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Toledo Central Catholic erases memories of disappointing season start with state championship November 19, 2007 By Jim Jicha The season did not start well for Toledo Central Catholic. Playing in the Best of Ohio Invitational over Labor Day weekend, they lost to Walsh Jesuit and St. Henry, and barely nipped Elyria for seventh place. Last week the Irish concluded their season in totally opposite fashion, sweeping Columbus Bishop Hartley in straight sets 25-19, 26-24, 25-17 to capture the Division II state championship. Big swings were the norm for the Irish who trounced Celina in their regional semifinal but had to stave off an upset bid by Mansfield Madison in the final. In the state semifinal they put together two awesome games to overcome a 0-2 deficit against unbeaten top ranked Salem 22-25, 19-25, 25-15, 25-6, 15-13. Ironically, Salem had nipped Walsh Jesuit, the teams’ only common opponent, in their regional. Central scored some impressive wins during the season. They took third in Cincinnati Mother of Mercy’s Fall Classic by defeating Division I powers Magnificat and Solon. And they knocked off St. Ursula and split with Notre Dame Academy in the City League. It was those wins over D-I powers that “helped us get our composure and confidence” for the state tourney run, according to Coach Melissa Belcher. She called winning state “the best feeling ever”, adding “this was a great group of girls to do it with…I didn’t want it to end”. Belcher credited everyone on the team for playing a part in the win, and the stats bear that out. Four players recorded eight or more kills, and libero Amanda Gray had three. Six players registered six or more digs, including 6’2” University of Alabama outside hitting recruit Ashley Frazier who had 12. Frazier led both teams with 15 kills. She said that winning the title “was definitely our goal and Coach (Belcher) did a great job getting us in this position”. Echoing Belcher’s comments about everyone’s contributions, she added “the people who don’t get in to play pushed us in practice”. Ironically, Central was unranked in all but the last two polls of the regular season. They debuted at ninth the next to last week and finished tenth. Being unranked was actually a good thing according to right side hitter Amanda Arnold. “That took the pressure off of us…when we were not ranked nobody was watching us”. Bishop Hartley, on the other hand, finished sixth after being ranked number one in the first poll. The Hawks defeated second ranked and unbeaten Tipp City Tippecanoe in the semifinal. Although his players were in tears after the loss, Coach Max Miller said” I think the kids are going to appreciate it after a couple days. It’s going to be our first banner on the wall, it’s our first trophy. It hurts now, it’s human to want a little bit more, and a little bit more was one more game”. Outside hitter and three-year starter Teresa Trucco agreed with his assessment. “I’m really proud, we really did accomplish a lot. We’re the first (volleyball) team in school history to come to state”. Trucco, who led Hartley with 11 kills and was second in digs with 13, started the past two seasons when the Hawks lost at the regional. Last’s year they fell to Central rival Big Walnut, a team they’d beaten earlier. Addie Zavatsky said playing with “heart” was a key to Hartley’s success, explaining that their attitude was “Every ball that comes on our side of the court, everyone better be chasing it”. In the title match the Hawks also did a good job of keeping balls on the Central’s side of the court. With no one taller than 5’11”, they out blocked an opponent with three 6’ plus hitters 9-1. In the end, Miller attributed the loss to less than stellar serving and serve receive, which he said was a must to beat taller teams like Central. But the loss also had a lot to do with Frazier whose arm was on fire when game two reached its climatic crescendo. With Central trailing 14-11, the University of Alabama recruit spiked nine of her match high 15 kills. Game one was close early, with five ties up to 6-6 and two lead changes. Hartley tied at 3 on a cross court spike by Trucco, and took their only lead on an Irish attack error, but Gray retied with a kill from back court off a set by middle hitter Kristi Helldobler. Ashley Sujkowski spiked Central ahead, for good as it turned out, and then set Gray for a second kill. Zavatsky spiked two kills, the second after a diving save at the net by Hartley middle Giana D’Andrea, to cut the lead to 10-8, but the Irish roared back with six straight. Sujkowski nailed a kill, Gray