NORWALK, Ohio — St. Ursula will make its eighth trip to the Division I state volleyball tournament in 12 years.
The top-ranked Arrows (27-0), who are defending state champions, earned a trip back to the final four by defeating fifth-ranked Rocky River Magnificat 25-13, 25-23, 25-22 in Saturday’s regional championship match.
Senior Cassidy Croci and junior Maddie Burnham led the attack with 11 kills apiece, junior Katie McKernan had eight, and freshman Lauran Graves added five to help St. Ursula win its 47th straight match dating back to last season.
“We always feel blessed to get there,” said 16th-year Arrows coach John Buck. “It’s quite an honor to achieve that level, and we never take any of them for granted. We’re excited to be representing Toledo again at the final four.”
The Arrows finished 28-1 last season, beating Dublin Coffman in the D-I final. They will next face the winner of a regional final between third-ranked Massillon Jackson and 13th-ranked Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit in Friday’s 2 p.m. state semifinal at Wright State University’s Nutter Center in Dayton.
“That was our goal — to go to state and win it,” Croci said. “We’ve still got two more games, and we have to play our hardest.”
“Our passes were there, and our hitters were all on today,” Burnham said. “And, our blocking was a lot better. We have great people covering, so we can keep the ball up even when we get blocked.
“It feels great. We’re all really excited, and we’re looking forward to Friday.”
St. Ursula, playing in its 11th regional since 2000, made short work of the Blue Streaks in Game 1, but it needed to rally in Game 2.
Tied 7-7, Magnificat (21-6) grabbed the momentum and used an 11-5 surge to take a seemingly commanding 18-12 lead in Game 2.
But Buck called his second timeout in that game, and the Arrows responded with their own spirit-breaking rally to take a two-game lead.
“We do a lot of pressure drills in practice,” Burnham said. “We just took a timeout and refocused and got the points back.”
An 11-3 St. Ursula run was closed on the serve of senior Katie Felix (17 assists), with senior Madison Strall (four kills, 16 assists) putting down back-to-back kills preceding a Blue Streaks attack error which left the Arrows on top 23-21.
“There’s no doubt that had to drive into the heart of Magnificat,” Buck said of the rally. “They had a comfortable lead, and we were not playing well. “But, even when we were down six, [during the timeout] the girls were saying, ‘Hey, we’ve still got time. We’re not losing this game.’ That’s what they believed.”
“That showed how much we wanted it,” Croci said. “We have a lot of heart, and we fight. We practice every day being down, and we’ve just learned to be resilient.”
Game 3 was tied as late as 12-12 before a McKernan kill put the Arrows ahead for good in what continued as a tight game. Burnham’s 11th kill closed the game and the match and sent St. Ursula back to state.
“We’re very well-rounded,” Strall said of the Arrows’ formula. “Our passers give me and Katie Felix some great passes so we can set our hitters and spread the ball out. But we couldn’t do it without the passes.
“We’ve been working for this all year. We’ve been focused on this.”
The Arrows won state titles in 2004 and last year, were runners-up in 2000 and 2005, and lost in the semifinals 2001-03.
“This team is a lot like the 2004 [state title] team,” Buck said. “They have no fear of losing. They just continue to grind it out and do whatever it takes. Even when they’re not playing well they just find a way to win. They believe in each other, and they believe in themselves. They’re very resilient. I couldn’t be prouder.”
Contact Steve Junga at: sjunga@theblade.com or 419-724-6461.