placed serves, and garnering 15 digs. “Number nine did a phenomenal job …Kayla was in the right spots” was how Harvey described her junior middle hitter’s performance.

Another factor was the setter-outside hitter combo of Samantha Viox and Missy Harpenau who led with 27 assists and 17 kills, respectively. Harpenau chipped in defensively with 10 digs and two blocks.

And Perrysburg contributed to their demise by making 39 total errors to only 13 for Mercy. Five of those miscues came at the start and gave Mercy a 5-1 lead.

Yellow Jacket 6’0” outside Chelsea Campbell then scored two kills to lead a 5-3 Yellow Jacket run, as Bobcat junior middle Colleen Meyers helped her team stay up with a block of Campbell and a kill. Soon after, Perrysburg 6’2” Melissa Szkutnik scored on a block which made the score 11-8 Mercy.

Then disaster struck, as Harpenau spiked a point from back court. That brought McWilliams to the line, and she served eight points including two aces. She also went on a defensive rampage, digging two powerful blasts from Szkutnik, one leading to a kill by junior middle Kelly O’Conner and the other to a Perrysburg error when her dig went over the net.

McWilliams made another diving save that led to a kill by sophomore outside Stephanie Vorherr, who by the way chipped in with six kills, three assists and nine digs.

Mercy jumped out 5-0 and 14-5 in game two. One highlight worth mentioning came on Mercy’s 21st point when McWilliams dove to dig a dropping short serve, and Harpenau demolished a short set from Viox.

Game three was much the same with Mercy taking leads of 2-0, 8-1 and 13-3. But despite the disappointment and the errors, neither Campbell nor Perrysburg quit. With the score 24-12, Campbell smashed a kill and acted as pumped as ever. After she and Lauren Naveaux teamed on a booming block, the two exchanged the usual hand slaps. And when Campbell dove at the left side of the net trying to avert match point, and her dig fell in on the opposite corner of the net, the team celebrated.

On the next volley, however, Harpenau ended the celebration by smoking a kill down the right line.

Szkutnik expressed afterward how glad she was to have been a part of the team. To which Campbell added “It’s our senior year and it was a great way to go out even if we did lose”.

As for Mercy, they were looking forward to Saturday. Asked about their likely opponent Harvey said “We are ready to play anybody. If there are six on the other side of the net that’s all we need to know”.

And now they know, as third ranked Mt. Notre Dame downed number thirteen Solon 25-19, 25-18, 25-17 in the second match. It could have been much closer had Solon not fallen behind early in all three games. The Comets battled Mt. Notre Dame even the rest of the way, but because of the early big leads there were only two lead changes and two ties.

Solon did not have an answer for the Cougar’s two middles, 6’1” senior Lindsay Upton and 6’2” junior Rachael Adams, who had 17 and 13 kills, respectively, and averaged about .500. And Mt. Notre Dame had trouble with Solon’s junior middle Kayla Jeter who led the Comets with 13 kills.
Cougar coach Donna Mechley thought the Comets played a great match. She noted their hitters kept their heads in the game and they served well. The Comets had nine aces, four by 6’1” sophomore outside Kelsey Kuehner. Mechley said her team could not break down Solon’s passing.

Kuehner got Solon off to their only game one lead with a kill down the line, but Upton along with Mindy Stanislovaitis and sophomore Lauren Huser led the Cougars to an 8-3 lead. There was a lot of point trading after that, with Mt. Notre Dame using a four point rally to go up 24-15. Solon kept fighting as Kuehner and Jeter each nailed kills, the two teamed on a block and setter Kathleen Russell served an ace. Upton ended it with a kill.

Dana Forgione stated the Comets off with an ace in game two and 6’3” junior middle Erin Wisner spiked one of her eight kills. But three kills by Upton and some errors led to a 6-2 Cougar lead which soon became 10-4. Led by Jeter and Kuehner, the Comets rallied to cut the lead to 17-15. But Upton, then Adams and finally Upton again combined for four kills and a block to preserve the win.
Mt. Notre Dame charged out to leads of 6-0 and 10-2 in game three. Solon got as close as 14-11, and after the Cougars went up 19-12, Jeter scored two impressive kills to narrow the margin to 19-15.

Libero Abbie Schnicke had nine digs for the Cougars. Setter Rachel Rohlfs led in assists with 41 and added eight digs. Forgione led Solon defensively with 10 digs.

