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State Volleyball Tournament - Final Four Results
Division I
Championship Cincinnati Ursuline (26-3) def. Cincinnati St. Ursula (27-2) 11-15, 15-8, 15-13
Ursuline avenges last year's State Championship Loss
Predicting the winner of Saturday's State Championship match between Cincinnati and GGCL league rivals Ursuline and St. Ursula proved to be simply a matter of going by past results. The problem was in determining which past results to go by.
Recent results said St. Ursula would win because they had beaten Ursuline three straight times, including twice this season, and they were the league champions. Historic results said Ursuline would win because the second place team in the GGCL has won the State Title four of the last seven years.
You can make that five out of eight as history repeated itself, and the Lions ended 365 days of frustration that began with last year's State Championship loss to St. Ursula.
This was the first loss in a title match for Bulldogs coach Julie Perry, who had garnered seven titles in seven previous trips to the Nutter Center. Perry had nothing but praise for her team afterward, saying she was "so proud they never gave up" and her players "left it all on the court" against an Ursuline team that "played great", and in spite of an incredible 'faceball' spike in game three that gave Ursuline a 9-1 lead when it should have been a sideout.
There were times when Ursuline could have given up too, but both teams gave it their all for the entire match, which lasted an hour and thirty six minutes, and had players exhausted and fans hoarse when it ended. The match featured many diving digs and other great defensive plays that resulted in long and intense volleys.
The first game saw St. Ursula take a 8-2 lead, with four points coming on hitting errors by Ursuline, and two more points coming on kills by St. Ursula's Beth Gillming and Beth Shelton. Seventeen sideouts later, the score was still 8-3 when Ursuline rallied to go on top 11-10. After another seventeen sideouts, and the score tied 11-11, momentum swung back to St. Ursula as they won 15-11. The last two points came on blocks by sophomore Maggie Schmelzle and setter Bryn Kehoe. For the record there were 57 sideouts in the game.
Game two saw the Bulldogs take a quick 3-0 lead, but Ursuline's Carli Reihman and Jeanna Staun led a rally that gave Ursuline a 5-4 lead. With the score tied at 6-6, Reihman, Staun and Kelly Rahn turned up the heat even more and the Lions pulled away. Rahn smashed a St. Ursula overpass for game point.
Ursuline continued firing on all cylinders in game three, racing to an 8-1 lead as Stephanie Blackburn scored two consecutive points on a block and a kill. Then came the 'faceball' spike on which, as Ursuline coach Amie Meyer would later say, the volleyball gods teamed up with the Lions.
A St. Ursula spike that ricocheted off a diving defender's hand and should have gone out of bounds instead sliced off the forehead of another diving defender and lined straight over the net, landing in play on the Bulldogs' side of the court.
At this point St. Ursula could have let up, but Maggie Schmelzle forced a sideout on a kill, and St. Ursula scored two points. Both teams then traded scores. This worked to the Lions' favor as they got to match point at 14-6. And now, as so often happens in volleyball, the real drama began.
St. Ursula got the serve on an illegal hit. An Ursuline hit was out and it was 14-7. Reihman got a kill for sideout, but after three more sideouts, a kill by Schmelzle narrowed the lead to 14-8. After six more sideouts, two coming on Ursuline mistakes, the Lions got the ball tangled in the net to make it 14-9. By this time Ursuline had used their second timeout. After two more sideouts, Gillming scored on a kill, and Shelton nailed a service ace - 14-11.
The tide had turned momentum-wise and Ursuline was now making mistakes. But the Lions were also scoring kills to force sideouts and making great defensive plays. They never let up their intensity. And St. Ursula was playing their hearts outs, trying to pull off the incredible.
Kelly Rahn got a kill for sideout, but a Beth Gillming smash gave service back to St. Ursula. An Ursuline missive sailed out of bounds - 14-12. Gillming scored on a tip - 14-13. By now the tension on the floor had reached an unbelievable level.
At this point, Ursuline got what very well may have been their last chance to stop the onslaught, when setter Kelly Byrnes nailed a perfectly placed dump for sideout. And finally, after eight unsuccessful match point plays, Carli Reihman got a smash to go down, off a defender's hands, and out of bounds. And euphoric bedlam erupted on the Lions' floor.
Coach Meyer said afterward she kept telling her players to stay in the moment, and not to think about the final result, but to play the game in bits and pieces, one pass and one hit at a time.
And one outstretched hand that got to a ball that happened to hit a forehead and scored a point. Played from the heart.
