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St. Ursula wins Best of Ohio again

September 7, 2007

By Jim Jicha

It seemed as if the Best of Ohio Volleyball Tournament, held annually on Labor Day weekend at Toledo St. Ursula, might be wide open for a change. Olmsted Falls and Anthony Wayne were undefeated. Meanwhile, the defending champ Cincinnati St. Ursula Bulldogs were 0-2, while the host Arrows were starting two freshmen. 

The tournament has been won by a St. Ursula, either Cincinnati or Toledo, every year since 2002 when the Arrows began hosting it. Only in 2005, when St. Henry knocked off Cincinnati in the first round, has another school even made it to the championship. 

And cracking the ivory tower wasn’t in the cards this year either, as Cincinnati nipped Toledo 25-22, 25-22 in a déjà vu of last year’s final. 

Two things must be noted. Cincinnati’s losses were to nationally ranked Kentucky powers, one in five games. And you would never have guessed by watching that Arrows’ setter Veronica Zimmerman and their middle hitter Maggie Burnham were frosh. 

In the first round, Anthony Wayne won out over Olmsted Falls 25-22, 14-25, 25-18, while Toledo St. Ursula did have some difficulty with pesky Elyria 22-25, 25-18, 25-17. A reloaded Walsh Jesuit surprised Central Catholic 23-25, 25-22, 25-18. 

But, ominously, Cincinnati St. Ursula breezed past St. Henry. 

The Bulldogs and Arrows then proceeded to roll into the final, defeating Walsh Jesuit and Anthony Wayne, respectively. 

The championship match was a tense back-and-forth struggle as each team came up with big plays to keep the other from gaining momentum. The longest run by either team was four, the biggest lead three, and there were twenty ties in the two games. 

With the Bulldogs up 6-4 in game one, Toledo scored four straight on three kills by senior outside Hannah Boggus and an ace from Florida State recruit Alliya Drzewiecki. Bulldog spiker Jayna Stenger ended that with a kill and Cincinnati pushed back on top 11-9. Junior Maggie Naayers got Toledo back on track and the Arrows retied at 16 on another Drzewiecki ace. 

But the Bulldogs kept the edge despite four more ties, and Courtney Gagnon finally put Cincinnati on top for good 22-21 with a kill to the back middle. Soon after Stenger smoked a cross court shot into the Arrows’ right corner, and she and junior hitter Elizabeth Williams teamed up for a game winning block. 

Toledo jumped out 3-0 in game two on kills by Katie Bingle and Drzewiecki and an ace from Kim Juhnke. A four-point run put Cincinnati atop 6-5, as Williams blasted a Kelsey Nurre short set up the middle, Nurre blocked for a point, and Williams scored off a slide. 

With Toledo up 13-12, Bulldog outside College of Charleston recruit Emily Shelton clobbered three straight kills from the left, and although there were three more ties, Cincinnati was never again headed. Arrow libero Shannon Kanary tied it at 18 with a diving dig over the net that the Bulldogs couldn’t handle. But Cincinnati hitter Alexandria Schulcz parried that with two kills, and after another point from Drzewiecki, Stenger spiked a kill and blocked Drzewiecki for a 22-19 lead. 

Arrow hopes remained alive as smash Drzewiecki drove a smash past the block down the left line, and Kanary served up an ace. However, Shelton upped the ante with a block. Drzewiecki scored again, but Stenger smashed a Nurre backset cross-court off a blocker, and Williams and Nurre administered the coup de grace with a block. 

The Warriors of Walsh Jesuit used a big comeback in game three to nip Anthony Wayne for third 23-25, 25-16, 27-25. The Generals had charged to a 7-0 lead behind the hitting of 6’0” junior hitter Allison Papenfuss, 6’0” junior setter Jordan Floyd and freshman outside Alexa Bowyer. But Walsh closed to 13-10 behind the hitting of 5’11” senior Anne Dorff and 5’11” sophomore Allison Foschia. 

Still trailing 21-17, the Warriors erupted for five points on a dump by setter Annie Djukic, three kills by outside Katie Zawalksi, and a well placed hit by Ariel Pond. 

Becky Gil and Dana Hilfinger put the Generals back on top 24-23, but Zawalski tied it with a shot right at someone, and Dorff pounded a point down the middle. Papenfuss tied it again, but following an untimely net serve, Warrior outside Kalie Marshall drilled a spike off the block to clinch the win. 

Olmsted Falls topped St. Henry 25-18, 25-14 for fifth. Bulldog 6’1” junior outside Lauren Whyte smoked a Julie Radigan set and Calli Roberts served up an ace for the win. St. Henry was led by the hitting of juniors Brooke Mattingly and Shelby Buschur. 

Toledo Central Catholic nipped Elyria for seventh 24-26, 25-19, 25-23. Trailing 20-19 in the tiebreaker, Central moved ahead on the serving of Ashley Frazier. Alex Gbur and Kirsti Helldobler then spiked the Irish to victory. Pacing Elyria were junior outside Amanda Medvetz, sophomore middle Brigette Jones and libero Jen Bower.