Lady Flyers gain valuable state experience

FAIRBORN — During one point early in the match, Kristin Matlack took it all in. The lone St. Paul senior was on the Nutter Center floor at Wright State University with her teammates against Tiffin Calvert in a Division VII state semifinal on Thursday. Though it was the seventh state appearance in program history for St. Paul, it was also the first time since 2009, when Matlack and teammates were just toddlers and infants. "It was like an out-of-body experience," said Matlack, an All-Ohio setter. "Seeing our fans, the atmosphere and the sound of them cheering us on when we made a good play was great." That feeling was synonymous with the rest of the St. Paul roster. The unbeaten Senecas (28-0) had six players back from last season's state runners-up team, and it showed often in the three-set sweep (25-9, 25-15, 25-18). "I think the challenge they showed us was that they weren't tentative," junior Kegney Stoll said of Calvert. "They started strong and came in confident and ready, but I think we were a little tentative. It took us a bit, and I think that helped them." It also helped at the service line. Calvert entered with 428 aces, which was 225 more than the national average on maxpreps.com. The Senecas added 11 more aces in Thursday's win, compared to just one for St. Paul (20-8). "I think we got scared because we knew they were a great serving team," sophomore Ella Kalizewski said. "And because we got on our heels, it ended with us not passing the ball." Still, the youthful Flyers were able to benefit from Thursday's experience. "It was kind of surreal at first when you step onto the floor and look around," junior Shealyn Deeter said. "I think it was a great experience to be here, especially with this team." Matlack, who had 16 assists in the loss, finished with 742 this season and 2,192 for her career as a two-time All-Ohioan. While admitting it was tough to lose in her final match, the senior also told her teammates what she wants for them. "I want to come back and watch them next year," Matlack said. "I want to see them here again." State history Thursday's loss was just the second time the Lady Flyers lost in a semifinal match in seven appearances. St. Paul won state championships in 2002 and 2006, and reached the title match and fell in 2004, 2007 and 2009. The only other semifinal setback before Thursday was in 2005 against Newark Catholic. Overall, the Lady Flyers are 7-5 in 12 matches at the state level. Firelands Conference teams have won 10 total matches at state. Crestview (1985), Monroeville (2022) and South Central (1999) also have a state runners-up trophy. Also locally, Norwalk is 1-2 in two state appearances, including a runners-up finish in Div. II in 2012. Angie Kalizewski was also the head coach of that game, and started for the 2002 St. Paul title team. NWOCSA ties Calvert head coach Lori Rombach and Kalizewski were both appreciative and impressed with Thursday's turnout, especially with it being the first match of the day in the smallest division. The two schools are separated by 35 miles, and are longtime opponents in all sports as members of the Northwest Ohio Catholic Schools Association. "Two local Catholic high schools from Northwest Ohio — it's a beautiful thing," Rombach said. "A lot of the girls know each other, so there is familiarity there as teammates and competing against each other on club teams. "It's a great representation or reflection of volleyball in our area, and St. Paul has a really good team. Angie has a great program and a great legacy there stepping in for (retired coach) Nancy (Miller), and they have a lot to be proud of, too." St. Paul canceled all classes Thursday and Friday, and had filled a student bus by Tuesday morning. "Our community support was huge," Coach Kalizewski said. "We appreciate it, and we're blessed. It was a big deal for our community, and we really got incredible support, and we're thankful for them."