FAIRBORN, Ohio — The backs of Lake Catholic’s warm-up shirts say it all. ¶ "Finish." ¶
FAIRBORN, Ohio — The backs of Lake Catholic’s warm-up shirts say it all. ¶
"Finish." ¶
The Cougars, ranked No. 2 in the final coaches state volleyball poll, took that message to heart Friday inside Wright State’s Ervin J. Nutter Center. They overcame a two-set deficit for a 19-25, 16-25, 25-13, 25-19, 15-11 Division II state semifinal victory over 10th-ranked and three-time state champion Kettering Alter. ¶
The victory put Lake Catholic (26-2) in today’s 3¤p.m. title match against No.¤5-ranked Sunbury Big Walnut (23-5). The Golden Eagles were a 25-23, 25-13, 25-12 winner over third-ranked Mansfield Madison Comprehensive (27-2) in the other semifinal. ¶
"We played the game we wanted in sets one and two, and then I got outcoached," said Alter coach Tina Jasinowski. "As the match started to slip out of our control, I felt some of our key players started looking at the big picture, and they weren’t focused on the task at hand." ¶
In the first two sets, Alter 6-2 junior Megan Courtney was zeroed in as the Penn State recruit accounted for 13 of her match-high 25 kills. The tide turned when Lake Catholic, which hadn’t played a 5-1 offense all season, abandoned its 6-2 attack. ¶
"Actually, we practiced [the 5-1] the last 1½ weeks," said Cougars coach Rich Severino, whose team will try to win its first crown in four final four appearances. "It makes our offense a little more consistent, and we have better matchups with it. ¶
"We’re bigger at the net with it, and that was the difference." ¶
The switch in strategy put Audry Lucha at the controls and the senior setter responded with 35 assists despite being sick and practicing only once this week. ¶
"We had a hard time reading [Courtney] the first two sets," said Lake Catholic senior Kelly Stenger. "We had a better feel for her swings heading into the third set, and we were able to dig up a lot of her stuff." ¶
At about the same time, 5-10 senior Nicole Snyder and 6-0 freshman Abby Detering began to get more playing time, and the Cougars’ attack got quicker. ¶
The two lefties combined for 21 of Lake’s 50 kills while senior/Kent State recruit Bridget Grdina and 6-0 junior Bridget Wilhelm teamed up for 24 kills. Sophomore Samantha Kline led the defense with 21 digs. ¶
There were four lead changes and seven ties in the first two sets, but Lake Catholic grabbed the early in each of the final three sets and never trailed. ¶
"It’s hard for the opposing team to cheat [to one area] because we all contribute," said Grdina.