'Hungry as ever': 3 central Ohio boys volleyball teams set for OHSAA state tournament
The Hilliard Darby, Olentangy Liberty and St. Charles boys volleyball teams will represent central Ohio at state this weekend at Wittenberg.
In Division I semifinals Saturday, Liberty takes on Cincinnati St. Xavier at 5 p.m. and Darby faces Cleveland St. Ignatius at 7 p.m. In Division II, St. Charles plays Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary at 1 p.m.
The Division II final is at noon Sunday, followed by Division I at 3 p.m.
Olentangy Liberty seeks first state title
The Patriots are making their fourth consecutive trip to state, but they are yet to head home as champions.
They came close last season, losing the state final 19-25, 16-25, 25-23, 25-23, 15-13 to Cincinnati Moeller.
To reach the title match against Darby or St. Ignatius, Liberty will have to win its third matchup of the season against St. Xavier. The teams split the first two, representing the only loss for each. Both are 25-1.
The Patriots lost to St. Xavier 22-25, 25-16, 25-20 in a best-of-three match March 16 and beat the Bombers 16-25, 25-23, 30-28, 25-19 in a best-of-five match April 13.
“I don’t want our guys to try to do anything out of the ordinary because we have shown that we can beat them,” Liberty coach Dave Hale said. “They’ve shown that they can beat us, so it’s just going to be a matter of who makes fewer mistakes, who makes the plays (and) who can handle the pressure.”
Both teams feature all-state players. Liberty senior outside hitter Caden Whiteside was named Division I state Player of the Year for the first time after earning the same honor for Region 1.
Hale was named Division I Coach of the Year. He also won the award in 2014.
“I would trade the Coach of the Year award for a state championship,” Hale said. “The award is a testament to the hard work the guys have put in.”
Whiteside leads Liberty with 342 kills and 52 aces.
“I think I deserved (Player of the Year) last year, but that’s not the ultimate goal this season,” Whiteside said. “We’re focused on what’s coming up.”
Senior setter Connor Severson, who was honorable mention all-state, has a team-high 720 assists. Senior middle blocker Jake Koch also was honorable mention all-state.
St. Xavier is led by senior setter Aidan Berkemeier, who was named first-team all-state. Senior Brady Jones, a 6-foot-6 middle blocker, was honorable mention all-state.
“You have to beat the best to be the best,” Hale said. “Whether you play St. X in the semi or you play them in the championship, you still have to beat them if you want to win the state. That’s what our guys want to do. ... It’s going to be a big challenge.”
Liberty advanced to state by beating Pickerington North 25-14, 25-21, 25-20 in the Region 1 final Saturday.
'Job is not finished' for Hilliard Darby
Coming off a 16-25, 25-15, 25-20, 27-25 win over Thomas Worthington in the Region 3 final Saturday, Darby will play in its first state tournament since 2019.
The Panthers (21-5) met semifinal opponent St. Ignatius on April 13 and won 23-25, 25-17, 25-23, 20-25, 15-8.
“Our kids were relieved to get over the hump,” Darby coach Evan Bell said. “We’ve put so much time and effort into this in June, July and into September and October that we’re excited. The message to them is we accomplished a small goal, one of the goals that we set out at the beginning of the season, but the job is not finished yet. We have to remain hungry as ever.”
Darby is led by senior outside hitter Aidan Kolb, who was first-team all-state and has 301 kills. Senior setter Mason Heit (794 assists) was second-team all-state and senior middle hitter Kingsley Ackah has 253 kills.
The Panthers also have been boosted by the return of sophomore outside hitter Chris Jones, who missed part of the regular season with a right shoulder injury.
St. Ignatius (23-3) features sophomore outside hitter Jack Ragon (first-team all-state) and senior setter Patrick Maly (second-team all-state).
Ragon trains at Vanguard Volleyball Club in Columbus, where Bell is a coach.
“He’s a young guy, but he is skilled and violent with that right arm,” Bell said.
St. Charles hopes to ace test in Division II
St. Charles is seeking its first state title since 2018 and third overall. The first came in 2009.
“We definitely knew we had this level in us, bringing so many guys back from last year and having so much experience,” said coach Ned Gruber, the Division II state Coach of the Year. “We were focused on winning the region first. We were really focused on getting over that hump and now we have another little four-team tournament.”
The Cardinals (23-2) swept CCL rival DeSales 25-20, 25-16, 25-22 in the Region 5 final Saturday after losing to the Stallions, last year's state champions, in the previous two regional finals.
St. Charles defeated state semifinal opponent St. Vincent-St. Mary 25-22, 25-18, 25-18 on April 13. The winner plays Cincinnati McNicholas or Independence, a suburban Cleveland school, on Sunday.
The Cardinals are led by senior opposite-side hitter Mladen Tague, who was named Division II state and Region 5 Player of the Year. He has a team-high 271 kills.
Senior outside hitter Jack Koesters (201 kills, 101 aces) also was first-team all-state. Senior outside hitter Stuart Hankinson (212 kills, 105 digs) and senior setter Thomas Clark (674 assists) were honorable mention all-state.
St. Vincent-St. Mary (12-11) features senior setter/outside hitter Brennan Chivers (first-team all-state) and junior outside hitter Mason Winters (second-team all-state).
“We have an idea of what they’re like, but they’ve gotten better,” Gruber said. “They’re playing at a high level. They look a little different than they did a month ago.”
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: OHSAA boys volleyball: Darby, Liberty, St. Charles set for state
