2011 State Championship Scores

Division III
Miami East (29-1) def. Gilmour Academy (26-3) 26-24, 17-25, 25-23, 25-21

Division II
Bishop Hartley (24-5) def. Archbishop Alter (19-10) 25-20, 18-25, 25-18, 25-21

Division I
Mt. Notre Dame (24-5) def. Toledo St. Ursula (28-1) 25-14, 25-22, 23-25, 25-8

Division IV
St. Henry (28-1) def. (24-5) Tuscarawas Central Catholic 25-14, 25-12, 22-25, 25-18

2011 Division IV Semifinals

Division IV Semifinals

Tuscarawas Central Catholic (24-4) def. Reedsville Eastern (27-1) 22-25, 25-8, 25-20, 25-12

St. Henry (27-1) def. Mohawk (25-3) 25-9, 23-25, 25-19, 12-25, 15-11

2011 Division I Semifinals

Mt. Notre Dame, Toledo St. Ursula advance to rematch of 2000 state championship

When Cincinnati Mt. Notre Dame and Toledo St. Ursula square off at the Nutter Center on Saturday, the Arrows will be looking to avenge the 2000 state championship in which Mt. Notre dame beat them 12-15, 15-5, 15-11.

St. Ursula got some measure of satisfaction in a state semifinal win over the Cougars in 2005, but they fell to Cincinnati Seton in that year’s final.

Mt. Notre Dame overcame a Findlay squad that wouldn’t quit 25-21, 26-28, 25-15, 25-15 in the first semifinal. The Trojans took leads of 2-0 in every game, (3-0 in game three), and although the final two set scores look decisive, the Cougars had to win long volleys to get the job done. Cougar Coach Joe Burke said afterward “we preach ‘play long points, don’t get frustrated’ in practice”.

Burke said his team served and serve received a lot better in the final two sets. “I could find the holes” MND outside hitter Michelle Strizak said afterward. The University of Illinois bound outside hitter was a big difference in the match with 20 kills – no one else on either team was in double figures – and she terminated many volleys. She also dished up three aces when the Cougars pulled away from 18-14 in game four.

Four Trojans were in double figures in digs, led by outside hitter Kayce Krucki.

Findlay had survived a similar situation in the regional final, when they rallied from 20-14 in game four to defeat 27-1 Pickerington North 17-25, 25-23, 20-25, 26-24, 15-9.

The Arrows had previously beaten Walsh Jesuit 25-23, 25-20 in the title match of their Best of Ohio tournament on Labor Day weekend.

Walsh Jesuit rallied from 14-6 deficit in game two and led 24-22 before Arrows’ 6’2” junior outside hitter Maddie Burnham put the game away. St. Ursula was led by 6’0” University of New Hampshire bound middle Cassidy Croci with 12 kills and 4 blocks. Croci is nicknamed Miss Intensity and when you see her play you know why. “She never takes a second off” St. Ursula Coach John Buck said afterward. "You can’t teach intensity. She’s got it”.

St. Ursula was expected to beat Walsh Jesuit in their volleyball semifinal, but when they took down the defending state champion Warriors in the soccer state semifinal, that was a shocker. Walsh Jesuit was ranked second in the nation! The Arrows held the Warriors scoreless through 80 minutes of regular time and two 15-minute overtimes, and beat them 1-0 on penalty kicks.

2011 Girls Division II Semifinals

Archbishop Alter, Bishop Hartley advance to final

Archbishop Alter will go for their fourth state title after knocking off second ranked Mansfield Madison 24-26, 25-21, 25-17, 25-23. The Knights toppled top rated unbeaten Wyoming in a five game regional semifinal last Saturday.

Alter went all the way in their first three final four appearances. They were runner-up in 2008, and fell to state champion Lake Catholic in a five-game state semifinal last year.

Penn State recruit Megan Courtney led Alter with 22 kills, and 19 digs. She also put up 19 assists. Sophomore setter Mary Rodehaver led with 22 assists. The Knights were somewhat successful in containing Madison star Dakia Sellers, but the 5’6” middle with a 33-inch vertical still recorded 11 kills and two solo blocks. Three of those kills came in game two when the Rams rallied from 20-22.

Bishop Hartley, making their fourth state appearance in five years, prevailed over Beaumont 22-25, 29-27, 25-22, 25-22 in the first Division II semifinal match on Thursday. Beaumont had never been to state before, and until two weeks ago they'd never gotten out of their district. Beaumont Coach Pat Royer said experience and nerves might have been a factor, although his team didn’t appear nervous.

Beaumont actually outplayed Hartley in key attack categories, leading in kills and kill efficiency while making one less hitting error. Unlike football, where it is not uncommon for a team to lose despite having more yards, first downs and/or winning time of possession, it is very rare to see a volleyball team with an advantage in attack stats lose.