Stats Kills - St. Ursula 59: Beth Gillming 16, Beth Shelton 15, Maggie Schmelzle 14 Ursuline 71: Carli Reihman, Jeanna Staun 15, Stephanie Blackburn, Erin Kanetzke 13 Attack Pct. - St. Ursula .187 Ursuline .240 Assists - St. Ursula 52: Bryn Kehoe 49 Ursuline 60: Kelly Byrnes 57 Digs - St. Ursula 75: Laura Cassinelli 15, Rachel Yauss 13, Bryn Kehoe, Beth Shelton 11 Ursuline 81: Jeanna Staun 18, Carli Reihman 17, Kelly Byrnes 15, Michaele Blackburn 12 Team blocks - St. Ursula 10, Ursuline 9 Time of match - 1 hour 36 minutes
Semifinals Cincinnati Ursuline (25-3) def. Mentor (21-8) 15-1, 15-1 Cincinnati St. Ursula (27-1) def. Toledo St. Ursula (25-3) 15-13, 15-5
Ursuline trounces Mentor
Cincinnati Ursuline trounced Mentor in a match in which the Lions played flawlessly and Mentor could simply not get untracked. The match lasted 28 minutes.
Mentor scored the first point on a tip by Megan Skouby, but Ursuline then raced to the win in a game that had only seven sideouts. Ursuline scored the first eleven points of game two, and won going away.
Stats Kills - Ursuline 27: Carli Reihman 7, Jeanna Staun 6 Mentor 7: Megan Skouby 3 Attack Pct. - Ursuline (.561) Mentor (-.047) Assists - Ursuline 25: Kelly Byrnes 23 Mentor 6: Ashley Janezic 5 Digs - Ursuline 23: Stephanie Blackburn 9, Kelly Byrnes 5 Mentor 11: Amanda Zieske, Erin Gerard 3 Team blocks - Ursuline 2, Mentor 2 Time of match - 28 minutes
Cincinnati wins battle of St. Ursulas
Cincinnati was the favorite going into this battle of the St. Ursulas, but for awhile it looked like the teams had switched uniforms. Beth Shelton started things off for Cincinnati with a kill to break serve, and the Bulldogs scored first on a block by Bryn Kehoe and Beth Gilling. But Toledo then roared to leads of 4-1, 10-2 and 13-4.
Some of the Arrows' points came on errors by the Bulldogs, at least five on balls out of bounds or in the net. But the Arrows also scored on kills by Sarah Florian and Brittany Fox, and blocks by Colleen Slattery and Alison Mugler. It was looking like Toledo might pull an upset the way Ursuline had a year ago when they knocked the favored Arrows out in the semifinal.
But talk about momentum changes. St. Ursula, Cincinnati that is, went on a 22-0 romp, winning game one 15-4, then blowing out to a 11-0 lead in game two.
The rally started when, with Beth Shelton serving, Maggie Schmelzle and Beth Gillming basically took over the match, shredding Toledo's defenses with spikes that dropped for kills or contributed to errors by Toledo. Sarah Florian made several outstanding defensive plays during the run, but to no avail. Shelton served for seven points, and Bryn Kehoe served the final four including an ace for game point.
After four sideouts to start game two, Kehoe started things off with another ace. Beth Gillming blocked Sarah Florian for a point, two Toledo hits were out and the floodgates were open. This time Gillming served eight points, including two aces, while Shelton and Rachel Yauss blasted away.
After the lead reached 11-0, and after seven sideouts, Toledo finally scored. But Maggie Schmelzle's kill returned serve to the Bulldogs who increased the lead to 14-1, with Schmelzle adding two more kills for points. The match ended on a lift call on Toledo after a hit by Gillming.
Stats Kills - Tol. St. Ursula 26: Sarah Florian 10, Colleen Slattery 7 Cin. St. Ursula 33: Beth Gillming 11, Maggie Schmelzle 10 Attack Pct. - Ursuline (.120) Cin. St. Ursula (.229) Assists - Tol. St. Ursula 23: Jessica Dominiak 17, Alison Mugler 5 Cin. St. Ursula 32: Bryn Kehoe 30 Digs - Tol. St. Ursula 23: Sarah Florian 10, Sydney Antonio 8 Cin. St. Ursula 11: Rachel Yauss 9, Beth Shelton 8, Bryn Kehoe, Laura Cassinelli 7 Team blocks - Tol. St. Ursula 4, Cin. St. Ursula 3 Time of Match - 48 minutes
Rankings Final Four Picks: Cin. St. Ursula (1), Cin. Ursuline (2), Tol. St. Ursula (3), Mentor (4) Website (First): Cin. Ursuline (1), Cin. St. Ursula (2), Tol. St. Ursula (4), Mentor (10) Website (Final): Cin. St. Ursula (1), Cin. Ursuline (2), Tol. St. Ursula (3), Mentor (19) Coaches Poll (Final): Cin. St. Ursula (1), Cin. Ursuline (2), Tol. St. Ursula (3), Mentor (18)
Division II
Championship Archbishop Alter (25-3) def. West Holmes (29-1) 15-1, 15-0 Archbishop Alter shuts down West Holmes
Although it was the middle of the afternoon, it seemed like a good Knight for volleyball. That’s because the West Holmes Knights were playing the Archbishop Alter Knights for the Division II State Championship.
