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St. Francis DeSales advances to first regional final since 2004; Mansfield Madison topples red hot Padua Franciscan By Jim Jicha St. Francis DeSales defeated Celina 25-14, 25-15, 25-17 in a regional semifinal played last Thursday night at Ontario High School. This marks the furthest advance in the state tournament by the Stallions since 2004 when former Georgia Tech star Talisa Kellogg led them to the final four. “I’m very happy with our play”, DeSales Coach Kelly Morgan said afterward. “We beat a good team, Jonathan Alder, to get here. We’d never seen Celina, so we worked on placement of hits, and our hitters adjusted well in finding holes. We also worked on serve receive and serves”. DeSales, which kept Celina guessing with their mixed bag servers going short and long, missed only one serve all evening. Game one went back and forth to 11-11, then the Stallions galloped away. DeSales took a 2-0 lead on a kill by 5’10” senior outside Tyler Craig and a dump from senior setter Kelli Linsenmayer. Senior 6’0” middle hitter Lizz Carr broke the ice for Celina, but DeSales advanced to 4-1 on kills from 5’11” sophomore Kenya Cason and 6’0” junior Erika Brown. With DeSales up 5-3, Celina 5’11” senior Zoe Kriegel hammered a shot to right back and the Bulldogs rallied in front as senior outside Sara Homan added a kill and 6’0” sophomore middle Michaela Wenning demolished a back set from Angie Fisher up the middle. Brown, however, tipped and spiked two points for DeSales, and while Fisher blocked her next attempt Celina would never lead again. The Stallions went up 11-8 on kills by Craig and a block from 6’0” senior right side Alexa Brown. Carr rejected a spike from Brown and scored with a tip on the next volley, and she retied it at eleven with two blocks in the middle. Alexa Brown, however, ended the run with a kill, and after Celina hit into the net, Craig singed the right corner with a blast from middle. DeSales added two more after a Celina timeout. Carr scored with a tip to end the string, but after a net serve Craig served an ace as DeSales advanced to 19-12. With the score 20-14, Erika Brown scored the first of three kills, and DeSales sprinted to the finish on serving by Linsenmayer. Celina scored first in the second set when 6’0” junior middle/outside Beth Homan ended a long volley with a seam splitter to an empty right back court. Cason tied it for DeSales, but Kriegel answered her and the Bulldogs went up 3-1. But when Celina over passed a spike from Craig, Cason terminated into right back, Erika Brown followed with a kill, and after two Bulldog errors and a dump by Linsenmayer, the Stallions were on top 6-3. Carr ended the run, but DeSales upped their margin to 12-5 on two three-pointers. Sara and Beth Homan led a three-point Celina rally, but a net infraction gave the serve to DeSales in the person of Erika Brown who dished up two aces. DeSales middle McKenzie Cook served four points to up the lead to 20-10 and Erika Brown eventually ended the game with a blast to back middle. The Bulldogs got on the board first in game three on a hitting error. DeSales took a 2-1 lead on an ace by Erika Brown, and the lead changed hands two more times with six ties to 6-6. Celina moved in front again 8-6 after a tip by Fisher and a dig from senior libero Kiernon Koontz that lined over the net into a hole. DeSales answered with two but a long serve kept Celina a step ahead at 9-8. At that juncture, Alexa Brown block killed for an eighth tie and Craig paced DeSales to a 12-9 lead. The Stallions advanced to 15-10 and scoring went back and forth to 21-17. DeSales sprinted to match point from there, led by three kills from Craig. “We really did a good job blocking on Carr” Coach Morgan said afterward. “Our focus was there” she added. “They know they have to perform to get anywhere at this level”. Celina Coach Carolyn Dammeyer said her team had a better showing than last year. “We fought hard against a good team that was better than I expected”. She continued “They picked up a lot of our hits and we didn’t take them out of their offense". Dammeyer said she especially impressed with DeSales junior libero Bella Guanciale. The Bulldogs got off to a 1-4 start this season (two losses were to St. Henry