Arrows fall in final to Mount Notre Dame

St. Ursula's Madison Strall (12) and Cassidy Croci (6) try to block the shot of Mary Crema during the championship game of the OHSAA Div. I girls state volleyball tourney played at the Nutter Center in Fairborn. SPECIAL TO THE BLADE/SKIP PETERSON Enlarge | Photo Reprints

FAIRBORN, Ohio — Top-ranked and riding a 48-match winning streak, defending Division I state volleyball champion St. Ursula was the team to beat.

Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame was up to the task.

The Cougars joined elite company Saturday, earning their sixth state championship title with a 25-14, 25-22, 23-25, 25-8 win over the Arrows at the Wright State University’s Nutter Center. The Cougars join Seton as one of two teams that have won six championships. St. Henry won its seventh title last night.

“Obviously, I’m disappointed for our team, but we were struggling all day to get into our flow and get into our offense,” St. Ursula coach John Buck said.

PHOTO GALLERY: State Volleyball - St. Ursula vs. Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame

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There was little struggle on the Mount Notre Dame side of the net as an ace by junior outside hitter Michelle Strizak gave the Cougars a 10-2 lead early in the opening set. Strizak, who also led Mount Notre Dame in kills with 22, had six aces on the night.

“They are the best serving team we’ve faced all year,” Buck said.

The Arrows kept it close in a second set that saw four lead changes and 14 ties, including 21-21, but the Cougars closed it out with a 4-1 run to go up two sets.

“These girls were so determined, they’ve been preparing for this since March,” Mount Notre Dame coach Joe Burke said. “We came out with a lot of energy, and our defense was spectacular.”

The Arrows were down but not out.

“Last year, when we played Dublin, we lost the first set, but we never lost our confidence,” St. Ursula senior middle hitter Cassidy Croci said. “We felt like we had been in this situation before.”

St. Ursula’s tournament run, however, had been fairly easy to this point as the Arrows had won in straight sets through the sectional, district, and regional tournaments.

St. Ursula teammates, from left, Emma Romstadt, Katie Felix and Erin Williams are not smiling after losing the championship game of the OHSAA Div. I girls state volleyball tournament to Mount Notre Dame. SPECIAL TO THE BLADE/SKIP PETERSON Enlarge | Photo Reprints

They made quick work of Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit in the Division I state semifinals on Friday.

The defending champions kept fighting as junior setter/right side hitter Katie McKernan put down the go-ahead kill to make it 24-23. A Cougars attack error clinched the third-set for the Arrows. Dropping a set, however, didn’t faze the Cougars.

“We’ve had a lot of four-set matches this season, and that prepared our girls,” Burke said. “We knew we were still in the advantage, and we were ready to go.”

St. Ursula could not maintain the momentum in the fourth set as Mount Notre Dame jumped out to a 7-2 lead, forcing Buck to burn a timeout.

“They came out right away, serving very well and had us on our heels,” he said. “They took us right out of our game.”

The Arrows offense could never find its rhythm as the Cougars sped to a 25-8 to clinch the match. St. Ursula ended its season 28-1 as state runner-up for the third time since 2000.

“All the respect to St. Ursula. They’re a very good team, and very well-coached,” Burke said. “But we’ve had the ‘we believe’ attitude this season. They believed in themselves, they believed in their teammates and coaches, and they believed they could win this.”