SPRINGFIELD – The St. Charles High School boys volleyball team missed out on winning the team's third Division II state title in a hard-fought five-set match against Cincinnati McNicholas High School at Wittenberg University on Sunday.
The Rockets rallied from a two-set deficit to defeat St. Charles 21-25, 25-16, 23-25, 25-16, 15-11 to win their first state championship.
McNicholas lost to Akron St. Vincent St. Mary's 25-23, 25-23, 25-15 in the state semifinals last season.
“It was a great match,” St. Charles coach Ned Gruber said. “The fifth set could have gone either way. We had nothing to worry about. We came out, we played a great match, we had a good game plan, it just didn't go our way today.”
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St. Charles (25-3) won state championships in 2018 and 2009, with Gruber helping out both seasons as the outside hitter on the 2009 team and then as the Cardinals' coach in 2018.
McNicholas jumped out to an early lead in the fifth set and never relinquished it afterward, with a kill from middle blocker Bryce Dilliard, the program's only senior, sealing the title for the Rockets.
The win allowed McNicholas (23-5) to avenge two losses to the Cardinals during the regular season.
“They played a lot better than we played them a couple times earlier this year,” Gruber said. “They scored the ball when it mattered. They deserve all the credit. It was a great game. It was a lot of fun.”
McNicholas High School coach Julie Mulvey said her team is well prepared for the third matchup.
“We weren't at our best when we played them during the regular season,” she said, “but we studied them. We knew them well having only played them twice. We used our familiarity with them as an advantage.”
St. Charles was led by a senior-heavy roster in the final game, including opposite side hitter Mladen Tagge, the Division II state and Region 5 player of the year, who had 13 kills and 11 digs. Outside hitter Jack Costers had 11 kills and 10 digs, middle blocker Connor Cole had 10 kills and setter Thomas Clark had 39 assists.
“Coach thanked the seniors,” Kosters said of the message Coach Gruber sent to the team. “We worked a lot for this and still finished as runner-up. I'm proud of where we are. We're one big, fun team. … Two good teams played against each other. It was a lot of fun.”
Outside hitter and defensive specialist Gavin Gerhardt led McNicholas with 18 points, followed by opposite side hitter and setter Ethan Gundrum with 16. Setter Ben Jones had 20 assists.
St. Charles advanced by defeating St. Vincent and St. Mary's 25-23, 25-16, 28-26 in Saturday's semifinals, while McNicholas beat Independence 25-15, 25-12, 25-18 in the other semifinal.
“We put a lot of work into this senior group,” Gruber said, “They were really special. A lot of it was down to them, but we have some good young players as well. It was a great experience for them.”
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