Alas for Beaumont, they committed nine service errors to Hartley’s two, and Hartley enjoyed a 6-4 advantage in aces. Hartley scored at least five points more via mistakes than Beaumont in the last three sets.

Both teams hail from strong leagues. Hartley won the Central Catholic League outright with a 9-1 mark, losing only to St. Francis DeSales. The Hawks have won or shared the league crown four of the last five years and have garnered seven straight district titles. Four CCL teams made regionals this year with Division III Bishop Ready joining Hartley at state.

Beaumont, which finished fourth in the North Coast League Blue Division behind Walsh Jesuit, Padua Franciscan and Lake Catholic, beat Lake Catholic in the regional final. Padua and Lake Catholic have won the past three Division II state titles.

The Blue Streaks reached the state level with a starting lineup of one senior, three juniors and three sophomores.

Game two featured 13 ties and 9 lead changes, and winning it was key for Hartley. Senior defensive specialist Emily Bommer sealed the win with an ace.

Brooke Betts and Molly Shonk combined for 35 kills to pace Hartley. Shonk contributed 18 digs to the Hawks’ stellar defensive effort which was paced by libero Lauren Hurley who dug up 21 balls.

Lauren Youngblood led Beaumont with 16 kills and University of South Florida recruit Midori Harrison added 13. Sophomore outside/middle Molly Davet and junior libero Mairin Jerse combined for 43 digs.

2011 Girls Division III Semifinals

Gilmour Academy, Miami East head for state championship showdown

Gilmour Academy (26-2) def. Bishop Ready (22-6) 25-22, 25-28, 25-22

Miami East (28-1) def. Frankfort Adena (24-4) 25-21, 25-21, 17-25, 25-22

Gilmour Academy advanced to the state final for the third time in four years with a 25-22, 25-18, 25-22 win over Bishop Ready in a Medieval Division III semifinal between Lancers and Silver Knights at the Nutter Center last night. Although two games were in doubt to the end, there were only five ties and two lead changes in the entire match, with three of the ties coming in game two.

Gilmour received a good scouting report on Ready and worked hard to prepare for them. So it was of some consternation to Coach Kelly Coughlin when Ready jumped out to an 7-1 lead. “These girls have done a nice job of putting gray hairs on my head” he joked afterward adding “on what hair I have left”.

Following a timeout, Ready outside hitter Carly Culbertson scored her third kill of the match. Gilmour, however, closed to 8-7 and, after some point trading, they took the lead 15-13 on a four-point run. Libero Carolyn Curran served an ace, outside hitter Maddie Kosar slammed a knock down kill to midcourt and outside Megan Diemer added a kill down the left.

Ready stayed close behind hitting from 5’11” junior Karley Kusan, but 6’3” sophomore middle Jessica Janota kept Gilmour in charge with four of her match leading 14 kills, including a game ending termination down the left.

Kusan scored first in game two for Ready. Gilmour tied at two on a long hit by the Knights. Janota followed with a soft liner to a hole in back middle and Kosar scored a bloop serve ace. Ready setter Katie Weilbacher tied at five with an ace, but Gilmour ran off seven straight as sophomore opposite Patricia Colella served while 6’0” senior Maria Cup contributed two kills and two blocks. Ready closed from 16-7 to 20-17, but Gilmour pulled away with Cup scoring two of the final three.

Janota blocked Gilmour to a 3-0 start in game three, but Ready scored five straight to tie at eight. Cup demolished a quick set from Megan Polak to end the run and Gilmour moved ahead 10-8, 13-9 and 18-13. Ready closed within two three times, but Kosar kept them at bay each time with a kill.

After Weilbacher cut the score to 22-20 with a line drive dump, Kosar scored her third kill with a tip when Ready libero Carleigh Green dug her spike. On the next volley Green passed a bomb from Janota, but Polak blocked killed on Ready’s next missive, taking the Lancers to game point at 24-20. The game ended when the Knights’, having switched their outside hitting positions for game three, got out of rotation for the second time.

The Lancers fell to Bishop Fenwick in last year’s state final 25-19, 20-25, 27-25, 25-16. Maddie Kosar, who recorded a team-leading six blocks last night, explained what she took away from that loss. “I learned that it stinks to lose and watch the other team get their championship medals”. Whether that will translate into the desired result will be determined on Saturday.

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In the second match top ranked Miami East prevailed over Frankfort Adena 25-21, 25-21, 17-25, 25-22. The Vikings, who like Ready were making their first final four appearance, outdueled Adena in a battle of frenzied volleys that were extended by 207 combined digs (the previous match saw only 90 total digs).