Solon coach Missy FitzGerald credited Mt. Notre Dame for being a great team that plays a tough schedule. She was impressed with their “ball control” and “awesome hitters”, and the fact that they were actually taller than her team.

She felt her Comets served tough but could have played a little better defense.

As for the final with Mercy, coach Mechley said to expect long volleys, great defense and ball control. The two teams split their matches this year and tied for first in the GGCL.

Meanwhile, Lindsay Upton is really looking forward to playing against Samantha Viox. The two are best of friends.

Off the court!

Walsh Jesuit survives scare; Alter advances

Top ranked Walsh Jesuit survived a scare on Friday to defeat number ten Sunbury Big Walnut 25-15, 24-26, 25-23, 25-10 in their state semifinal. When you look at the stats, which show the Warriors leading in kills 63-37, it’s hard to believe there was a problem, but when you consider that the New York Yankees outscored the Pittsburgh Pirates 55-27 in the 1960 World Series, it’s hard to believe the Yankees lost.

That’s how “best-of” contests work, where blowouts count the same as close scores.

Walsh Coach Missy Christ said she expected Big Walnut to come out strong, after last year’s tough match, and they did. She thought her players let up some in the second and third games and, instead of playing to win, they played not to lose.

Walsh Jesuit led game one all the way. Bucknell bound setter Rachel Rodriquez, who would make 46 assists, started the scoring with a dump, and after Ohio State recruit Katie Dull pounded the first of 25 kills, she served an ace. The Warriors raced in front 14-5 with junior middle Anne Dorff scoring a kill and block as libero Sarah Dean, who had 23 digs, served a six point rally. Dull scored the Warriors’ last two points for the win.

Game two was a different animal with the teams battling back and forth. Pittsburgh bound 6’1” outside Hannah Swysgood started things off for Big Walnut with a knock down kill. Dull tied the score, but Swysgood hit another knock down and she, sophomore Kaitlyn Sabatini and junior Danielle Tarney teamed on a block of Dull, who then committed an attack error.

With the Golden Eagles up 7-5, Walsh rallied, getting three kills by West Point recruit Mandi Rowell, and a kill apiece by Dull and Emily Vassil. The Warriors upped the margin to 16-10 after two aces by Rodriguez, but a long hit followed by two kills from Swysgood started a gradual Big Walnut rally in which the Eagles clawed to within a point three times.

Walsh got 23-21 breathing on an Eagle attack error, but Swysgood tied it with two kills off sets by Summer Hale. Dull placed a nice tip to her left for a 24-23 lead, but the Warriors then made two errors. Swysgood then served an ace that landed on the back of the line. Walsh players looked for relief from the line judge who said “No, it’s there”.

Game three was tense with eight ties and six lead changes. Big Walnut led 4-3 and Walsh led 6-4. Tarney scored a kill off a set from Swysgood and junior outside Corinne Windle tied it with a kill. The Eagles went up 10-7 with two more scores from Windle, only to have the Warriors tie at 10 and 11. But the Eagles then edged ahead to 19-15 and 20-17, and the Warriors were getting close to needing a fifth game if they were to win.

At this point Vassil stepped up. The scrappy outside hitter nailed a kill, and then served four points on two aces, with Rowell blocking Swysgood and Dull pounding a spike that was tipped out. Big Walnut tied it back up at 23 on a kill by Swysgood, but Rodriguez scored a dump and Big Walnut’s next hit was out.

Walsh took quick charge in game four when Dull tied the score at 2-2 on a termination, then served three aces and Dorff added a point. Later with Walsh already up 14-8, Vassil served eight points as Rowell and Dull blocked and pounded kills.

Big Walnut coach Ron Lehman was philosophical about the loss. He focused on the leadership provided by Swysgood and Hale, and the great attitudes they bring to the game. Two years ago, as sophomores, they lost in five to DeSales at regionals and figured they’d lost their chance to reach state. But now they’ve been there twice.

Swysgood led Big Walnut with 17 kills, and also had 11 digs. Hale led in digs with 12 and assists with 28. Windle chipped in with 12 kills. Big Walnut closes at 24-4.

Top ranked Walsh advances to the championship match with a 27-1 record, their only loss being to Toledo St. Ursula. The Warriors biggest win was over Mt. Notre Dame at a tri-match at Magnificat.

