Family aspect helped St. Paul run

The silver lining was obvious. Four hours round-trip on a school bus on a school night isn't an exciting endeavor for high school athletes and coaches. That is what faced the St. Paul volleyball team on Oct. 22 when it made the 105-mile trip west for a Division VII district championship match at Archbold High School. The Flyers faced an Edgerton team that had a 28-mile trip to the venue. But when the district draws were finalized, one St. Paul senior could barely contain her excitement at the prospect of playing in Archbold. "I was more thrilled and excited than anything else," Kegney Stoll said. "I don't want to say it was a dream come true, but it was something I had always wanted to do." Stoll's mother, Stacy, has been the head swim coach at St. Paul for many years. She's also an Archbold native and still has plenty of relations in her hometown, including her parents, Curt and Kay Stamm. That was all the motivation needed for Kegney, who finished with seven kills in the three-set win over Edgerton. The victory improved St. Paul to 19-6 and gave it back-to-back district championships for the first time since 2010-11. The Flyers take on Miller City (19-6) at 6 p.m. Thursday in a regional semifinal at the Elida Fieldhouse. "Playing in my mom's hometown in front of family who don't get to see me much was special," Kegney said. "It's not something you ever think can happen, and for it to happen the way it did was very exciting for my family." St. Paul head coach Angie Kalizewski noted that the majority of athletes have relatives who are too far away to see them compete. And once the head coach placed her team on a bracket that meant the long trip to Archbold, it didn't take long to find the positive. "As much as the conversation around the whole state has been the craziness of the travel with this new way of doing things, you have to find the benefit," Kalizewski said. "And Keg's family was 100 percent the benefit." Stoll's family showed up in double figures from both Archbold and even Goshen, Ind. "It helped to still have a hometown crowd and people from around the area who told us where to go or what to do," Kalizewski said. "They were excited to see Kegney play, and then of course she was excited to let that side of her family see what we get to do all the time. "It was very satisfying to see." Another late push After going 1-2 at the Convoy Crestview Invitational, the Flyers were 9-5 after 14 matches. But from there, their lone setback over the past 11 matches was a five-set loss at home to No. 5-ranked Monroeville (22-2), which cost the Flyers a chance at a Firelands Conference co-title. "Losing to Monroeville was tough, but it sparked a fire and got us going," senior libero Lily Cuturic said. "We lost to New London last year in five at home, and then we went on our run. It feels like a similar thing is happening this year." Kalizewski said the similar distance drive to Elida this week — potentially twice — won't faze her team. New this season, teams were put into groups and then could place themselves in any of the districts in the Northwest. That meant a traditional district with St. Paul and Monroeville was split up into different venues. The same goes for powerhouses Tiffin, Calvert, and Mohawk. "We've approached this new setup that it's for the better," Kalizewski said. "You get the chance to face teams you don't get to see, and in the potential long run, see a Firelands Conference matchup in the final match if it worked out that way. That's the whole point of shuffling things around." But with that comes change, and people typically resist change. "With this group, we've tried to embrace the different travels and make it an experience, not just volleyball," Kalizewski said. "We want it to be something that they enjoy, something to create a memory to enjoy. Instead of focusing on the drive, we focus on things we get to do relating to it. Things the girls will remember. "And sometimes those are things they will remember, even more than some of the matches or practice stuff we do," she added. "So we try to embrace it positively." In the second match Thursday, No. 1-ranked Tiffin Calvert (25-0) takes on No. 6 Kalida (20-5). The winners return in a regional championship match at 2 p.m. Saturday. That leaves the potential for a St. Paul-Calvert rematch in the Elite Eight, one year after the teams met in a state semifinal won in three sets by the Senecas. But both Stoll and Cuturic said the Calvert rematch isn't a thought. "It's the tournament, so all you can really do is focus on the next match," Cuturic said. "We all need to work together and move as a unit. When we do that, we know how good of a team we are." Added Stoll, "If we want to face them again, it all starts Thursday. Miller City is who is in front of us. Even if you know what can happen, it doesn't matter if we don't do our part. "It's exciting to be in the Sweet 16 back-to-back years. But we've really been working toward this as a team and making the most of each match, because you never know when it can end."