St. Paul advances to a Div. VII district title match

ATTICA — Despite dropping the first set, the St. Paul volleyball team put it behind them in Monday's Division VII district semifinal against Danbury. The No. 2-seeded Lady Flyers (17-7) turned away the No. 4 Lakers in four tight sets, 23-25, 25-23, 25-20 and 25-23 to advance to Wednesday's 6 p.m. district championship match at Seneca East High School. St. Paul faces No. 1 Fremont St. Joseph (19-5) for a spot in a regional semifinal next Thursday (Oct. 31) at Strongsville High School. The Crimson Streaks swept No. 3 South Central (14-10) in the second match Monday at Seneca East. The Lakers (13-11) played from in front throughout the first set, leading by as much as 18-12. But St. Paul battled back to pull within 18-17, but the Lakers kept a two-point advantage over the next several series of points. Leading 24-23, the Lakers were able to serve the final point to take a 1-0 lead in the match. An ace by sophomore Ella Kalizewski put St. Paul ahead 10-7 in the second set, and her huge night at the service line sparked a run that swelled the lead to 15-7. But in a recurring theme, the Lakers chipped away and after the Flyers were called for being under the net, the deficit was just 18-17. Out of a timeout, St. Paul regained control and led 22-18 — only for the Lakers to get within 23-22. But St. Paul was able to secure the last two points to tie the match. In the pivotal third set, another ace by Kalizewski made it 10-6 for St. Paul. That lead was 13-7 when the Lakers made their annual set run to eventually take a 16-15 lead. After trading points, Lily Cuturic got an ace for St. Paul to make it 20-18, then the Lady Flyers won a long volley for a 22-18 lead. Kalizewski then went back to the service line to help finish off the 25-20 win for a 2-1 lead. The fourth set was nearly the same as the previous three. St. Paul looked in control with a 16-10, but Danbury stormed back this time with a 9-1 run to take a 19-17 lead with its eyes on a decisive fifth set. But St. Paul closed the door, as Kalizewski went back to the service line, and freshman Brooklyn Cassidy put away three points at the net. The Lady Flyers appears in command up 24-23, only for the Lakers to once again score three straight points to keep the pressure on. However, a kill by Cassidy then ended the set and the match for St. Paul. "I'm very proud of how our kids responded after the first set," St. Paul head coach Angie Kalizewski said. "We have worked all year to gain momentum regardless of the outcome of the first set, and we did that tonight. "We worked until the last point in every set, and it showed," she added. "We have worked hard the last few weeks on controlling the runs of the other teams. At times we do great and at times it takes us a bit. However, at no point did we let it bother us." Ella Kalizewski was 27-of-28 serving with 21 points and five aces, and was 27-of-32 hitting with eight kills and also had 14 digs. Kristin Matlack was 14 for 16 serving with seven aces, and also had 39 assists and 12 digs. Cassidy finished 31-of-36 hitting with 14 kills, while Kegney Stoll was 27-of-28 with eight kills and Shealyn Deeter was 30-of-33 with nine kills. Also for St. Paul, Cuturic was 13 for 15 serving with six aces and 23 digs. Bella Guerra was 14 for 14 serving with four aces and 11 digs. Sydney Wurzel was 10 for 10 serving, Deeter had seven digs and Aubrie Bogard added three kills. "We made adjustments and talked really well," Kalizewski said. "We set goals and they worked hard to achieve them. I am just so proud of these kids. "We're excited. The girls stepped up in so many ways tonight." SJCC 3, So. Central 0 ATTICA — In the second match Monday, the Streaks posted scores of 25-19, 25-10 and 25-19 as the Trojans closed out their season at 14-10 with back-to-back district appearances. For South Central, Zaida Myers had eight kills and five digs and Mya Inmon finished with seven kills, five digs and three aces. Isabella Kimberlin had 10 digs and was 7 for 7 serving with an ace. DIVISION VI New London 3, Seneca East 1 SHELBY — The No. 3-seeded Wildcats are back in a district title match following a four-set win over No. 4 Seneca East in a Division VI district semifinal Monday at Shelby. New London (12-12) posted scores of 30-28, 28-30, 25-13 and 25-16 to advance to face top-seeded Buckeye Central (19-5) at 6 p.m. Wednesday for a spot in a regional semifinal on Oct. 31 in Fostoria. In Monday's win, Pailee Wilson finished with 10 kills, five blocks and served three aces. She broke the program record for blocks in a season, previously held by Emilee Rowland (77), in the win. Also for New London, Gracie Thomas had nine kills, 19 digs and four aces, while Raeann Mitchell had 15 assists and 23 digs. Ava Ringler had 15 digs, while Madison Rowland added 14 and Brooke Clouse had seven kills.