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St. Charles, Mt. Vernon, Hilliard Darby advance in East regionals May 28, 2009 by Jim Jicha St. Charles advanced to a Division II state semifinal with their third triumph of the season over Bishop Watterson. Although the Cardinals again won in straight sets, it wasn’t easy as the 25-22, 25-16, 25-21 attests. After four ties and two lead changes in game one the score was 4-4. During that time St. Charles sophomore middle Andy Sellan pounded two kills, while senior outside Anthony Randolph spiked and blocked for two Eagle points. The Cardinals then scored three and never trailed again, as junior opposite Nick Summers clobbered a short set from James Yurkovich, opposite/setter Damon DiSabato and Summers teamed on a block and outside hitter Ned Gruber kept a straight down Eagle blast in play which paid off when Watterson hit into the net. But Watterson stayed close by as Randolph responded with a kill that was blocked out and sophomore middle Kyle Storc smoked an overpass, and the teams exchanged points until junior outside Jack Otte scored on a cross court shot and senior setter Jordan Fry blocked to force a 10-all tie. Back and forth scoring continued with three more ties until the Cardinals parlayed two Eagle hitting errors into a five point run and an 18-13 lead. Summers contributed a block, outside Matt Van Volkenberg a cross court kill and Yurkovich a one handed save. DiSabato capped the rally with an open net kill from the right off a back set by Yurkovich, Summers having faked the blockers to the middle. The Cardinals expanded their lead to 20-14 and 24-17. Watterson mounted a furious but belated rally that began with two long Cardinal hits, the second ending a long volley that Van Volkenberg had kept alive with a dig on Randolph. The ensuing longer volley was kept alive by digs from Sellan and Van Volkenberg for the Cardinals, and Randolph and junior defensive specialist Erick Nelson for the Eagles, to name a few. Randolph ended it with a line drive that screamed off a block touch, and after a Cardinal timeout, he ended the next one as well. Sophomore middle Brian Raderstorf then served a high archer that looked long but dropped just inside the line. St. Charles called a second timeout, after which Raderstorf’s next delivery landed, luckily for the Cardinals, just outside the line making the score 25-22 instead of 24-23. Raderstorf opened game two by blasting a quick set from Nelson, and Otte put Watterson up 2-1 with a cross court smash. But Sellan halted the next long volley with a booming block, and Van Volkenberg served an ace. And after DiSabato kept a ceiling ricochet alive, Sellan spiked another kill and the Cardinals were never headed. Led by digging from libero Zach Hartmann, Gruber and Van Volkenberg, they increased their edge to 6-3, 10-6, 13-7 and 16-8 with DiSabato serving another ace and Van Volkenberg nailing three kills. DiSabato later made it 24-16 with another ace and Sellan terminated the game on a blast from the middle. The next game started with a long and frenetic volley which set the stage for what would be a battle to the bitter end. Watterson scored first, and with Raderstorf blocking Sellan, and Randolph and sophomore middle Kyle Storc spiking points, the Eagles took a 5-3 lead. St. Charles rallied in front 6-5 on a kill by Gruber and moved up 8-6, but the Eagles evened matters at 9-all. The Cardinals spurted back in front 12-9 on a kill and ace from DiSabato, and a quick set blast from Sellan. But Otte hammered a kill, after a great serve receive by Randolph, and Fry block killed a spike attempt by Sellan. And although the Cardinals still led 12-11 and they would never trail again, they could not shake the Eagles. The teams traded points as Watterson tied again at 17, 18 and 19. Gruber then put St. Charles back in front with a quick hit, and after the Eagles obliged with a long hit, Summers and Yurkovich teamed up for a block and a 22-19 edge. But the Eagles came right back with Randolph tipping into a hole and he and Kyle Storc double blocking. Quick thinking by Yurkovich averted another possible tie, however, as he deftly placed a dump that squirted off the hands of two diggers, and when Summers smoked an overpass the Cardinals were on the verge. Match point came on an Eagle spike into the net. Cardinals Coach Shane Farrell credited his team’s confidence and aggressive play for the win. He said “We realized (in game one) they were going to come out fired up, and when we handled their first burst of energy…we knew we were good to go”. Noting the Cardinals’ lack of height, Farrell added “we stayed aggressive and spread out the court”. The Cardinals (21-6) will face Roger Bacon (19-5) in a semifinal this Saturday at Walsh Jesuit High School. The Spartans nipped the Cardinals 25-19, 15-25, 18-16 in the Buckeye Classic on May 9. ***************************************************************** Mt. Vernon took advantage of three long runs to advance to a Division II state quarterfinal with a 25-17, 25-6, 22-25, 25-17 decision over Hilliard Davidson. In so doing they avenged an opening weekend home loss to Davidson that occurred in a tri-match with St. Edward in which everyone finished 1-1. Mt. Vernon opened with the first two points, started by a cross court kill from senior outside hitter Chris Hinger. Davidson tied on a quick hit kill by middle blocker Brian Lantz and a back court spike from junior outside David Carraher. And after a block