They know what to expect in the final. Dull said last year’s loss (to Roger Bacon) “gives us incentive tomorrow. We know what we have to do”.

So how do they correct their tentative play for the championship match. Coach Christ’s response was “I think they already did”.


Millersburg West Holmes (24-4) found there’s a big difference between the numbers two and three yesterday as they fell to second ranked Kettering Archbishop Alter (25-3) 25-18, 25-18, 25-11. Last week, they toppled unbeaten third ranked Warsaw River View, a team with two players at 6’1” or over.

Alter had three losses and no players over 5’11”, prompting coach Tina Jasinowski to remark, “we’re deceptive, we don’t have anybody 6’4” who looks like they’re going to hurt you”.

But, in fact, they play great ball control, and with their talent spread out, they have lots of people who can hurt you bad.

Yesterday it was outside Sarah Fisher who hurt West Holmes with 21 kills. And four players, Lauren Woeste, Kacie Hausfeld, Emily Borchers and Moira Cummins combined for 43 digs. Hausfeld added 31 assists.

Alter led most of game one going up 6-2 and 16-7 behind the hitting of Fisher, Woeste and sophomore Monica Lachey.

Senior Keysha Allison then started a furious rally with a kill. Freshman Noelle Yoder added a kill and the two blocked Fisher, who reposted with a kill to make it 17-10. But Allison added another kill and blocked Fisher, Brooke Akins spiked a kill and she and Allison put another block on Fisher. Hopes for a comeback were, however, dashed by three errors, and the teams traded points from there.

Game two saw five tie scores and two lead changes as Akins, 6’1” sophomore Sarah Hammond and Allision spiked and blocked for West Holmes, and Fisher and Woeste pounded away for Alter. West Holmes’ final tie at 10-10 came when defender Dani Atherton made two saves and Allison spiked a kill.

Fisher then tipped an overpass, and she pounded a kill after a tip by Laravie for a 13-10 lead which grew to 16-11 and 22-13. West Holmes closed a bit at the end on two aces by Atherton and a kill by Markie McDowell.

After a 1-1 tie in game three, Alter scored three straight, and increased their lead to 9-2 and 14-6. And after a kill by Hammond, Fisher commenced a rally in which she hit four kills and blocked a tip, while Hausfeld served nine points.

West Holmes coach said afterward that their plan was to serve tough, and that did not happen. Jasinowski, on the other hand, said “what you saw is pretty much what we planned to accomplish”. She said her team executed well, adding “maybe not the best we can do, but we’re saving that for tomorrow”.

Speaking of tomorrow, which is now today, Alter and Walsh Jesuit will see a lot of each other. Their boys soccer teams will meet in a state final at 11:00A.M., and the girls volleyball final between the two schools will be the third match of four.

Walsh Jesuit is also in a girls soccer final in the evening, meaning the school could win three state titles in one day!

Norwalk St. Paul, New Knoxville advance to a Saturday showdown

Norwalk St. Paul advanced to the state championship last night with an exciting 22-25, 25-18, 25-23, 25-27, 15-9 win over second ranked Frankfort Adena. The eighth rated Lady Flyers, who won it all in 2002, are making their third straight appearance at the Nutter. They also ousted Adena in 2004, that time in four games.

One difference in last night’s match, according to Flyer coach Nancy Miller, was her team’s ability to close their blocks, which reduced the effectiveness of Warrior middle hitter Ashley Jordan, although the 5’10” sophomore still pounded out 21 kills. St. Paul outside Kate Schafer felt her team did a better job of passing, starting in game two, which gave setter Andrea Fritz more options.

St. Paul’s biggest strength, according to Miller, is their team attack, and with Fritz having two and three options off nice passes, they mixed up their offense quite well, with outsides Christine Dow and Schafer knocking down 27 and 19 kills respectively, and middle Victoria Spaar and outside Ryan Centers combining for 19 more.

Game one started back and forth with seven ties to an 8-8 score. Jordan scored three kills and senior middle Leah Hirsch two, but five Warrior miscues negated that. Adena nosed ahead on a kill by Jordan and her block of Dow, and after an ace from setter Haley Halcomb and a well placed hit by Braylee Pinson they led 16-12.