Adena has been to state seven times. They won state championships in 1975 and 1976, the first two years the state tourney was held. Coach Laura Smith took over the program in 1985 and has guided the Warriors to a record of 592-109. Coach Smith and her assistant Coach Donna Atchison were members of the state championship teams. Also on those teams was 6’5” Cindy Noble, who in 1984 was a member of the United States basketball team that won a gold medal.

The Warriors don’t have that kind of height anymore according to Smith, who noted that senior middle hitter Olivia Arledge is the first 6-footer she’s ever had. “And she’s not even home grown” Smith added. Arledge, who paced the Warriors last night with 20 kills and 3 blocks, moved in her sophomore year from a nearby district.

Height would be a factor in the semifinal with the Vikings starting four six-footers. Two of them, 6’0” junior setter/right side Abby Cash and 6’1” middle Leah Dunivan specialize in shoots. Cash puts them up and Dunivan slashes them into unreachable places.
Adena was aware Miami East used shoots, according to Coach Smith. “We had a video and saw the setter shooting the ball. We knew what Dunivan was going to do but couldn’t stop it”. Smith said Adena had not seen the shoot in any matches this year.

Miami East stands in stark contrast to Adena. The Warriors currently have a 142 match home streak and have won 98 straight in the Scioto Valley Conference. They’ve taken the conference title 21 of the last 22 years. Miami East had never won their district until this season, and they won a total of nine matches from 2000 through 2008.

East senior outside Kelsey Vanchure was a freshman when Coach John Cash arrived as a junior varsity coach. Cash took over as varsity coach the next year and when he set a goal of reaching the state finals in three years, Vanchure thought he was a bit crazy. Cash also instituted rigorous practices, with every practice graded.

Vanchure was the only member of her class out of some 30 volleyball players who survived. Last night she contributed nine kills with a stellar .429 efficiency.
The Vikings drew first blood with a double block by. East advanced to 8-4 on a block and two kills by 6’0” junior middle Ashley Current. Adena closed to 9-8 and tied at eleven led by Arledge with blocking help from setter Cadie Cory.

Miami East moved ahead again 17-13 but, following a long serve, Warrior outside Logan Bowdle dished up an ace and Bethany Delong blocked and spiked points and Adena grabbed the lead 18-17. That proved short lived as Dunivan retied and 5’10” sophomore outside Angie Mack served an ace. Mack also teamed up with libero Allison Morrett, whose 32 digs led both teams, and defender Allie Millhouse to keep Warrior hits off the floor as East edged in front 20-18. They advanced to 22-20 when Dunivan demolished a shoot from Cash.

Vanchure upped the score to 24-20 with kills and the Vikings won on a long Warrriors’ hit after Mack made a great save on a partial block.

Arledge blasted a Cory quick set to open set two. East tied at one and, following a dump by Cory, again at two on a hole shot by 6’0” sophomore setter/right side Sam Cash. Dunivan hammered another shoot from Abby Cash and East built a 9-4 lead led on spiking and serving of Sam Cash. Adena put together a four-point run with Arledge blocking Vanchure and spiking a kill, and junior outside Jenny Grigsby serving an ace, to tie at 13.

Vanchure, however, slammed a point cross-court, igniting a four-point run and Current upped their lead to 21-17 with a kill and block.

Adena defensive specialist Michelle Ackley served two of her five aces to narrow the lead to 21-20 but Abby Cash slammed a quick set from Sam, and after a net serve, Vanchure pounded one kill and holed another. When a serve by Abby Cash was received over but out the game was over.

Miami East jumped out 3-0 in the third set, helped by errors, and after back-and-forth scoring they led 9-5. Then Adena got rolling. Warrior setter/outside Natalie Cooper slammed a cross court kill and Ackley served seven points including two aces to put Adena atop 13-9. The teams traded points to 17-13 and Miami East closed to 18-16.

But Warrior sophomore middle Bridgette Scaggs smashed a Cory quickset and that brought Ackley to the line again where she served four more points, helped by defensive specialist Jenna Hutton, libero Cara Coy and Cory (who led Adena in digs with 24 while making 34 assists).

Grigsby took it to game point at 24-17 with a tip and although Arledge would spike the game winner, Grigsby made it happen by digging a shoot spike and getting the Vikings out of system with a blast.

Miami East again charged out 3-0 in game four. Adena promptly tied at three, and there would be ties on the next four points, even as the Warriors took the lead at 5-4.
East, however, seemingly took control, roaring to a 17-10 lead on stellar backcourt play from Mack, Morrett and Millhouse.

Adena was not finished and Ackley, Grigsby and Coy saved the next very intense volley for Arledge to end. Arledge added two more kills and senior outside Lexie Roll tipped an overpass from a serve by Cory, and Adena was within two at 17-15. Despite a timeout by Miami East the Vikings’ next hit was long.