For the second time in two days Alter proved to be too much for their opponents to handle. This time it was the team from Millersburg who bore the brunt of Alter’s fury.
Alter came to the match with four starters 5’10” or taller, giving them a considerable height advantage over a West Holmes team whose tallest player was 5’9”. And while West Holmes had used their athleticism to beat taller opponents before, this time they were up against a team that was loaded with pure athletes, a team that had attracted national attention and had beaten a nationally ranked opponent twice.
So while West Holmes was undefeated, they found themselves in the role of David facing Goliath.
Still, the team from Millersburg gave it their best shot. West Holmes’ defense forced several sideouts in the first game, which lasted 25 minutes, belying the 15-1 score. But the height disadvantage made it difficult for West Holmes to score. In the semifinal, hits by Lindsey Piar and Tristen Dye had been kills, but now they were being blocked or tipped. And when West Holmes’ hitters let off a little to get over the block, Alter’s passers took full advantage to set up smashing kills.
By the second game, the Alter attack had taken its toll, and the game went much more quickly, lasting just nine minutes.
Carrie DeMange again led Alter’s attack, pounding down 14 kills in 17 attempts with no errors, and surpassing her amazing .714 percent the day before with an even more amazing .824. And Jenna Miller had another all around great performance with 6 kills and 7 digs. Ali Hausfeld had 23 assists.
Even with the loss, it was a great season for coach Jim Park and his West Holmes Knights. They had lost five starters from last year’s team and weren’t expecting to be back. But they did get back, and they returned to Millersburg with their first State Runnerup trophy.
As for Alter, who was making their first State appearance ever, it may seem improbable to some that they were able to win so convincingly. But teams from their division of the GGCL have won the Division II title seven of the past nine years and been runnerup the other two. And they have often been overpowering in the State Final Four.
It gets back to Coach Tina Jasinowski’s comment the day before about their world changing when they beat Roger Bacon. The change was sudden and it was irreversible. It was like the unleashing of the storm surge when a levee breaks during a hurricane.
Come to think of it there was a hurricane at the Nutter Center last weekend. Its name was Alter.
Stats Kills - Alter 30: Carrie DeMange 14, Jenna Miller 6, Lindsey Woeste 5 West Holmes 14: Tristen Dye 6, Lindsey Piar 4, Mariel Habrun 3 Attack Pct. - Alter .551 West Holmes .094 Assists - Alter 25: Ali Hausfeld 23 West Holmes 14: Morgan McDowell 14 Digs - Alter 21: Jenna Miller 7, Carrie DeMange 6, Lindsey Woeste 5 West Holmes 13: Morgan McDowell, Lindsey Piar 3 Team blocks - Alter 1, West Holmes 2 Time of match - 33 minutes
Semifinals Archbishop Alter (24-3) def. Norwalk (21-7) 15-4, 15-1 West Holmes (29-0) def. Lake Catholic (26-2) 15-12, 9-15, 15-9
Archbishop Alter ends Norwalk's Cinderella run Kettering Alter ended Norwalk's Cinderella run yesterday in convincing fashion. While the loss was disappointing for Norwalk, Coach Grace Hutchinson noted that "it was especially nice to have gotten to the Final Four this year". She added that the Ladies in Blue success was due to "determination and will" but that Kettering Alter was real, and "heart can only take you so far". Heart took Norwalk a long way. After a 7-6 start, including a loss to new league member Fostoria, the Ladies in Blue roared back to take the league title, beating Fostoria in the rematch. They beat Mansfield Madison twice, the second time for the District Title. They won their last seven three game matches, and in all but one the third game was 15-10 or closer. In getting to State they showed what is possible when you give 110 percent all the time. But Alter was too much for even heart to beat. With Carrie DeMange nailing 16 of 21 kills on 21 attacks for an amazing .714 percent and Jenna Miller adding 10 more, the Knights were too hot for Norwalk to handle. As a team the Knights attacked at a .358 clip. Ali Hausfeld added 28 assists to fuel the attack. DeMange had some great kills on slides. The first game took 25 minutes despite the one sided score. That was due to Norwalk's sheer determination which led to numerous sideouts, including eight with the score 13-4. Afterward, Alter Coach Tina Jasinowski noted that the Knights had been working for this since last year when they lost three matches, all to Roger Bacon. She said the team has been focused throughout the