Arrows fly into final

St. Ursula's Lauran Graves, left, and Erin Williams, right, block an attempt by Avon Lake's Christine Bohan in Wednesday's D-I regional semifinal to help the Arrows win. THE BLADE/JEREMY WADSWORTH Enlarge | Photo Reprints

NORWALK, Ohio -- As an eighth grader, Lauran Graves watched on TV as her future volleyball teammates at St. Ursula won match after match in the postseason last fall on their way to claiming the Division I state championship.

"I was really happy, and I hope we can do it again," Graves said last night after helping the Arrows inch closer to another trip to the state semifinals.

Graves and several of her teammates took turns dominating near the net, as top-ranked and unbeaten St. Ursula devoured Avon Lake in a regional semifinal, prevailing 25-18, 25-15, 25-18.

PHOTO GALLERY: CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE PICTURES FROM THE ST. URSULA-AVON LAKE REGIONAL SEMIFINAL

With a win Saturday over fifth-ranked Rocky River Magnificat, the Arrows (26-0) will advance to state tournament for the eighth time. The match begins at 2 p.m.

It mattered little that Avon Lake (23-3) seemed to be a worthy opponent, having won its first 18 matches of the year and scoring a No. 11 spot in the final D-I poll. The combination of SUA's Maddie Burnham (13 kills), Cassidy Croci (nine), Katie McKernan (seven), and Graves (five kills, five blocks) wore away at the Shoregals, who didn't grab the lead until early in the third game. Sprinkle in the eight aces served between Madison Strall and birthday girl Katie Felix, the match exemplified a complete team effort.

SUA will bring a 46-match win streak into Saturday's final against a team it beat in four games this year. Magnificat eliminated Medina in the second semifinal, 25-11, 25-14, 25-20.

"I was really pleased top to bottom, from our defense, our passing, to hitting, to setting, all around," St. Ursula coach John Buck said. "It was a good performance by everybody tonight."

St. Ursula's Maddie Burnham (19) spikes the ball. THE BLADE/JEREMY WADSWORTH Enlarge | Photo Reprints

Graves was particularly strong in the third game when she totaled three blocks and two kills. Working alongside Strall, one of her blocks sparked a six-point run to overcome a deficit, and another was part of a five-point rally to bring the score to a comfortable 19-12 margin. Graves' five blocks are her most this season.

"Lauran Graves played great tonight," Burnham said. "She's come a long way. She's a big part of our offense, and defense, too, with her blocking."

Added Buck: "I couldn't be more happy with her play today."

Every time Burnham hit the ball it never came back, or at least it seemed that way. The 6-footer was virtually unstoppable from her spot at the left side of the front row, notching four or five kills in every game, even as she was being shadowed by two blockers.

"A lot of those kills we had closed on it, but she was over our hands and there's nothing you can do about that expect hope your back court can pick those up," Avon Lake coach Dan Berkheimer said.

Contact Ryan Autullo at: rautullo@theblade.com, 419-724-6160 or on Twitter @RyanAutullo.