Fortunately for the Vikings, Adena hit long because Scaggs followed with a kill to keep the Warriors atop 21-20. Adena would have gone up 22-20, but a diving defender touched a Vikings hit that was headed out and the score was tied. A long Warrior hit put East atop 22-21. Grigsby landed a slam into an empty corner to retie at 22, but Dunivan lined a shoot into Adena’s back middle. Sam Cash won a play at the net hit to bring on match point, and when an Adena hit sailed long the match was over.

2011 Boys State Tournament Results

Division 2 Semifinals
Archbishop Alter def. Roger Bacon 25-20, 25-10, 25-20
Archbishop Hoban def. St. Charles 25-23, 25-27, 26-24, 25-20

Division 1 Quarterfinals
St. Xavier def. Centerville 28-26, 25-22, 25-23
St. Edward def. Hilliard Davidson 25-17, 25-18, 17-25, 25-16
Hilliard Darby def. St. Ignatius 25-8, 25-12, 25-16
Archbishop Moeller def. Beavercreek 25-15, 25-14, 25-14

State Tournament recap

Division IV

Sidney Lehman Catholic won its second state title Saturday with a 25-15, 25-9, 25-14 win over Tuscarawas Central Catholic. The Cavaliers shut down Central’s offense, holding middle hitter Millie Patchan to just five kills. Patchan spiked 40 kills in the Saints semifinal 25-23, 25-18,23-25, 27-29, 18-16 win over Dalton on Thursday. Lehman held Central Catholic to 14 total kills by block touching many of the Saints spikes and digging what got through.

Junior outside Morgan Schmitmeyer paced Lehman with 17 kills while Jessica Thobe added 13 kills and 17 digs. Freshman libero Erica Paulus led the defense with 20 digs.
Lehman also won state in 2005 and was making its seventh final four appearance. Central Catholic reached state for the first time in 2009, and was making it first ever title match appearance.

Lehman beat Toledo Christian to reach the final, but to get to state they had to slip past third ranked Fort Loramie in five and upend top ranked Marion Local 25-23, 25-21, 25-20

Division III

Middletown Bishop Fenwick won the first state volleyball title in school history with a 25-19, 20-25, 27-25, 25-16 win over Gilmour Academy in a match that lasted 1:47. Gilmour led most of game three and was up 23-19 and 24-22, but Fenwick pulled it out. The Falcons led all the way in game four. Alyssa Beck spiked 23 kills for Fenwick, while Brittany Link paced the Lancers with 17kills, 17 assists and 17 digs.

It was an emotional win for Coach Yoon Ha, who took over the program four years ago and found a very talented group of freshmen in need of discipline and being sold on his system of coaching. The Falcons just missed making the title match last year, losing to state champ Huron in five.

Fenwick reached the final with a hard fought 25-22, 23-25, 25-23, 25-20 win over Rockford Parkway in a contest between teams from two of Ohio’s premier volleyball conferences. Fenwick won the Girls Greater Cincinnati League Grey North title while Parkway tied for fifth at 5-4 in the Midwest Athletic Conference, whose members include Marion Local, St. Henry and Versailles.

Gilmour Academy stopped undefeated top ranked Tuscarawas Valley 25-16, 25-15, 25-21 in their semifinal, led by Link with 20 kills.

Division II

Mentor Lake Catholic also won their first ever state title with a 25-18, 22-25, 26-24, 25-23 win over Sunbury Big Walnut, which was trying to become the first Central District team since St. Francis DeSales in 1982 to win a Division II/Class AA title. The Golden Eagles came so close! They led 12-9 in game one before giving up a ten point run. They led 24-22 in game three, and game four was 22-all.

With six hitters having at least five kills Lake Catholic was led by freshman! Abby Detering who spiked 11. Junior Bridget Wilhelm had 10. Juniors Samantha Ebright and Emma Swysgood paced Big Walnut with 12 and 11 kills, respectively.

Detering ended a very long volley and the match with a cross-court smash that was dug three times and into the net.

Second ranked Lake Catholic advanced with a nerve wracking 19-25, 16-25, 25-13, 25-19, 15-11 win over Archbishop Alter. After game two, the Eagles switched from a 6-2 to a 5-1. Alter outside Megan Courtney led both teams with 25 kills. Last year Lake Catholic trailed top ranked Logan Elm in the semifinal two games to none and won, then led Padua Franciscan two to nothing in the final and lost.

Number five Big Walnut knocked off third ranked Mansfield Madison 25-23, 25-13, 25-12 in their semifinal, keeping the Rams out of system with block touches.

Division I

Toledo St. Ursula won its second state title with a 15-25, 25-23, 26-24, 25-18 win over Dublin Coffman. Like Big Walnut, Coffman came close to becoming the first team from Central to win a big school crown since Reynoldsburg in 1988.