tournament, and they have tried to keep everything normal during the hoopla surrounding going to State. The players went to school in the morning, had lunch, then went to the Nutter Center (it helped that it was only a 20 minute drive). Jasinowski sensed the Knights had opening match jitters, but when the score got to 5-3 the team seemed to relax and get into their groove. She praised DeMange for hitting hard, but taking off the hit when needed to find the open spot, and she said that Amy Wetterau did a great job defensively on the right side. Jasinowski's final comment was that "the world changed for Kettering Alter when we beat Roger Bacon". Amen. Stats Kills - Alter 36: Carrie DeMange 16, Jenna Miller 10, Ali Hausfeld 4, Lindsey Woeste 3 Norwalk 16: Victoria Kasten 8, Tiffany Mulder 4, Leah Wilson 3 Attack Pct. - Alter .358 Norwalk .025 Assists - Alter 28: Ali Hausfeld 28 Norwalk 15: Erin Gonter 14 Digs - Alter 47: Ami Wetterau 14, Jenna Miller, Carrie DeMange, Mandy Robbe 8, Lindsey Woeste 6 Norwalk 37: Victoria Kasten 10, Katie Schafer 8, Tiffany Mulder, Amanda Meisler 6 Team blocks - Alter 5, Norwalk 3 Time of match - 37 minutes
West Holmes beats Lake Catholic to advance to first Final This match was was expected to be a battle and it lived up to its billing, taking over an hour and a half. The first game featured three momentum shifts. While the last two games had no shifts the games themselves saw momentum swing to the Cougars then back to the Knights. The first game started with West Holmes jumping out to a 5-0 lead. Lake Catholic got to within 2, at 3-5 and 5-7. West Holmes went back on top 11-5, but the Cougars got hot and closed to 12-13. The second game was pretty much Lake Catholic as the Cougars jumped out to 6-0 and 12-3 leads. Game three went the other way with West Holmes roaring to leads of 7-1 and 13-5. West Holmes attack was led by Lindsey Piar (27 kills, .414 percent), Tristen Dye (21 kills, .370 percent) and Trisha Uhl (12 kills, .292). Dye, Piar and Ali Drushal led in digs with 18, 18 and 13 respectively. Setter Morgan McDowell had 53 assists. Lake Catholic was led by Jessica Sabath with 24 kills and 15 digs. Vaiva Laniavskas added 13 kills and Alex Shinhearl, Jamie Matthies and Laniavskas contributed 31 more digs total. Shinhearl had 44 assists. The Cougars also served up 9 aces. In the end it was the ability of West Holmes to successfully attack down the line that may have made the difference as this made it harder for Sabath to do what she does best, dig and pass. And the Knights also were effective at blocking Laniavskas when they had to. Lake Catholic coach Rich Severino cited his team's not being able to block the spikes down the line as a factor in the loss and praised West Holmes' digging. Coach Jim Park was proud of his team, noting they could have quit after the second game. Instead they came out fired up. He noted the Knights are not under the same pressure as last year when they were expected to win. With five seniors graduating, and injuries over the summer, the Knights were in disarray at the start of practice this season. They never thought they would still be playing now, and there is no pressure to win. Park praised Dye's "unbelievable" performance in the first game, as the junior outside hitter she pounded several spikes for kills against an opponent noted for their defensive prowess. The Knights will take on the Kettering Alter Knights in the final. Stats Kills - Lake Catholic 55: Jessica Sabath 24, Vaiva Laniavskas 13, Jamie Matthies 9, Christina Mahovlic 7 West Holmes 62: Lindsey Piar 27, Tristen Dye 21, Trisha Uhl 12 Attack Pct. - Lake Catholic .193 West Holmes .353 Assists - Lake Catholic 49: Alex Shinhearl 44 West Holmes 55: Morgan McDowell 53 Digs - Lake Catholic 21: Jessica Sabath 15, Alex Shinhearl 11, Jamie Matthies, Vaiva Laniavskas 10 West Holmes 13: Tristen Dye 19, Lindsey Piar 18, Ali Drushal 13 Team blocks - Lake Catholic 5, West Holmes 8 Time of match - 1 hour 33 minutes
Rankings Final Four Picks: Archbishop Alter (1), Lake Catholic (2), West Holmes (3), Norwalk (4) Website (First): Archbishop Alter (2), Lake Catholic (3), West Holmes (4), Norwalk (Other) Website (Final): Archbishop Alter (2), Lake Catholic (5), West Holmes (4), Norwalk (24) Coaches Poll (Final): Archbishop Alter (4), Lake Catholic (5), West Holmes (3), Norwalk (N/R)
Division III
Championship Huron (27-2) def. Sidney Lehman (23-7) 15-11, 15-9
Huron rolls to State Title with win over Lehman
As they have for the entire tournament, Huron came up with another consistenly good performance. The result was a solid two game win over a somewhat taller and very talented team from Sydney Lehman Catholic.
