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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 Destiny 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.