St. Ursula used a 9-1 run in game two to go up 21-15. Erin Williams was on fire for St. Ursula, and led their attack with 15 kills. Despite being down 24-18 to the powerhouse offensive machine that is St. Ursula, Coffman fought to a bitter but memorable ending that saw them flying out of bounds and throwing themselves on the floor to keep balls in play that were gone. St. Ursula finally won the point and with it the match, but Coach Mary Anne Souder later said “That last play shows the heart of our team”.

In a rare statistical anomaly, Coffman had the higher attack percentage, .239 to .193, and they out blocked the Arrows9.5 to 4.0. But the telltale stat was service aces, which St. Ursula led 10-3. The Arrows had four aces in their 9-1 game two rally, and they jumped out 4-0 in game four scoring twice on kills of serve receive overpasses and once on an ace.

The title match was no match for Friday’s two hour and two minute marathon in which Coffman finally beat Ursuline Academy 28-26, 20-25, 22-25, 25-17, 17-15. The Shamrocks had lost two previous four-game matches to Ursuline, one earlier this season and the other in last year’s state championship. The two teams combined for 256 digs, and battled though intense points that required from five to ten volleys.

St. Ursula downed Brecksville in the other semifinal 25-20, 25-13, 25-13. The unranked Bees hail from the Southwestern Conference, which is also home to Amherst Steele, whom St. Ursula ousted at regional, and Olmsted Falls.

2010 Division I Results/Stats

Dublin Coffman (27-1) def. Cincinnati Ursuline Academy (27-1) 28-26, 20-25, 22-25, 25-17, 17-15

Stats: Time: 2:02, Total Digs (both teams) 256

Dublin Coffman: Kills: Meredith Stranges 17, McKenzie Bailey, Isolde Hannan 15, Jenn Vargo 12, Lindsey Zitzke 8; Assists Zitzke 44, Stranges 6; Digs: Julia Mindlina 34, Stranges 33, Stacy Axner 20, Morgan Yeager 17, Zitzke 12; Blocks: Hannan 5, Cassie Hausfeld, Zitzke 3

Ursuline Academy: Kills: Christina Beer 14, Noelle Langenkamp, Olivia Johnson 12, Abby Engdahl 10, Elena Lohr 8; Assists: Nikki Hill 31, Iris Brewer 18; Aces: Hill 3; Digs: Kori Moster 40, Lohr 23, Jamie Goldschmidt 14, Hill 13, Engdahl 10; Blocks: Langenkamp 5, Johnson 4

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Toledo St. Ursula (27-1) def. Brecksville-Broadview Hts. (21-7) 25-20, 25-13, 25-13

Stats: Time: 1:05

Toledo St. Ursula: Kills: Maddie Burnham 15, Veronica Zimmerman 6, Erin Williams, Maggie Burnham 5; Assists: Zimmerman 28; Aces: Zimmerman, Mariah Truscinski 4, Madison Haupricht 3; Digs: Madison Strall 10; Blocks: Cassidy Croci 4, Zimmerman 3

Brecksville-Broadview Hts.: Kils: Ashley King 8, Olivia Chrzanowski, Sarah Orlandi, Abby Brinkman 5; Assists: Nikki D’anna 22; Digs: Chrzanowski 13, Andrea Green 11

2010 Division II Results/Stats

Big Walnut (23-5) def. Mansfield Madison (27-2) 25-23, 25-13, 25-12

Stats: Time: 1:02

Big Walnut: Kills: Kaleigh Sutherland 10, Jaz Reed 9, Samantha Ebright 7, Eleni Lourgos, Emma Swysgood 5; Assists: Tabitha Piper 30, Aces: Piper 4, Lourgos 3; Digs: Reed 12, Ebright 11; Blocks: Piper 3

Mansfield Madison: Kills: Emilee Muzechuck 10, Ashley Galbraith 8, Kaitlyn Eilenfeld 6; Assists: Mackenzie Lauber 16, Morgan Peterson 8; Aces: Peterson 3; Digs: Nikki Holmes

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Lake Catholic (26-2) def. Archbishop Alter (20-8) 19-25, 16-25, 25-13, 25-19, 15-11

Stats: Time: 1:54

Lake Catholic: Kills: Bridget Grdina 14, Abby Detering 11, Nicole Snyder, Bridget Wilhelm 10; Assists: Audryana Lucha 35, Kara Oster 7; Digs: Samantha Kline 21; Blocks: Kristin Primozic 8, Snyder 3

Archbishop Alter: Kills: Megan Courtney 25, Jackie Kohls, Kelly Westerkamp 8; Assists: Mary Rodehaver 24, Courtney 18; Aces: Kohls 4; Digs: Kohls 20, Courtney, Westerkamp 12; Blocks: Courtney 4, Molly Van Oss 3