Three more errors followed, however, and Fritz ended an intense volley in which she rejected two Adena hits by killing an overpass to tie the score again. Adena went on an 8-2 run and won, after a brief St. Paul rally, on a kill by Pinson.

Fritz opened the next game with two perfectly placed dumps. She said afterwards that those opportunities “just opened up…they gave Adena a different look”. The Warriors must not have liked what they saw because they fell behind 4-0, and never got closer than two, as Dow, Spaar, Schafer and Centers took turns scoring. Schafer served up three aces in a seven point rally that put the Flyers up 23-12.

Adena scored six of the next seven, but Fritz finally ended it with yet another dump after a diving dig by sophomore defender Whitney Roth averted an Adena kill.

St. Paul roared out to a 10-4 lead in game three, and it’s good they did, because Adena almost pulled it out, taking an 18-17 lead on a kill down the left side by Tara Knauff. After three ties, St. Paul edged ahead 22-20, and the teams exchanged points until the end, which came on a blast by Spaar that was dug too close to the pole to save.

Game four saw 16 ties, five to 5-5, and eight straight to 15-15, plus ten lead changes. Adena moved ahead by three only to see St. Play tie at 23 and take the lead on a cross court blast by Centers, a kill by Dow after freshman middle Amber Welfle rejected a spike from Hirsch, and tip by Dow.

Hirsch and Halcomb teamed up on a block to keep Adena alive, and after a tie at 25, Hirsch sent the match into overtime with a crosscourt spike and a block of Dow that dropped on St. Paul’s back line.

Game five saw eight more ties to get to 8-8, but parity abruptly stopped when Spaar sent a screamer down the right line and started a rally. With Fritz jump serving, Centers blocked a tip, and after an Adena time out, she scored on a tip of her own. Schafer and Spaar blocked Jordan, and two errors and another timeout later the Flyers were up 14-6. Spaar scored the winner on a spike from right side to the middle back.

The match lasted 1:56.

Dow and Schafer led St. Paul defensively with 25 digs each, while Adena libero Casi Coy had 24. Hirsch had three solo blocks for Adena to go with five assists, tops for both teams. Setters Fritz and Halcomb both had 17 digs to go with their respective 62 and 50 assists. Adena closes out the season at 25-3.

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Third ranked New Knoxville fought off a determined Toledo Christian in a struggle that belied the fact that their opponent was unranked. It was New Knoxville’s second state appearance, and the first ever for Toledo Christian. The Rangers lost a semifinal in 1989 to powerhouse Newark Catholic.

In the end it was the one-two punch of 6’0” hitters Nicole Wright and Alycia Niemeyer, who had 19 and 18 kills, respectively, that provided New Knoxville the edge. Wright also contributed 17 digs and Niemeyer chipped in with four solo and three assist blocks. Sophomore outside Morgan Reineke stepped her game up a notch with eight kills, many going down the lines which were open.

Toledo Christian led much of game one which saw nine ties but only two lead changes. Michigan bound Maggie Busch scored their first two points, as the teams parried to three ties. Wright put the Rangers up 5-3, but two kills by 5’10” senior middle blocker Jasmine Vugrinac started a rally as Busch served up four points, including an ace, and senior outside Sara Schweer nailed a kill.

The Rangers came back and there were several ties before the Eagles pulled on top for good at 15-13 on back-to-back crosscourt kills by Busch and Vugrinac. Toledo Christian opened it up to 19-14 on two aces by Busch, but New Knoxville roared back to within a point. Schweer followed a kill with an ace to make it 23-20 Eagles, and Ranger senior Meredith Fledderjohann kept the Rangers in it. Busch sent a terminating shot to right corner to make it 24-22, and the teams traded service errors.

Toledo Christian charged ahead 8-4 in game two. But after a timeout in which New Knoxville coach Jenny Fledderjohann reminded her team they’d been down against Lehman Catholic in the regional final and come back, the Rangers caught fire, scoring eight straight as setter Haley Kruse served and Reineke and Fledderjohann spiked and blocked for points. They increased their lead to 23-15 and eventually won on kills by Reineke and Niemeyer.

Game three was close for awhile. Two aces by Wright and a kill from Niemeyer put New Knoxville up 9-5, but Vugrinac helped narrow the lead to 10-8. However, the Rangers used an 8-1 run to blow the game open from 12-10.

