Late Season Notes: Volume 1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we get closer to the postseason, there are many storylines to follow given the competitiveness across Ohio and all four divisions play. Here are some recent notes to consider with the final regular season matches just ahead.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Kings Closing in on ECC Crown</em></strong><br>Kings recently won a huge ECC match as they handled Lebanon relatively easily in a 3-0 victory to maintain their one match lead over Milford at 15-1 in conference play. With set scores of 25-20, 25-10, 26-24, Kings hit at a .306 efficiency while holding the host team to .178. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='114584' first='Elise' last='Marchal']</strong>, a Player of the Year contender in the ECC, led Kings with a match high 21 kills while hitting at a very impressive .528, proving to be a very difficult match up. Fellow junior and POY candidate <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='114565' first='Sydney' last='Barrett']</strong> (*pictured) added 16 kills as collectively the pair out performed Lebanon's entire offense. The tandem is 1-2 in the ECC offensively in total kills as setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='139272' first='Abby' last='Yoder']</strong> leads the league in total assists as she delivered 39 in this recent win. Another huge factor in the match was at the service line as Kings disrupted Lebanon's offense frequently while out performing them in aces at 19-7. Kings has two remaining ECC matches versus Walnut Hills and Turpin this coming week. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Ursuline Wins GGCL</em></strong><br>With their recent five-set win over league foe Seton, Ohio's top-ranked Division I team in Ursuline finished GGCL play with the best league record at 6-2 to claim the conference title. Senior middle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='114516' first='Brooke' last='Bultema']</strong> led three hitters in double-figure kills with 17. She also had a match high seven blocks. Freshman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='227623' first='Ella' last='Grimes']</strong> added 14 kills while sophomore Lindy Radazewski contributed 11 in the winning effort. Senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='197515' first='Sydney' last='Breissinger'] </strong>collected a match high 35 digs. For Seton, freshman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='227615' first='Callie' last='Combs']</strong> was terrific all around as she led the match with 19 kills while hitting .232 and picking up 21 digs. Ursuline is the team to beat in the postseason in Division I while the rest of the league is hoping to find success deep into regional bracket play and beyond. As Ursuline is ranked #1, St. Ursula (#3), Mount Notre Dame (#4), and Seton (#6) are also among the state's top teams. Mercy McAuley is the fifth team in the GGCL and is currently ranked #2 in the Division II state poll. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Olmsted Falls Wins the Southwestern Conference</em></strong><br>At 12-0 in league play with two matches remaining, Olmsted Falls recently secured the Southwestern Conference title. The Bulldogs have a three match lead over second place Avon Lake (9-3 in league play) as these two teams will face off this week. In their recent win over Steele, also currently tied for second place in the league at 9-3, Olmsted Falls displayed good balance in their offense in the 3-1 victory. Led once again by the 24 kills of senior standout<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='227363' first='Kylee' last='Urban']</strong>, the Bulldogs also got double digit kills from fellow seniors <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='227385' first='Alex' last='Palmer']</strong> (16) and <strong>Gabby Pellerite</strong> (11). Urban had a complete line as she helped run the offense by adding 26 assists to support her nine digs and team high four service aces. Senior <strong>Claire Harries</strong> added 25 assists as Pellerite contributed 13 digs for the double-double. For Steele, senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='114531' first='Nia' last='Hall']</strong> put on an offensive show of her own as she terminated a match high 25 kills while adding 10 digs and a match high four blocks. Senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='169502' first='Lindsey' last='McConihe']</strong> contributed a match high 33 digs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->