2010 Division III Results/Stats

Gilmour Academy def. Tuscarawas Valley 25-16, 25-15, 25-21

Stats: Time: 1:37

Tuscarawas Valley: Kills: Shannon Watson 9, Katlynn Dunlap 5; Assists: Gabbie Davis 16; Aces: Watson 4; Digs: Olivia Higl 8

Gilmour Academy: Kills: Brittany Link 20, Maddie Kosar 7; Assists: Kosar 18, Link 11 Digs: Tori Gallo 11, Carolyn Curran 9; Blocks: Link 3

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Bishop Fenwick def. Rockford Parkway 25-22, 23-25, 25-23, 25-20

Stats: Time 1:49

Rockford Parkway: Kills: Kelsey Bates 22, Emily Crowell 12, Bailey King, Haley Burtch 6, Becca Harshman 5; Assists: Haley Roehm 28, Morgan Cron 18; Digs: Crowell 18, Burtch 13, Roehm 12, Peyton Heitkamp, Cron 10; Blocks Crowell 3


Bishop Fenwick: Kills:Kristin Thompson 19, Alyssa Beck 18, Chelsea Byrge 8Chelsea Farrell 7, Casey Volz 6; Assists: Byrge 32, Melanie Monahan 20; Aces: Monahan 4, Beck 3; Digs: Jessica Levy 24, Beck, Cayla Quallen 13, Byrge 10; Blocks: Thompson, Farrell 5, Beck 4

2010 Division IV State Semifinals

Lehman Catholic, Tuscarawas Central Catholic advance to Saturday showdown

Sidney Lehman Catholic advanced to the state final with a 25-17, 25-15, 25-18 win over Toledo Christian Thursday. This is Lehman’s seventh appearance at state, and first since 2005 when they won it all. The second ranked 28-1 Cavaliers avenged a season opening loss by upending top ranked Marion Local in the regional final last Saturday.

It was the second time the unrated Eagles have been to state, and they are looking for more in the near future according to Coach Dave Conley. “This time around we’re not satisfied. We’ve got a deep program and we’re trying to earn respect around the state. The team in 2006 graduated everybody. I’d love to bring these two back (Kayla Nagle and Bethany Critchley), but we’ve got the most depth we’ve had ever. So we’re going to keep firing away. We’re going to bang on the door until we knock it down”.

The Eagles roster consists of two seniors, three juniors, six sophomores and four freshmen. (It should be noted that all four teams in the semifinals are rather young.)

Conley also said, however, “You’ve got to give Lehman Catholic a lot of credit. They beat Marion Catholic. They are solid all the way around, their ball control was good, and they put pressure on us. They’ve got a lot of weapons. That’s what good teams do. They put pressure on you and they don’t let up”.

The teams were even on kills, with Lehman having a slight 35-34 advantage. The big differences were ball control where the Cavaliers committed only eight errors to 21 for Toledo Christian, and service aces with Lehman enjoying a 10-1 edge.

Lehman senior outside hitter echoed those statistics with her assessment of what her team did well. “I feel like we served aggressively and we hustled on defense”. Coach Greg Snipes said they knew Toledo Christian wanted to go to their 6’0” senior middle hitter Bethany Critchley. “Our main objective was to take them out of that first pass and force them to go to the outside. And for the most part I thought we made their serve receive move a lot and they struggled with their first pass”.

Toledo Christian scored first and kept a step apace through point trading to 4-all on kills by junior outside Ellen Huffman and middle Bethany Critchley. Then they committed three errors and after an ace by Cavalier freshman libero Erica Paulus, Lehman was up 7-3.

Lehman grew their edge to 10-5, 13-7 and 15-8. And when the Eagles closed to 16-13, Jessica Thobe served up two aces and junior outside Lindsey Spearman, replacing junior Morgan Schmitmeyer who sprained her ankle, pounded two kills to re-up the ante to 21-13.

Asked what she thought about starting, Spearman replied “I was so nervous because I haven’t got that much varsity time. I didn’t want to blow it for the team. But once I got out there I was fine”. Spearman made the most of her opportunity with ten kills, but had someone told her beforehand she would do that in the state tournament, her response would have been “That’s crazy”.

Jessica Thobe ended the game with another kill, after Paulus dove to prevent an Eagle cross-court shot from landing.

Picking up where she left off, Thobe opened the next set with a well placed hit. Critchley tied with a bomb up the middle, but junior Paxton Hatcher and senior Ann Watercutter block killed and setter Andrea Thobe demolished an overpass, and Lehman moved out 7-3 on two more two-point spurts.