In the State Final, the Tiger’s found themselves up against a Lehman Catholic team that was battle tested against the toughest schedule of any Division III school. A team that had knocked off top ranked undefeated Jonathan Alder in the regional final, then overcome everything Tealle Hunkus could muster.
But with their whole starting line up back plus newcomer Ashley Cundiff who moved to Huron during the summer, the Tigers figured to be the best team in Division III this year, at least on paper. And Saturday they showed they were the best on the floor as well.
Sarah Wilber led the Huron attack with 20 kills and a .486 percent performance, while Megan Borgelt provided 28 assists. The Tiger’s defense was very balanced with six players getting five or more digs. And Huron out blocked the taller Cavaliers 9-4. But the two game win did not come easy, as the teams battled it out for almost an hour. And throughout the match Huron senior Ashley Cundiff played in pain from an injury the day before, knowing any play might be her last.
Huron maintained the lead for most of the time in both games, which saw Lehman jump to initial 2-0 leads, and Huron follow with nine unanswered points to go in front 9-2.
In game one, Lehman made things interesting with a rally that started when Ashley Newcomer clobbered a Huron overpass for a sideout with the score 11-4. A Huron hit was out, and six sideouts later another hit by Wilber was out. Newcomer jump served an ace to make it 11-7. After four more sideouts, Huron was called for a lift. Kari Fink got a point for Huron on a block of Amy Edwards, but after three more service exchanges, Lehman scored three straight points, one on an ace by Adrienne Payawal.
With the score 12-11, Wilber got a kill for sideout, and Huron got to game point a Lehman hit was out and Megan Borgelt scored on a tip over the blockers. Newcomer and Wilber traded spikes through three sideouts that saw some great digs by the Lehman defense. And then suddenly the game was over, on a net serve by Lehman followed by a Lehman lift on a Huron block.
The second game went somewhat easier for the Tigers. Lehman narrowed the lead from 9-2 to 9-5, but Huron got on top 14-6. After Lehman closed to 14-9, Ashley Cundiff tipped the ball into a hole for sideout, and then scored the match point on a block.
After the match Sarah Wilber said there were no words to describe how she felt. She said her first title, when she was a freshman, "was amazing, but this one was more important". She added this was a "match of revenge for two years ago", when Lehman went 30-0 and beat Huron in the Final 15-10, 16-14.
Kari Fink was asked about her exceptional blocking (she had one solo block and four block assists), and responded that she had been surprised. "I don't usually block very well, but today I blocked", she added.
Ashley Cundiff, who played in a lot of pain, said her playing status was uncertain right up to game time, but added "I would find a way to get on the court". Cundiff said the win "made the move (to Huron) all worth it".
Coach Don Wood praised Abbey McCoy for sacrificing her chance to play in the Final, so she would be able to replace Cundiff if the need arose.
Wood called the win "very special". He had figured his team had a good chance to get to State, but noted how difficult their sectional and district are to win. He noted how how relaxed his team was, playing almost as if it was a regular season match. And echoing Wilber's comment about the State Tournament experience, he said "you can't describe it".
Based on their consistency during the entire tournament, it seems that the Tigers played pretty relaxed for the whole run. Or maybe, recalling last year, they just stayed so focused, and the jitters that often come to teams during tournament time couldn't ever get in the way.
Stats Kills - Lehman Catholic 31: Ashley Newcomer 17, Amy Edwards 7, Emily Hodges 4, Megan Sargeant 3 Huron 35: Sarah Wilber 20, Kari Fink, Ashley Cundiff, 5 Attack Pct. - Lehman Catholic .097 Huron .173 Assists - Lehman Catholic 26: Adrienne Payawal 24 Huron 30: Megan Borgelt 28 Digs - Lehman Catholic 50: Ashley Newcomer, Adrienne Payawal 13, Melissa Robbins 10, Amy Edwards, Katie Kniess 5 Huron 57: Amy Gioffre 13, Megan Borgelt, Amanda Fox 12, Ashley Cundiff 8, Lydia Souter 7, Kristy Bollenbacher 5 Team blocks - Lehman Catholic 4, Huron 9 Time of match - 57 minutes
Semifinals Huron (26-2) def. Tuscarawas Valley (26-2) 15-13, 15-5 Sidney Lehman (23-6) def. Girard (25-4) 9-15, 15-9, 15-7
Lehman Catholic overcomes stellar performance by Hunkus
When it comes to volleyball, Tealle Hunkus is the complete package. Girard’s star hitter, who is headed for Duke next year, demonstrated that Friday in a stellar performance that included a team leading 19 digs and 29 kills. The 29 kills was also the most for any hitter in the entire State Tournament.