by Mt. Vernon 6’4” junior setter/outside Carter Cassell, the Wildcats grabbed a 4-3 lead on a kill from junior opposite Bobby Powell. Cassell retied it, however, bringing Andre Nixon to the line, and when the junior outside was finished the Yellow Jackets were up 13-4. Junior middle Ben Bennett scored three on two tips and a perfectly timed block, Hinger and Cassell added kills, and sophomore outside Chris Omahan added a block. Davidson came back with four, but the Yellow Jackets kept them at bay, and with the score 23-17, junior setter/opposite Chris Ingersol terminated a cross court shot and Bennett produced another block to end it. Hinger began game two with a block kill, as the Yellow Jackets again opened with two. Davidson got kills from Lantz and Carraher off great sets by junior Cameron Brown and stayed close at 3-2. A long serve, however, brought Nixon to the line, and he proceeded to rattle off ten more points, including two aces. Bennett and Cassell each spiked kills, Hinger and Nixon made some difficult backcourt saves and Davidson also helped with some errors. The Wildcats never got out of their funk and the Yellow Jackets buzzed to the finish with Nixon prevailing on a play at the net for game point. That debacle might have let the wind out from some teams’ sails but Davidson, after spotting Mt. Vernon another 2-0 lead, went on a 6-1 run led by Powell and senior outside Brandon Bowers. Then they battled through nine ties and seven lead changes to prevail and force a fourth game. Mt. Vernon rallied back in front 11-9, paced by Hinger, with help from Omahan and Bennett. The Wildcats answered with three, and Mt. Vernon came back with four. With his team trailing 16-14, Davidson junior libero Michael Mikola dug a knock down spike and Mt. Vernon followed with a hit into the net. Powell and Lantz double block killed and a spike off the blocker by Bowers made it 17-16 Davidson. But Mt. Vernon retied and, after spotting Davidson two points on miscues, went back atop 20-19 on a big block from Bennett. Davidson retied on a hitting miscue and after a quick hit termination by Lantz and two aces by Bowers, the Wildcats were up 23-20. A serving error gave Mt. Vernon a reprieve and Ingersol cut the margin to one by ending a contested volley with a smash off the block. Carraher, however, advanced Davidson to game point with a kill, and when a Yellow Jacket hit sailed wide left, the game was over. Mt. Vernon started game four off with a 3-0 edge thanks to two kills by Hinger. But Davidson kept pace led by Powell, and they eventually tied at 8-all when Casey Null passed a would-be Mt. Vernon kill and Bowers blasted a point from back court. And after a kill by Carraher and an ace from Lantz, the Wildcats had their first lead of the game at 10-9. The teams exchanged leads five more times until, with Mt. Vernon on top 16-15, Lantz knotted it for the ninth time with a spike that was partially blocked but lifted. Wildcat hopes of a tiebreaker game were dashed, however, by another long Yellow Jacket run. Ingersol started it with a blast that was dug under the net. Davidson hit into the antenna on the next play, and promptly called timeout, but to no avail as junior defender Rodger Melick served all the way to 24. Hinger and Ingersol combined for three kills and Bennett blocked a Wildcat line drive attempt from back court, and Melick contributed an ace. One Davidson point later, Cassell ended both game and match with a two-handed dump that landed untouched in a hole. Mt. Vernon (21-4) moves on to play Cincinnati Elder (18-6) this Saturday in a quarterfinal at Walsh Jesuit High School. The Panthers upended GCL champion St. Xavier in their regional final. ***************************************************************** Hilliard Darby, which according to Coach Joe Ross has had trouble putting together back to back solid games, got two in a row to defeat Worthington Kilbourne 25-20, 16-25, 25-21, 25-21 in a rubber match between OCC Ohio Division co-champions. The two teams battled each other to the wire with great individual plays and team efforts, along with some errors and even a few controversies thrown in. Game one began a bit ragged as the Wolves scored the first two points and Darby answered with three. Kilbourne tied on a short set blast by senior middle blocker Sam Johnson. Following a kill by Darby junior outside Jeremy Wood, the Wolves moved on top 6-4 when senior setter/outside John Barry blasted a smash down the left and served an ace, and the Panthers mishandled a serve receive. Play became inconsistent as Darby went from down 7-5 to up 12-11, with nine of the eleven points resulting from errors. After that middle hitter Ethan Print, the lone only senior on Darby’s roster, terminated a quick set from Colin Ingram and he and outside Daniel Huey teamed on a block kill. And after a net serve, Huey spiked off the block and Print served an ace that gave Darby a 16-12 lead. The teams then exchanged miscues and Kilbourne narrowed to 18-16 on a well placed hit by Barry. At that juncture, 6’6” junior outside Brad Stimson blasted a kill, Print stuff blocked in the middle and right side Brent Runyon delivered a line drive ace to give Darby some breathing room at 21-16. With the score 22-19, Huey pounded two kills off blocks, and following another net serve, Wood scored the game winner on a kill from left to back middle off a set that Ingram made while falling backwards to the floor. Game two began with extreme intensity as Print and