Huffman and Nagle each scored for Toledo Christian, but after a service error, Andrea Thobe served up nine points including an ace as Spearman spiked two more kills and blocked for another, and from 17-5 it was a matter of time.

Critchley put Toledo Christian on the board in game three with a liner, and answered a kill by Jessica Thobe with a tip. Following an Eagle hitting error, Thobe spiked three kills and Hatcher demolished an Andrea Thobe quick set. The Cavaliers were up 6-2 and after some point trading they upped their margin to 16-7 on an 8-2 run. Down 19-9, Toledo Christian fought back, led by Nagle who joined sophomore Allie Lindke on a block kill and added two dumps. Eventually, Hatcher scored match point with a termination in the middle.

Although they were out, the Eagles saw positives in the outcome. Nagle explained “We went down playing our hearts out. We had trouble early in the game but near the end we saw a glimmer of hope…I feel like we went out strong”. To which Critchley added “Getting this far has been amazing. I think we shocked each other getting this far. We didn’t get what we wanted but we’re happy with what happened”.

Stats:

Toledo Christian: Kills: Ellen Huffman, Bethany Critchley 11, Kayla Nagle 6; Assists: Nagle 27; Digs: Abby Vinciczky 16, Huffman 13, Alex Kanfeld 12

Lehman Catholic: Jessica Thobe 14, Lindsey Spearman 10; Assists: Andrea Thobe 26; Aces: Erica Paulus 3; Digs: Paulus, Jessica Thobe 14; Blocks: Ellie Waldsmith, Ann Watercutter 3

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“I think this one outdid it”.

That was how Tuscarawas Central Catholic Coach Linda Williams responded when asked to compare her team’s 25-23, 25-18, 23-25, 27-29, 18-16 win over Dalton in an emotionally charged hard hitting state semifinal yesterday to last Saturday’s 23-25, 26-24, 25-23, 21-25, 17-15 cliffhanger over Beaver Eastern at the regional.

The teams appeared to be evenly matched, although Central was ranked number four on the final coaches’ poll while the Bulldogs were unranked. Two factors loomed large in favor of Central Catholic.

One was a case of Dalton jitters in game one, which helped the Saints open up leads of 5-0, 9-1 and 15-4, after which the Bulldogs rallied and almost won the game. Dalton setter Ellen Hartmann said afterward “Our first two games we were a little nervous coming in. We’d never been down here before, and we got down early and had to fight our way back”.

The second was 5’8” senior setter/middle hitter Millie Patchan who paced the Saints with 40 kills, including nine in game five. Patchan scored the Saints’ first two points and six of their first ten. And with Dalton on a four point run and Central out of time outs with their lead having dwindled to 24-23, Patchan smoked game point down the left.

Patchan said afterward “Front row is my favorite place to play. When I’m in that front row I know I can put it down. I have confidence in myself and I can place the ball wherever I want”. With the score 17-16 in game five Patchan put down her 40th kill.

Saints freshman setter middle Megan Lawless opened game two with an ace that landed on the back line and Dalton setter Ellen Hartmann tied with a dump. Patchan then traded kills with Dalton 5’11” junior middle Audrey Metzger and 6’0” senior middle Samantha Clark to a 4-all tie. (Metzger had led the rally in game one and would tally 28 kills in the match.)

Central junior Briana Neidig scored the first of two points with a cross-court slam, and served two aces to put her team up 9-5. The Saints, who served nine aces in the second set, four of them landing on the back line, kept on marching from there with runs of 2, 2, 3 and 4 to a 20-9 lead.

Central jumped out 3-0 in set three, with Patchan scoring a kill and block, and upped it to 6-1. Bulldog outside Rachel Knetzer scored six kills as Dalton closed to 8-7. A great pass by Saints sophomore libero Sami Beamer led to another slam by Neidig, Lawless block killed, Neidig aced and freshman outside Tiffany Sunderlin spiked a kill to make it 12-7.

But Dalton tied at 13 on a four point run as Metzger and sophomore lefty outside Carolyn Beatty nailed three kills and Hartmann dished up an ace. Patchan spiked and blocked to keep Central in charge, but Clark and Knetzer led a three point Dalton run to another tie at 19.

Clark answered a kill by Neidig, and Metzger gave Dalton its first lead of the day with a block that ended a long intense volley. She terminated two more volleys as the Bulldogs went up 24-22, and soon after ended the game with a tip that left several Saints sprawled on the floor.

Game four was an 18-tie donnybrook of nine lead changes that mixed great hitting with frustrating errors to keep fans on the edges of their seats. The biggest lead by either team was two.