and Buckeye Central) but rebounded to end the regular season 16-6. They won the Western Buckeye League despite dropping the WBL opener 22-25, 22-25, 25-22, 29-27, 14-16 on September 1 to Ottawa-Glandorf. “I was proud of our girls after that slow start" said Dammeyer. "They were determined to fix it, and only lost two more after the first week. After losing our first league match to O-G, we won the league for the fourth straight year”. Celina has won the WBL 27 times overall. DeSales, meanwhile, finished second in the tough Central Catholic League which sent four teams to regionals this year. Bishop Hartley and Bishop Ready are headed for state. The Stallions handed Hartley their only league loss. Match Notes: 1) DeSales went down hill after reaching the state semifinal in 2004, winning only five matches in 2008. Kelly Morgan took over in 2009 and they’ve improved steadily since, going 13-12, 19-7 last season and 24-2 this year. 2) The Stallions are hard to defend with a balanced attack. Kenya Cason, Tyler Craig and Erika Brown each have over 240 kills, and Alexa Brown is pushing 175. DeSales Stats: Tyler Craig 10 service points, 16-16 serving, 10 kills, 2 block kills, 11 digs; Alexa Brown 11 service points, 4 block kills, 2 solo blocks, Kenya Cason 10 kills, 4 block kills, Erika Brown 12 kills, 11 digs; Bella Guanciale 16 digs; Kelli Linsenmayer 26 assists, McKenzie Cook 10 service points, 3 block kills *************************************************************************** On her way into the media room following her team’s five-game regional semifinal win over Parma Padua Franciscan at Ontario High School last week, Mansfield Madison middle hitter Dakia Sellers commented to two of her teammates “We’re going to state, baby”. Madison still had to get past a tough St. Francis DeSales team on Saturday (they did 25-22, 25-22, 18-25, 26-24), so her remark was premature, but the 5’6” middle hitter who’d paced the Rams with 19 kills and 10 blocks had reason to be confident. For the Rams had just knocked off one of the state’s hottest Division II teams. Padua was on a 13-match win streak. Victims included state ranked Walsh Jesuit (who would take down undefeated Massillon Jackson in a regional final), Lake Catholic, Stow and Norwalk. Two other late season Padua wins were five-gamers over unranked Beaumont, who knocked out defending state champion Lake Catholic out in their regional final. Madison’s goal of returning to the final four was now much closer to becoming a reality. Sellers led off the match for Madison with a slam into an empty right corner, but the Rams got into the net on the next volley and the teams exchanged net serves. Sophomore right side Sarah Peterson put Padua on top 3-2. There would be five more ties, but the Bruins would never trail again even though Rams 5’10” senior outside Ashley Galbraith would terminate two of the next three volleys. Bruin 5’11” senior outside Nicole Trapp answered with kills both times, and when she rotated back junior outside Macy Budzik took over with two more. Peterson blocked Padua in front 8-6. Sellers demolished a quick set from setter Kenzie Lauber and retied it with a block in to middle, but junior middle Marissa Jay kept Padua in charge with a slam in the middle that was blocked out and Padua edged ahead 10-9 on a long hit. After point trading, 5’10” sophomore setter Gina Kilner upped the lead to 13-10, and following a kill by Rams’ outside Emilee Muzechuk, Padua senior outside Jessica Smith slammed a cross-court kill off a dig to up the Bruins margin to 15-11. With the score 15-13, Bruins’ senior outside Jessica Smith hammered a kill off the slide, igniting a five-point run to which Budzik contributed two kills and freshman middle blocker Katie Stansbury an ace. From there Padua advanced to 23-14 and Peterson eventually ended the game with a kill. Madison’s first hit went long to start game two, but after two blasts by Sellers, Padua got rolling again as Peterson tipped and spiked for points, while Djukic and sophomore libero Jenna Veres kept partial blocks in play. Djukic also passed a slam from Sellers, and after two errors by Madison the Bruins were up 5-3. Mistakes would, however, plague Padua, and when Lauber ended their run with a one-handed dump to the left line, they