Huey scored points one and three for Darby on blocks. In between, Huey terminated a wild back and forth digging battle that left defenders stretched all over the floor. Senior middle blocker Ben Gentry got the Wolves on the scoreboard and the teams traded scores, with a three point run capped by an ace from Runyon leaving Darby atop 9-5. Kilbourne answered with three as Barry terminated and sophomore middle Connor Peck blocked. Scoring continued back and forth until Kilbourne, paced by Gentry who served an ace and made some great digs, scored four to go up 15-13. Gentry, Barry and junior libero Tim Wilson, produced more back court magic to fuel two additional four point spurts, and an ace by Johnson gave them a 23-15 lead. One Darby point later, Barry spiked the Wolves to game point, and after a diving one-handed save by Gentry, 6’8” junior outside Colin Hackworth put the game on ice with a blast down the right. At that point Coach Ross reminded his players of the importance of putting good games together. He noted that the match was at this point “a wash”, adding “It’s a best of three…let’s go out and worry about this one”. But game three began even more raggedly than the first, and the teams combined for eight miscues including five net serves, leaving Darby with a 6-5 advantage. From that point the Panthers scored two on a kill by junior outside/middle Jake East and another ace from Runyon. Kilbourne, however, fought back and knotted things at nine as Barry blasted two kills and Peck blocked Print. Print commenced a three point Darby spurt to 12-9 with a block on Gentry, who in turn ended the run and a long volley with a well placed hit. With Darby up 14-11, Wolves’ setter/outside Jake Schick pounded a cross court shot that was dug into the wall. That sparked a four point string to a 15-14 Kilbourne lead. The Wolves moved further ahead 19-16, after another spike by Schick sliced off a defensive touch, Hackworth block killed and a Panther hitter spiked out trying to get over Hackworth. On the next volley a Wolves attempt to bury an overpass went awry, but Johnson made it 20-17 when he ended yet another extended volley with a block. At this juncture, Print took charge of things. He first demolished a short set from Ingram, then found a hole in the middle, and proceeded to tie the game with a block kill. A Wolves’ timeout was to no avail as their next two attempts went into the net, and a second timeout was followed by another hit into the net, putting the Panthers on top 23-20. Darby then obliged with an error, but Print lined a quick set into an empty back middle, and another hitting error by Kilbourne ended the game. Game four was the most fiercely contested of the match, with four ties to 4-4, and 13 ties overall and six lead changes. Kilbourne led at several junctures, but never by more than one. A telling factor was the service line where the Wolves had five miscues to just one for Darby. Huey began the scoring for Darby with a knock down kill. Peck reposted for the Wolves with a blast to backcourt, and an ace by sophomore Chad Ellwood put them ahead 2-1. From there Schick terminated into back middle and Johnson fielded a dump attempt by Ingram into a hole on the Panthers’ side. But those points were preceded by serving errors, forestalling any momentum, and Darby regained the edge 5-4 on a kill by Runyon and a short set termination from Print. Kilbourne moved back on top 9-8 and 10-9 on kills by Barry and Gentry, but Darby used a four point run to move in front 13-10. Kilbourne rallied to retie, and although the Panthers remained a step or two ahead, there were more ties at 14, 16 and 18. Then Peck blocked Print in the middle, and the Wolves were again on top 19-18. With Panther players claiming Kilbourne was in the net, Coach Ross called timeout and reminded his team they could not think about what Kilbourne was doing, or they would lose focus. Play resumed with an extremely contested volley, which Gentry prolonged with a spectacular diving dig. Darby finally won the point on a tip by either Print or Huey - bodies were flying everywhere - and Wood added a big block on his left to give the Panthers a 20-19 lead. Kilbourne followed that with a tying block kill, or so it seemed, but the point was overruled and awarded to Darby on a back row blocker call. Panther sophomore defensive specialist Evan Bell served an ace for a 22-19 lead. After a Kilbourne timeout another exciting volley ensued with Bell contributing an incredible dig, but the Wolves’ defense outlasted the Panthers who eventually got caught in the net. However, a net serve prevented Kilbourne from gaining traction. This was followed by the volley of the day, if not the entire season, with both sides making one great dig after another. Play appeared to end when a Darby hitter spiked off the blocker on the right side, but upon raising his hands in celebration, was stunned to see Gentry sprawled on the floor in front of the scorer’s table and the ball very much in play. Soon after Hackworth definitively stopped play with a termination. Huey, however, parried with a well placed hit off a block that landed in a hole. That put Darby at match point and when Kilbourne hit into the net the match was over. Darby (13-10) moves on to a state quarterfinal with Archbishop Moeller (21-5) on Saturday at Walsh Jesuit High School, where they will attempt to avenge a first round Centerville Elite loss to the Crusaders.
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