Game four was totally different as the teams traded leads five times and had ten ties. Upon taking a 13-10 two point lead, New Knoxville seemed to be pulling away when Reineke blocked twice to put them up 19-15.

A point trade later, however, Schweer scored a kill and the Eagles rallied into the lead, as junior middle Shannon Longenecker blocked Niemeyer after Schweer had dug her previous spike, Busch terminated a spike that was dug into the crowd, Longenecker and setter Sarah Evens blocked Fledderjohann, and a Ranger hit sailed out. The Rangers went back on top 22-21, but Busch slammed three kills to give Toledo Christian leads of 23-22, and 24-23.

However, Wright tied it with a kill at 24 and again at 25, after which the Eagles messed up a service return. Toledo Christian pulled out the stops on the ensuing volley, and Busch succeeded in digging Niemeyer, but the Ranger middle hitter had the last laugh when she blocked Vugrinac to end the match.

Coach Fledderjohann has been to a state final before as a player, having played for the 1990 Fort Recovery team that won it all. But she said experiencing it as a coach is different because “you can see the excitement and joy on your players faces when they succeed”.
Come Saturday one of tonight’s winners, Norwalk St. Paul or New Knoxville, will experience some real excitement.

Final four previews

Every division could see a great final - a look at the final foursomes
November 9, 2006
By Jim Jicha

What do the Perrysburg and Toledo Christian volleyball teams have in common?
For starters, both are from the Toledo area. Both are headed for the Nutter Center, which will play host to the state tournament starting tonight. And they are the only unranked teams who made it to state.

One other odd coincidence. The Yellow Jackets and Eagles played each other on October 19, which was the very last day of the regular season. (How many of those in attendance that evening thought they might be seeing a preview of the state tournament?)

At any rate, the state extravaganza kicks off tonight with Division IV semifinals. All other semifinals are on Friday, with finals on Saturday. Dayton’s weather forecast for Saturday's finals is rain with colder temperatures, but if things go as expected it should be sizzling on the court.

Division I – Teams from the Greater Girls Cincinnati League have taken ten of the past thirteen state titles. With Mother of Mercy and Mt. Notre Dame ranked first and third, respectively, the GGCL seems poised to claim another crown.

These two split with each other and tied for the GGLC crown, so the state title match may also be an unofficial league tiebreaker. That’s assuming they get to the final.

Unranked Perrysburg knocked off second rated Toledo St. Ursula, plus number ten Magnificat, to get here. If they maintain the intensity and poise they displayed at Norwalk, and sting Mercy in the semifinal, come Saturday the rankings will have become moot.

Solon will meet Mt. Notre Dame in the other semifinal. The 13th rated Comets, which lost late season to Magnificat, looked impressive in wins over Mentor and Comets last weekend.

Mt. Notre Dame looked really impressive in regionals, taking six of seven games from Seton and Ursuline. Mercy downed Central power Watterson, plus Gahanna-Lincoln to advance from Hilliard.

Predictions: Semifinals: Mercy over Perrysburg; Mt. Notre Dame over Solon
Final: Mt. Notre Dame over Mercy (the second place GGCL team often wins the state, and since these teams tied for first, I’m going with the lower ranked one).

All-Ohio Players:
Mercy: Senior setter Samantha Viox (first team), headed to Western Michigan; junior outside Missy Harpenau (second team). Also watch all-around Kayla McWilliams, and the entire Bobcats’ defense.
Mt. Notre Dame: Senior middle Lindsay Upton (first team), who will stay in Cincinnati as a Bearcat; junior middle Rachael Adams (third team). Also watch for Syracuse bound senior outside Mindy Stanislovaitis. The three, along with setter Sharon Strizak, range from 6’0” to 6’2”. Abby Rees is a top defender.
Perrysburg: Senior outside Melissa Szkutnik (second team, Ohio State), senior outside Chelsea Campbell (honorable mention, Xavier). Also watch for 5’1” setter Amber Lopez and libero Jordan Hamons.
Solon: Junior middle/outside Kayla Jeter (second team). Look for 6’3” junior middle Erin Wisner.

Division II - Just after Roger Bacon beat Walsh Jesuit for the state title last year, I made a mental note that this year’s race would come down to the top ranked Warriors and Archbishop Alter. Both schools had most of their top players returning and, had Roger Bacon been in another division, Alter might have played Walsh for last year’s title. The teams have been ranked one-two all season.