Unfortunately for Girard, Lehman’s balanced attack of Amy Edwards, Ashley Newcomer and Emily Hodges proved to be sufficient to make up for Hunkus’ kills. And with defenders Melissa Robbins, Newcomer and Katie Kniess covering a lot of floor, Hunkus was forced to hit with more precision, which may have contributed to her total of 17 hitting errors.
But for awhile it seemed that Hunkus was going to take Girard to the final. She proved to be a very effective jump server, scoring an ace and disrupting Lehman’s passing, while making no errors. And even from the backcourt she pounded down the kills.
Hunkus made her presence felt right off the bat, scoring the first two points on a tip and a kill. Lehman could get no closer than 3-2 and 6-5. The Indians' Kristen Ragozine got a block and a kill on an overpass to put Girard up 8-5, as the Indians gradually pulled away to win 15-9.
While Hunkus was a major factor, a review of the scoring shows that Lehman had at least five hits go out or in the net for Girard points. Correcting that would help their cause.
In the second game, Lehman scored six points on Girard errors, the last of which gave Lehman a 10-9 lead. Then Ashley Newcomer, who had already turned up the heat, blasted two kills. Megan Sargeant added a kill, Newcomer blocked Hunkus and a service ace brought a quick end to the game.
Game three started with five service breaks. Girard got two quick points on errors by the Cavaliers, and added another on a kill by Ragozine. Lehman went up 4-3 on three Girard errors and a service ace by Nicole Butt, her second of the match. Girard went up 5-4, then Lehman scored three points on a Newcomer kill and two Girard errors.
Hunkus got a kill for sideout, and two more kills for points. That tied the match at 7. As it turned out that was the end of the scoring for Girard.
After two sideouts, Tealle Hunkus had a great jump serve, but the pass was right on to Newcomer for the kill. Lehman went up 9-7 on a kill by Melissa Robbins and an ace by Newcomer. After two sideouts, Lehman got to 12-7 on an ace by Robbins and kills by Amy Edwards and Emily Hodges, the latter coming after Lehman made a save on a great tip by Hunkus. Hodges scored point 13 on a tip and the final two points were scored on balls hit out by Girard.
Lehman coach Greg Snipes' comments echoed the results. He felt his team started tentative, but stepped it up. When they began keeping the ball in play, then Girard made the mistakes. He credited his players for a great team effort.
And Snipes had nothing but praise for Tealle Hunkus, saying she "was unstoppable the first game", noting that "even when the pass wasn't there, the attack was".
Coach Snipes added that Ashley Newcomer was unstoppable in the second and third games. And that pretty much sums up the match.
StatsKills – Lehman Catholic 41: Amy Edwards 12, Ashley Newcomer, Emily Robbins 11 Girard 36: Tealle Hunkus 29, Kristen Ragozine 5 Attack Pct. - Lehman Catholic (.183) Girard (.117) Assists – Lehman Catholic (37): Adrienne Payawal 34 Girard (34): Erin Stevens 32 Digs – Lehman Catholic 56: Melissa Robbins 15, Ashley Newcomer 14, Katie Kniess 10 Amy Edwards 8 Girard (61): Tealle Hunkus 19, Brittany Kay 9, Kristen Ragozine, Lee McLane 8 Team blocks – Lehman Catholic 2, Girard 2 Time of match - 1 hour 12 minutes
Huron prevails over Tusky Valley to advance to State Final
Huron’s season came to a screeching halt last year when six match point plays went scoreless, and the Tigers saw a second game 14-8 lead evaporate in a semifinal loss to eventual State Champion Cleveland Villa-Angela-St. Joseph. That match had to have weighed heavily on the Tigers’ minds this year, because they played consistently well for the entire tournament.
So this year after getting a scare from Tuscarawas Valley in game one, the Tigers were not letting anything get away in the second game.
When Huron raced to a quick 5-0 lead in game one it didn't look like a scare was in store. But when Kira Redinger got a kill for sideout, the Trojans closed to 5-4. Huron had to get through 13 sideouts to increase their lead to 7-4. At this point Huron senior Ashley Cundiff went down with an ankle injury, and was lost for the match. And when Amanda Hartline nailed three kills to give the Trojans took an 8-7 lead, things had gotten real scary.