With the score 22-all Metzger and Patchan traded kills. Then Central served long putting Dalton at game point, but the Bulldogs hit long twice to put Central at match point. Clark retied with a cross-court slam that was dug way out. Central had two more match point opportunities, but when they drove a Dalton overpass out of bounds on the second one, Metzger holed a tip and Clark served a cross-court ace to cinch the win and tie the match.

Central Catholic jumped out 2-0 in the tiebreaker as Patchan spiked off a block. Hartmann scored on a dump that was dug into the pole and Metzger tied with a termination. Patchan answered in kind to spark a four-point run. Dalton would play catch-up from there and would never lead. “It’s never easy playing catch-up” Hartmann would say later.

A net serve ended the run, but Patchan followed with a kill. Central would make three more serving errors, but Dalton could not gain traction. After the second net serve, the Bulldogs hit long when the Saints were out of system after a serve by defensive specialist Annie Yoder, and after the third Patchan spiked another kill.

Dalton did come back, however, getting three straight to make it 12-10, and three more to tie at 14. The Bulldogs would tie twice more, but after a net serve Patchan put the match on ice with a smash off the block.

The Bulldogs did not get down after losing the first two sets. Last month they rallied from two games down last month to beat Smithville, ending the Smithies Wayne County Athletic League 26-match win streak. In light of that, Clark said “I had confidence. I knew we could win the last three”.

Dalton Coach Shanna Hildebrandt said her team focused better on defensive control after game two and on “covering the tips and being more disciplined” adding that they were out of position a lot in the first two sets. But she noted “We made too many unforced errors in the fifth game”.

“Volleyball is a momentum game”, said Williams in assessing Central’s ability to prevail. “I thought playing together was our key, and we served aggressive…even though we missed some in our final set I think that was the key to our game. We all played together as a family, that’s what we’ve been stressing especially at tournament time and that’s why we are here as winners”.

Match Notes:

1) Dalton is the second team in two years from the Wayne County Athletic League to reach the final four. Division III Smithville did it in 2009.

2) The kill leaders were very accurate today. Molly Patchan hit a stellar .363 on 91 attempts, and Metzger averaged .344 on 64 tries.

3) Central Coach Linda Williams cited injured senior outside Ali Seymore for being very supportive to the team. Getting to the state final has been Seymour’s dream since she was little. Briana Neidig has taken over Seymour’s spot at left side and start freshman Anna Thompson in Neidig’s spot (Central starts three frosh!). Williams also cited Madison Bonamico, who led the Saints and their area (all divisions) this year in service points. She made only one service error yesterday.

4) Williams felt being at state before really helped. “We knew what to expect. Not all the girls were here but the young girls stepped it up. Millie kept them up. She’s a great captain and a great leader and that was a big part of why they played so well”.
Patchan agreed, “We had a good feeling coming in today. Last year when we walked into that arena, everyone was like, wow! This is a big place, there’s no walls, it’s wide open. This year it’s more like ‘you know what, court’s same size, net’s just as high, it doesn’t look that big’. It’s really not as big as we thought. That’s the attitude we carried in today, and we passed it on to the younger girls”.

5) Dalton middle Samantha Clark said “It’s just amazing that we have that many people that will drive this far for us. I wish we could have gone the entire way”.

Stats:

Dalton: Kills: Audrey Metzger 28, Samantha Clark 15, Rachel Knetzer 9, Ellen Hartmann 5; Assists: Hartmann 49; Aces: Knetzer 4, Clark 3; Digs: Knetzer 28, Marlow Beatty 23, Hartmann 22, Amber Yoder 18, Carolyn Beatty 14; Blocks: Hartmann, Metzger 3

Tuscarawas Central Catholic: Kills: Millie Patchan 40, Briana Neidig 12, Megan Lawless 8, Tiffany Sunderlin 7; Assists: Lawless 40, Patchan 19; Aces: Neidig 4, Lawless 3; Digs: Neidig 26, Lawless 20, Lesley Teater 16, Sami Beamer 15, Patchan 11, Madison Bonamico 10; Blocks: Patchan 5, Anna Thompson 3

Boys State Tournament Scores 2010

Boys State Tournament Scores

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Division II Semifinals

Archbishop Hoban def. Purcell Marian 25-17, 25-19, 25-12
St. Charles def. Archbishop Alter 12-25, 25-22, 25-20, 20-25, 15-8

State Championship
Archbishop Hoban vs. St. Charles

Division I Quarterfinals
Elder def. St. Edward 14-25, 25-22, 25-19, 25-22
Archbishop Moeller def. St. Ignatius 25-18, 25-18, 25-15
Hilliard Darby def. Lakota West 25-23, 14-25, 23-25, 25-22, 17-15
Mt. Vernon def. Centerville 25-18, 25-22, 21-25, 25-22

State Semifinals
Elder vs. Hilliard Darby
Archbishop Moeller vs. Mt. Vernon