'This season meant a lot': Orange volleyball loses to Kings in Division I state final
FAIRBORN – The Olentangy Orange girls volleyball team didn't get to celebrate its first state championship Saturday at Wright State's Nutter Center, but there were reasons to celebrate nonetheless.
The Pioneers (26-4) captured their first regional championship and won their first match at state, defeating Toledo St. Ursula Academy 25-21, 25-22, 25-20 on Friday in a Division I semifinal.
That the season ended with a 25-16, 25-10, 25-21 loss to Kings Mills Kings and a state runner-up finish didn't diminish the journey for coach Katie Duy and her five seniors – Lily Barron, Maddie Cugino, Taanishi Gulati, Lauren Jacob and Skylar Kelso.
“This class is special,” Duy said. “These girls are special. They’re all very unique. They bring different things, and we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the example they set and their leadership this past year and last year as well.”
Orange lost in a district final last season after losing in the regional final in 2021 and 2020.
After falling short in the program's first four trips to the regional final, the Pioneers broke through with a state berth by beating previously undefeated Dublin Scioto 25-23, 25-17, 25-23 on Nov. 4.
“This season meant a lot,” said Cugino, a Gonzaga commit. “Seeing it spread through our (school) district and community means so much to us because we got a good example given to us by the seniors our freshman year and the seniors from last year, too. We wanted to do it for all of them and do it for each other as well.”
Barron will play at Houston and Jacob has committed to Lincoln Memorial.
Kings (28-1) also was competing in its first state tournament. The Knights closed the season by winning 25 consecutive matches.
The teams entered the state final with some familiarity. They played in a scrimmage during the preseason and again before the start of the postseason.
“We went into the game just like we always do, focused on one point at a time,” Kings coach Amanda Meadows said. “We knew after the battles we’ve been through the last few matches that (Orange) was an amazing team. You don’t get to the state final and play somebody easy.”
Orange took its first lead of the match at 1-0 in the third set and enjoyed its largest lead at 12-8 before the Knights rallied to complete the sweep.
Cugino had seven kills and eight digs, and Barron and Maci Gerboth each had seven kills. Izzy Scholvin had 21 assists and four digs.
Kings senior Elise Marchal, an Appalachian State commit, had 28 kills to set a state-tournament record for a three-set match. The previous high was 25.
“I just know that it’s one ball after another,” said Marchal, who added eight digs and two blocks. “I get the point and move on (because) there’s another point or another game. After one big kill, I just know that I have to keep going.”
Abby Yoder had 38 assists for the Knights.
“They’re extremely balanced,” Duy said. “They have five Division I kids on that team. They can hurt you from the pins. They can hit in the middle. They play phenomenal defense as well.”
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Olentangy Orange girls volleyball falls in OHSAA Division I final