The game was tied at 8 and 10, before Sarah Wilber got two kills to put Huron on top 12-10. But Hartline got hot, and Tusky Valley pulled even again. Huron went ahead 14-12 on two Trojan errors, but Tusky Valley's Kira Redinger blocked Wilber for sideout, and an errant Huron hit made it 14-13. After three sideouts, the last on a shot by Wilber, Amanda Fox spiked a kill for the game winning point for the Tigers. The first game lasted 37 minutes and had 42 sideouts.
Game two went much better for the Tigers, as they grabbed a 5-1 lead, increased it to 9-3, and won going away 15-5. Match point came, fittingly, on a kill by Abbey McCoy, who was subbing for the injured Cundiff.
StatsKills – Tuscarawas Valley 41: Amanda Hartline 12, Kira Redinger 11 Huron 36: Sarah Wilber 15, Amanda Fox 6, Abbey McCoy 4, Susan Folger 3 Attack Pct. - Tuscarawas Valley (.096) Huron (.150) Assists – Tuscarawas Valley (21): Audra McCoury 16 Huron (32): Megan Borgelt 28 Digs – Tuscarawas Valley 55: Kira Redinger 16, Katy Noel 11, Ashley Baker 10, Amanda Hartline 8, Audra McCoury 6 Huron (61): Amanda Fox 12, Kristy Bollenbacher, 11, Lydia Souter, Megan Borgelt 10, Abbey McCoy 9, Amy Gioffre 7 Team blocks – Tuscarawas Valley 3, Huron 5 Time of match - 1 hour 1 minute
Rankings Final Four Picks: Huron (1), Sidney Lehman (2), Tuscarawas Valley (3), Girard (4) Website First: Huron (1), Sidney Lehman (4), Tuscarawas Valley (10), Girard (Other) Website Final: Huron (1), Sidney Lehman (4), Tuscarawas Valley (3), Girard (15) Coaches Poll (Final): Huron (2), Sidney Lehman (7), Tuscarawas Valley (4), Girard (8)
Division IV
Championship Norwalk St. Paul (29-0) def. Marion Local (26-3) 9-15, 15-13, 15-13
St. Paul nips Marion Local in Division IV thriller
Norwalk St. Paul came into the State Final completely undefeated, having won all matches in two games. Most of their wins had been by lopsided margins, even over the stronger teams on their schedule. The closest call they'd had was their 16-14, 15-6 win over Huron, and they had trounced teams like Clay and Amherst.
So while there was no doubt that St. Paul was for real, there was one question to be answered. Could they handle the pressure of a tight three game match? What would happen if they got that kind of test?
Well, the Flyers got exactly that kind of test and they passed it with, excuse the pun, flying colors.
St. Paul found themselves up against their strongest opponent of the year in Marion Local, who, by the way, is also nicknamed the Flyers. They found Marion to be the best blocking team they had faced, and they had to adjust their hitting to go on angles and down the lines. They found Marion to be a team who comes at you with all their hitters.
When Marion won the first game that put the team from Norwalk into unfamiliar territory. Marion led from the get-go, scoring on blocks by Carrie Thobe and Ashley Langenkamp. Meanwhile Norwalk wasn't helping themselves with hits out of bounds and lifts. Erin Puthoff ended the first game with a kill that was blocked out of bounds.
To add more pressure, the second game started out looking like the first, with St. Paul errors and a Margo Moeller block resulting in a 4-1 Marion lead. With the score 5-2 or 5-3 the referee suffered some type of illness and had to be removed from the game. The teams temporarily left the court while the referee was attended to.
By mutual agreement the teams resumed play without a warmup. St. Paul began to hit their stride, and cut the lead to 8-7. Jordan Centers and Anne Gross nailed kills as the Norwalk team took a 13-9 lead. Then came more pressure as Marion scored on a four-hits call, a ball dropped on St. Paul's side of the net, Ashley Langenkamp scored two points on blocks. The score was 13-all.
But with the match on the line, St. Paul avoided mistakes while Marion was called for a lift and had a tip go out of bounds. St. Paul had won 15-13. The first game had been a wakeup call, not the end of the line.
In game three Marion took a 6-1 lead, only to see St. Paul battle back to knot it at 7. Marion went up 8-7 on a kill by Marianne Wuebker, but after seven sideouts a blast by Annie Bockrath knotted it again. Marion scored two more on an errant St. Paul hit and a nice tip by Puthoff over the block. Jordan Centers came right back with a great stuff of a block attempt by Marion, and a smashing kill. Some sloppy play ensued as St. Paul moved up by 13-11. Then Kristen Playko scored a kill and St. Paul was at match point.
