Olentangy Liberty boys volleyball coach Dave Hale had a simple message for his team after Saturday's blowout win over Pickerington North in the Division I, Region 1 final in Upper Arlington.
Hale told the top-seeded Patriots (25-1) not to be satisfied with just qualifying for their fourth consecutive state tournament. They were state runners-up last season, but the team will be hoping for another win after defeating second-seeded North 25-14, 25-21, 25-20.
“We have some focused players,” Hale said. “They had their eyes on the prize the whole time, so I hope we can continue to move forward.”
Liberty will play Cincinnati St. Xavier in the state semifinals next Saturday in Wittenberg.
Outside hitter Kayden Whiteside, who was named Region 1 Player of the Year, led the way in the regional finals with 14 kills and five blocks. Middle hitter Jake Koch had 13 kills, outside hitter Ryan Severson had 10 kills and setter Connor Severson had 43 assists.
The Patriots lost to Cincinnati Moeller 19-25, 16-25, 25-23, 25-23, 15-13 in last year's state final.
“We've had some tough times all year,” Koch said. “That's behind everything we do.”
North coach Marcy Truex was pleased with her team's effort. The Panthers finished with 23 wins and 3 losses.
“They stayed there even when it didn’t look very good,” she said. “I was proud of them. They came back and put up a front and made it work.”
Hilliard Darby 3, Thomas Worthington 1
In a rubber match between OCC and Cardinal rivals, second-seeded Darby defeated top-seeded Thomas 16-25, 25-15, 25-20, 27-25 in the Region 3 final for the first time since 2019. Qualified for the Division 1 state tournament. at Pickerington North.
Darby and Thomas split two league games during the regular season. Derby won the league with a record of 13 wins and 1 loss over second place Thomas (11 wins and 3 losses).
“It's been a wild ride,” Derby coach Evan Bell said. “We felt like we were good enough (this past season) and just couldn't get over the hump. I think it's good for the seniors to be here. This class has been through a lot. I’m here.”
The Panthers (21-5) will play Cleveland St. Ignatius in the state semifinals next Saturday in Wittenberg.
Thomas (20-6), led by Region 3 Player of the Year Finn Rubin, won the first set with a late 8-2 run.
From there, Derby took control with setter Mason Hite, outside hitter Aidan Kolb, and outside hitter/opposite hitter Chris Jones.
Jones, a 6-foot-5 sophomore, missed most of the regular season with a right shoulder injury.
“It feels great to be back,” he said. “I can come back and do something and compete. We work together. That's our culture. We want that.”
Hite had 43 assists and 4 1/2 blocks. Kolb had 18 kills, Jones had 14 and Kingsley Acker added nine kills.
“We wanted that matchup,” Thomas coach Brian Lawless said. “I was hoping we could have a grudge game because we parted ways earlier this year. We knew we were going to play them (in the postseason), but it was just a matter of when. We saw them in the regional finals. There's no other player I'd rather have.”
St. Charles 3, DeSales 0
Top-seeded St. Charles continues its quest for its first Division 2 state title since 2018 with a dominant 25-20, 25-16, 25-22 victory over CCL rival DeSales in the Region 5 final at UA. Ta.
St. Charles had lost to DeSales in the previous two regional finals. DeSales won its first state title last year.
St. Charles coach Ned Gruber said, “I'm glad we were able to get through the Monkey's pain and move on to the next round.” “It's always nice to beat your rival in a big game.”
Senior setter Thomas Clark led St. Charles (23-2) with 32 assists.
“The important thing is that we are very good friends off the court and we play very well for each other on the court,” Clark said.
Outside hitter Jack Kesters and opposite-side hitter Mladen Tagoo each had 12 kills, and outside hitter Stuart Hankinson added nine kills. Tague was named Region 5 Player of the Year.
The Cardinals, who also won the state title in 2009, will face Akron St. Vincent and St. Louis. Mary will play in the semi-finals next Saturday in Wittenberg.
“We brought a lot back from last year, so we knew we had this gear in us,” Gruber said. “Everything is coming together. We have guys who are making plays now that they weren't able to make earlier this year.”
Fourth-seeded DeSales (10-9) is completing its first season under coach Andrea Naval.
“This was a complete reset for our group,” she said. “We had one starter back from last year's team (Aaron Firmaran). The kids understood my values and the way I approached the game. I'll be forever grateful for that. I really embrace that and work hard every day.”
fdirenna@dispatch.com
@DispatchFrank