served two aces, junior Julia Haupricht tipped for a point, and Arnold blasted a Kelsey Gerken short set. Hartley scored two of the next three, but Frazier smoked a liner down left side to start a four point spurt. Trailing 22-11, Hartley rallied for five with Trucco contributing a kill and setter Nicole Howard an ace. Frazier ended that with a termination shot that was blocked over but out, and a Hawk attack error put the Irish on the cusp. Following a net serve, Allison Hagans and Lindsey Coffield teamed for a block on Frazier, and Hagans drilled a kill down the right. But a hit into the net ended the game. Hartley, however, continued their hot streak into the next frame, scoring after a great dig by libero Abby Weisenberger was followed by a Central miscue. Setter Lindsay Gaughan followed with an ace. Central went up 3-2 on three cross court blasts, the first by Arnold and the next two from Amber Wiczynski. Hartley followed with a seven point run, the longest of the match by either team. It started when D’Andrea and Loren Fallert blocked Frazier. Zavatsky served the run and also scored with a back court spike that was dug back over but out. Trucco added a kill, D’Andrea hammered a short set from Gaughan, and D’Andrea and Fallert kept Frazier’s spikes from coming over. The Irish narrowed the margin to 12-10, but Zavatsky crunched an overpass kill to end a frantic volley kept alive by digs from Weisenberger and Frazier. Frazier then led a 6-2 run that tied the game at 16. Sujkowski spiked a kill and Frazier tipped for the first two points. D’Andrea intervened with a kill in the middle, but Frazier demolished a cross court shot and an attack error left the Irish down by one. And after Zavatsky scored on a kill off the block, Frazier cremated two more points, first a blast from left side to right corner, the second from middle to right. D’Andrea kept Hartley a step ahead, but Frazier followed with a knock down kill. And after Trucco terminated a kill down the right, Central took the lead with Sujkowski spiking a kill and Arnold blocking for the go ahead. Trucco smoked an overpass to retie at 19. From there the teams traded scores with Central a step ahead to a 24-24 tie. The volleys were intense and only one ended on an error. Frazier demolished a spike to put Central up 22-21. On the next volley, D’Andrea dug a smash from Frazier, Irish defensive specialist Chrissy Ankenbrandt dug D’Andrea, and a few digs later Zavatsky tied it again with a heads up play at the net. Frazier and Trucco exchanged two powerful kills each, bringing both crowds to their feet and the score to 24-all. But Hartley had no answer to Frazier who, although she was now in backcourt, blasted yet another kill. And when Sujkowski ended the point trading with a kill down left side, Central was up 2-0. As soon as her players were in the huddle, Belcher stressed the need to keep up their intensity. “The first thing I said was just because you’re up 2-0 doesn’t mean anything”. Heeding her admonitions, Central jumped in front 6-1 in game three, and although Hartley stayed within striking distance, there were no lead changes or ties. Frazier began with a termination, and also cratered an overpass as Wiczynski chipped in with a point. When Hartley closed to 7-4, Helldobler answered with a kill and Frazier served an ace. D’Andrea and Fallert blocked Sujkowski for a point, but Sujkowski retorted with a termination down the left. Central upped their lead to 12-6 and kept pace to 15-9. Hartley scored two and eventually got within 19-16. But following a cross court blast by Arnold and two Hartley errors the margin was back to six at 22-16. An attack error by Central was followed by a service error from Hartley, and Wiczynski demolished Central’s penultimate point down the right line. On the next volley Trucco and Zavatsky showed Hartley’s heart after a spike by Haupricht ricocheted backward off the dig. Leaving everything on the floor the two sprinted deep behind the back line and managed to get to the ball and redirect it back into play. But it had gone too far, and it dropped on Hartley’s side for match point. ***************************************************************************** Stats: Central: Kills: Frazier 15, Arnold 10, Wiczynski and Sujkowski 8; Assists: Arnold 22, Gerken 19; Digs: Gray 19, Frazier 12, Arnold 10, Ankenbrandt 9, Gerken 7, Sujkowski 6; Aces: Gray 2 Hartley: Kills: Trucco 11, Zavatsky 9, D’Andrea 8; Assists: Gaughan 16, Howard 12; Digs: Weisenberger 14, Trucco 13, Howard 9, Zavatsky 6, D’Andrea 5; Blocks: Fallert and D’Andrea 3
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