Marion Local, however, was not through. Wuebker got a kill for a sideout, then smashed a service ace. And after a long volley, a St. Paul hit was out to narrow the margin to 14-13. A hit by Puthoff was out, but Puthoff came right back with a kill. St. Paul setter Angie Camp nailed a dump and Puthoff responded with a tip.
Four sideouts and the score was still 14-13, with the State Championship on the line. It was pressure packed volleyball, and, with Jordan Centers now in the front row, it was time for St. Paul to make it happen. Centers got one kill for sideout, then, after one more great volley, she nailed the match point.
Norwalk St. Paul won their first 28 matches match in two games and outscored every opponent by at least eleven ten points. They won the State Championship in a three game match, and they were outscored by two points.
Even though the teams were fierce competitors in the match they sounded every bit alike in the press conference afterwards. When asked about the match, St. Paul coach Nancy Miller said it was "the best volleyball game I've ever seen", echoing Marion setter Diane Bruns who said it was the "best game I've ever played". Players from both sides talked about the friendship they have with each other, on and off the court.
St. Paul felt Marion was their toughest opponent, while Marion felt St. Paul was their second toughest, after Kettering Alter. In a scheduling coincidence, the teams had beaten their Division III counterparts during the season, St. Paul having beaten Huron, and Marion Local downing Sidney Lehman twice.
St. Paul players talked about "digging deep and playing from the heart". Angie Camp summed it up by saying we "weren't going to let anything hit our floor". Just minutes before Marion coach Mary Lou Bruns, when asked if the graduating seniors could leave her with something, responded " I would like to keep their heart".
Heart. That word echoed throughout the day.
Stats Kills - St. Paul 58: Jordan Centers 25, Anne Gross 14, Kristen Playko 9 Marion Local 49: Erin Puthoff, Margo Moeller 14, Marianne Wuebker 12 Attack Pct. - St. Paul .120 Marion Local .172 Assists - St. Paul 49: Angie Kamp 45 Marion Local 45: Diane Bruns 40 Digs - St. Paul 78: Kristen Playko 27, Annie Bockrath 15, Anne Gross 11, Kim Stoll 8 Marion Local 66: Marianne Wuebker 21, Erin Puthoff 19, Diane Bruns 10 Team blocks - St. Paul 6, Marion Local 12 Time of match - 1 hour 25 minutes
Semifinals
Marion Local (26-2) def. Centerburg (26-2) 15-17, 15-8, 15-7 Norwalk St. Paul (28-0) def. Old Fort (24-4) 15-1, 15-7
2002 Tourney recap (includes Div IV semifinals)
StatsKills – Marion Local 69: Erin Puthoff 22, Margo Moeller 18, Marianne Wuebker, Ashley Langenkamp 12 Centerburg 56: Rachael Stevens 17, Ami Stevens 14, Tiffany Milburn 10, Amber Keihl 6, Jessica Parker 5 Attack Pct. - Marion Local (.244) Centerburg (.174) Assists – Marion Local 59: Diane Bruns 53 Centerburg 48: Rachael Stevens, Megan Stewart 21 Digs – Marion Local 89: Margo Moeller 19, Ashley Langenkamp 17, Diane Bruns 16, Erin Puthoff, Marianne Wuebker 14, Karla Kremer 7 Centerburg (90): Tiffany Milburn 21, Katie Saup 20, Ami Stevens 16, Rachael Stevens 14, Ashley Pfouts 6, Amber Keihl 5 Team blocks – Marion Local 7, Centerburg 6 Time of match - 1 hour 27 minutes
StatsKills – Norwalk St. Paul 31: Anne Gross, Jordan Centers 8, Annie Bockrath, Kristem Playko, 6 Old Fort 13: Liz Goodman 6, Breena McCool 3 Attack Pct. - Norwalk St. Paul (.261) Old Fort (.-.029) Assists – Norwalk St. Paul 25: Angie Camp 24 Old Fort 8: Brittany Molyet, 5, Breena McCool 3 Digs – Norwalk St. Paul 40: Annie Bockrath 10, Jordan Centers, Kristen Playko 9, Anne Gross, Angie Camp, Kim Stoll 4 Old Fort 20: Whitney Magers, Breena McCool 4, Lauren Lee, Brittany Molyet, 3 Team blocks – Norwalk St. Paul 4, Old Fort 2 Time of match - 41 minutes
Rankings Final Four Picks: Norwalk St. Paul (1), Marion Local (2), Centerburg (3), Old Fort (4) Website First: Norwalk St. Paul (2), Marion Local (1), Centerburg (3), Old Fort (5) Website Final: Norwalk St. Paul (1), Marion Local (3), Centerburg (4), Old Fort (6) Coaches Poll (Final): Norwalk St. Paul (1), Marion Local (2), Centerburg (3), Old Fort (5)
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