Walsh Jesuit showed they can beat GGCL powers by upending Mt. Notre Dame at Magnificat’s tri-match (where they also clobbered the host Blue Streaks). The Warriors bested Elyria at Toledo St. Ursula’s Best of Ohio. Last weekend, they knocked unbeaten Salem out and won a tough four game contest over Olmsted Falls.

Alter topped Roger Bacon three times this season, most recently in the regional final by a convincing 25-13, 25-21, 25-17 score. The Knights also beat Cincinnati St. Ursula, and played Mercy and Toledo St. Ursula tough.

Alter’s first round opponent will be twentieth ranked Millersburg West Holmes, and while it’s a sure bet the Knights will advance, the question is, which team? West Holmes toppled undefeated third ranked River View in the regional final, and they also knocked off eighth rated Canal Fulton Northwest.

Alter outside Emily Borchers and West Holmes middle Keysha Allison will get acquainted as opponents tomorrow. The two will be teammates next season at Wheeling Jesuit University.

Big Walnut will again try to avenge a 2005 semifinal loss to the Warriors in the semifinal. The tenth ranked Golden Eagles, who have most of their team back, and last weekend avenged an early season loss to number four Bishop Hartley, were ousted in five by Walsh Jesuit last season.

Predictions: Semifinals: Walsh Jesuit over Big Walnut; Archbishop Alter over West Holmes
Final: Walsh Jesuit over Archbishop Alter

All-Ohio Players:
Walsh Jesuit: Future Buckeye and senior outside Katie Dull (first team), one of the top hitters in the state; setter Rachel Rodriguez (second). Also watch 6’2” senior middle Mandi Rowell and all-around Emily Vassil.
Archbishop Alter: Middle hitter Emily Borchers and setter Kacie Hausfeld, both first team. Watch outsides Katie Laravie, Sarah Fisher and Lauren Woeste.
West Holmes: Outside Keysha Allison (first team). Look for junior setter Destiney Yoder, and 6’1” sophomore middle Sarah Hammond.
Big Walnut: Pittsburgh bound middle Hannah Swysgood (first team), and setter Summer Hale (third team). Also, junior outside Corinne Windle and senior middle Erika Bills.

Division III – This could be very interesting. Tenth rated defending champ Villa Angela-St. Joseph is back in top form now that setter Colleen Lynch has returned after missing some early matches with a stress fracture. The Vikings lost some of those matches to bigger schools (although they lost to similar caliber opponents in 2005 when they breezed through the state, after being ranked the same number ten).

VASJ was more impressive at regionals, where they beat Gilmour Academy and fourth ranked and undefeated Smithville, each in three, than at districts where they took four to oust Elyria Catholic and struggled with young and talented Independence.

Their first round opponent, number seven Huron, rolled over Margaretta and thirteenth rated Mohawk in districts, but struggled with tough but unranked Coldwater and Lima Central Catholic at the regional. The teams' different schedules don't offer much to compare, but the Tigers gave common opponent Magnificat a big scare.

The other match features two undefeated teams, top ranked Anna which last week vanquished second ranked and unbeaten Versailles, pitted against third ranked Albany Alexander.
A youthful Anna lost to Villa Angela in the semifinal last year, and the Rockets are a year wiser. They’ve notched impressive wins over small school powers Marion Local, Frankfort Adena and Lehman Catholic.
Alexander, making its first trip to state, topped Washington Court House twice and last weekend won four game verdicts over top twenty regional opponents and recent state qualifiers Westfall and Tuscarawas Valley.

Predictions: Semifinals: Huron over Villa Angela-St. Joseph; Anna over Alexander
Final: Anna over Huron

All-Ohio Players:
Anna: 6’2” junior middle Kelli Barhorst (first team), sophomore Kelsie Zumberger (second team, and PrepVolleyball.com Frosh 59 for 2005), senior outside Rachel Billing (honorable mention).
Alexander: Senior outside Jami Turrill (first team)
Huron: 6’3” UCLA recruit and junior middle spiking sensation Sara Sage (first team), junior outside Susie Isphording (honorable mention). Also watch senior hitter Lindzey Boehk and sophomore setter Kelly Lehrer.
Villa Angela-St. Joseph: Senior middle Margo Amigoni (first team), senior middle Hailey Martin and junior middle Hannah Groudle (both honorable mention). Also, of course, setter Colleen Lynch, who was All-Ohio in 2005.