obliged with three hitting errors. Peterson retied at six, and Madison moved in front 9-7 on kills by Eilenfeld, Galbraith and Muzechuk. Padua retook the lead 10-9 as Budzik spiked and blocked for two and Stansbury served another ace. The Bruins then lifted while trying to slam an overpass, and Sellers block killed them on a slide right, and they would not lead again. Muzechuk and Lauber kept the floor clear of Bruins’ spikes, Sellers found a hole in the middle, and Muzechuk put an ace between two Padua hitting errors as the Rams butted ahead 15-11. Padua closed to 16-14, and 17-16 on miscues by both teams, but Madison kept pace to 20-18. The Bruins tied it again at 20 on a kill by Budzik and a center line violation. The Rams took charge, however, with Helbig smashing a back set from Lauber and Muzechuk dishing up an ace, and the Bruins took a timeout after hitting the antenna. Sellers greeted their return with a demolition into right back and one Bruin point later she ended the game with a booming block on the right. Game three was pivotal for both teams. The Rams overcame an early Padua lead and withstood a Padua rally from 22-17 and 24-22 to prevail. Galbraith and Eilenfeld played key roles in keeping Padua from getting too far ahead early on, and Sellers put a brake on the rally at the end. Errors again played a factor as Padua committed eleven to but four for Madison. The Rams helped bring about some hitting errors, but three serving miscues and two long hits were unforced. Padua setter Marty Djukic started things off with an ace, Budzik spiked a cross-court kill and Jay crushed a kill off a dig in the middle (after Carper dug her previous offering). After the Bruins advanced to 5-1, Eilenfeld intervened with two powerful blasts kills. Peterson upped the lead to 7-3, spiking a kill and helping 5’10” freshman middle on a block. Galbraith cut the lead to 8-6 with a tip and spike. Trapp scored with a slam right at a defender, but Padua hit long after retrieving a spike from Galbraith. Heading to the line, Galbraith continued to give the Bruins fits with her powerful serves, and the Rams took an 11-9 lead on three errors and a termination from Sellers who had thus far in the game been quiet. Galbraith finally served into the net, but Helbig smashed a Lauber quick set and Sellers found a hole to make it 13-10. Lauber made a huge play by converting a bad pass into a scoring dump for a 15-12 lead. The Bruins obliged with another long hit and Carper dished up an ace. The Bruins were down 17-12, and after some back-and-forth it was 22-17. That’s when Padua rallied, as Budzik scored off a touch on the left, Djukic dished up an ace and Madison hit into the net (Peterson was there for the block anyway). Sellers intervened with a sky shot to the middle to nudge the Madison closer 23-20. The Rams served long, however, and Trapp blocked Eilenfeld in the middle. Sellers put the Rams at game point with another slam to right middle. Jay answered with a slam that was blocked over but out, Peterson knotted the game with a slam off the block, and play became frantic. Galbraith scored with a clutch spike from the left. Peterson answered with a cross-court shot to an empty corner and Galbraith responded in kind to keep the Rams in control. Lauber abruptly ended the frenzy with what may have been the biggest ace serve of her career, thereby ensuring a game five if necessary. When Padua returned to form in the next set, it became necessary. Muzechuk opened the fourth set with a sinking ace, but Peterson answered with a termination. Jay followed with a kill and helped Trapp defend the net on a long volley that Peterson ended with another termination. Padua rejected several parries on the ensuing play before Eilenfeld finally got a slam through on the left. For Madison, 3-2 was as close as they could get as the Bruins would yield but two points on errors the entire game. Padua opened up leads of 6-2 and 11-4 on kills by Stansbury, Trapp and Budzik. Madison kept within 16-13 and 18-16 striking distance on two aces by Elienfeld and points from Galbraith and Sellers. But after a long serve by the Rams, Padua upped the lead to 23-17 as Trapp pounded two kills (one off a set from Stansbury) and also kept Sellers at bay. Peterson sent the match into