Division IV – If things go as expected, second ranked Frankfort Adena will face third ranked New Knoxville for the state title. Each has two losses, Adena to Anna and Lehman Catholic, and the Rangers to Versailles and St. Henry, which they avenged in the District semifinal.

Besides twelfth ranked St. Henry, the Rangers beat number eleven Fort Recovery in the sectional, and knocked out defending champ Lehman Catholic at the regional final.

Adena defeated Tuscarawas Central Catholic in the regional final after flattening previously unbeaten Reedsville Eastern in the semi.

Toledo Christian dispatched number eighteen Edon and Kalida at regionals, but overcame their biggest hurdle in the district final against sixth ranked Old Fort, which had knocked them out last season.

Eighth rated St. Paul survived their always tough district, winning the final over number fifteen Bucyrus Wynford which was fresh off a big win over sixth ranked Buckeye Central. They downed Cuyahoga Heights and Ashtabula Sts. John & Paul at regionals.

Predictions: Semifinals: Frankfort Adena over Norwalk St. Paul, New Knoxville over Toledo Christian
Final: New Knoxville over Frankfort Adena

Frankfort Adena: senior setter Haley Halcomb (first team), outside/defensive specialist Sara Smith (third team). Also watch junior libero Casi Coy and senior middle Leah Hirsch.
New Knoxville: Big one-two punch in 6-foot outside/middle combo of Nicole Wright and Alicia Niemeyer. Neither one made All-Ohio, though both did in 2005. Also, senior hitters Nikki Kellermeyer and Meredith Fledderjohann.
Toledo Christian: University of Michigan bound setter/outside Maggie Busch (third team). Also setter Sarah Evans, outside/defender Sara Schweer, and middle Jasmine Vugrinac.
Norwalk St. Paul: Senior outside Kate Schafer (second team), junior setter Andrea Fritz (honorable mention). Also, senior middle Ryan Centers, and junior outside Christine Dow.

Division I State Semifinal

Division I
Perrysburg (21-6) vs. Mother of Mercy (23-4)
Mt. Notre Dame (21-5) vs. Solon (22-5)

Division II State Semifinal

Division II
Big Walnut (24-3) vs. Walsh Jesuit (26-1)
West Holmes (24-3) vs. Archbishop Alter (24-3)

Division III State Semifinal

Division III
Anna (28-0) vs. Albany Alexander (27-0)
Huron (23-4) vs. Villa Angela-St. Joseph (21-5)

Division IV State Semifinal

Division IV
Frankfort Adena (25-2) vs. Norwalk St. Paul (24-3)
New Knoxville (25-2) vs. Toledo Christian (22-5)

Regional Final Results

Mother of Mercy def. Gahanna-Lincoln 25-17, 25-15, 25-18
Mt. Notre Dame def. Ursuline 25-20, 25-10, 25-12
Perrysburg def. Toledo St. Ursula 25-23, 22-25, 25-20, 25-19
Solon def. Wadsworth 25-13, 19-25, 27-25, 25-10

Walsh Jesuit def. Olmsted Falls 25-20, 26-24, 20-25, 25-22
Kettering Alter def. Roger Bacon 25-13, 25-21, 25-17
West Holmes def. River View 25-19, 16-25, 25-15, 25-17
Big Walnut def. Bishop Hartley 25-22, 18-25, 26-24, 25-19

Alexander def. Tuscarawas Valley 25-19, 25-21, 13-25, 25-20
Anna def. Versailles 25-16, 22-25, 25-21, 25-20
Villa Angela-St. Joseph def. Gates Mills Gilmour 25-15, 25-22, 25-17
Huron def. Lima Central Catholic 25-21, 26-24, 25-21

Frankfort Adena def. Tuscarawas Central Catholic 25-17, 25-11, 25-20
New Knoxville def. Sidney Lehman Catholic 25-15, 30-28, 24-26, 25-19
Norwalk St. Paul def. Ashtabula Sts. John & Paul 29-27, 25-10, 25-14
Toledo Christian def. Kalida 18-25, 25-22, 25-23, 25-22