overtime with a cross-court slam off the block from the right. Alas for Padua, their momentum did not carry over into the final set. Madison jumped out 2-0 on a net serve and a knock down kill by Sellers. Peterson put Padua on the board with a cross-court shot, but Helbig ended the following fiercely contested volley with a well placed two-handed pop. The next three volleys were hard fought but they all ended in favor of the Rams. Digs by Lauber helped the Rams outlast Padua on the first. Galbraith won the next with a kill off the block. Following a timeout, Lauber and Eilenfeld rejected two spikes and the Bruins hit into the net. Padua Coach Jim BeHarry would later say “In a match like this a two-point lead is huge”. Madison was now in front 6-1 in the race to 15. The Bruins fought back with four straight, however, as Trapp terminated after Carper dug her first delivery. Trapp and Stansbury teamed up on a block, and Madison hit into the antenna after Djukic returned a powerful blast from Galbraith. Peterson spiked off the block to make it 6-5. Hitting took center stage as the teams took turns blasting points to 9-8. Then Budzik timed Muzechuk perfectly for a block kill to tie. But Sellers alertly holed a point to keep Padua from taking the lead, and Muzechuk avenged the block with an ace. Padua hit long and took a timeout. Their next spike went to Lauber, forcing her to make the pass, but Sellers finessed that problem by setting Eilenfeld for a bomb that was dug into the stands. The Rams were up 13-9. Smith broke the run with a kill off the block. Sellers answered with a quick set hit that went straight down at the net and was lifted. Padua went to their right for their next spike, and Sellers’ perfectly timed solo block slammed into an empty area near the line. Mansfield Madison still had to plat St. Francis DeSales, but two huge obstacles, Norwalk and Padua Franciscan, were out of the way. The Rams had rallied from 12-14 in the tiebreaker to beat Norwalk 29-27, 24-26, 17-25, 27-25, 16-14, and after the win over Padua a relieved Coach Jen Lauber joked “They’re trying to give me a heart attack or something”. Turning serious she said “will power” kept them focused on the prize. “They know how to win” she added, describing her seniors as “five potential presidents-to-be who are all going to be successful”. Lauber said her team plays mini-games to help stay focused. We don’t look at the whole game but we break it into three-point increments. We take it one piece at a time, and try to win the pieces. “An inch is a cinch, by the yard it’s hard” is the Rams’ motto. The Rams were successful in fighting off fatigue at the end, according to Dakia Sellers. “We were tired but we had to do it, and I couldn’t let them down”. Still celebrating the end of the match, she said “I love blocking people, especially if they are taller than me”, referring to her match ending block. Coach Lauber said her team ran a fast offense to keep Padua guessing. She noted that her setter, who is also her daughter, and Sellers often improvise at the net. “On one play they ran a spur-of-the-moment curl without knowing what they were going to do beforehand”. Padua Coach Jim BeHarry summed the match with “We’ve been battling Madison since ’08. It was a great volleyball match, it was electric. The team that made the fewest mistakes won, and that’s the way it should be”. It was all of that and then some. Match Note: Dakia Sellers described what it looks like when she launches herself in the air for a spike. “I can see over the block, I can see the hole, and I just smash it”. Actually, she sometimes doesn’t smash it. Sellers has an uncanny knack for tipping into spots so difficult to reach that if a defender does get there the dig slices out of play, or tipping straight down at someone who has no alternative but to lift. “Sellers is very athletic and we knew she could go over the top” Padua Coach Jim BeHarry said, adding “She hit some tips to really nice spots”. Sellers gave credit to “a great setter” for her success. “She (Kenzie Lauber) sets me perfect”, said Sellers. Madison Stats: Assists: Lauber 39; Kills: Sellers 19, Galbraith 16; Blocks: Sellers 10 solo; Digs: Carper, Muzechuk 11; Aces: Muzechuk 3, Eilenfeld 2
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