St. Charles goes 5 sets, falls to McNicholas in OHSAA boys volleyball state championship
SPRINGFIELD – The St. Charles boys volleyball team was denied the program's third Division II state title in a five-set marathon Sunday against Cincinnati McNicholas at Wittenberg University.
The Rockets rallied from two one-set deficits to edge St. Charles 21-25, 25-16, 23-25, 25-16, 15-11 to win their first state championship.
McNicholas lost to Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary 25-23, 25-23, 25-15 in a state semifinal last season.
“It was a great game,” St. Charles coach Ned Gruber said. “It could have gone either way in that fifth set. We have nothing to hang our heads about. We came out. We played a great game. We had a good game plan. It just didn’t go our way today.”
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St. Charles (25-3) won state championships in 2018 and 2009, and Gruber was a contributor in both seasons – as an outside hitter on the 2009 team and as the Cardinals coach in 2018.
McNicholas jumped out to an early lead in the fifth set and never trailed. Middle blocker Bryce Dilliard, the lone senior in the program, secured the title for the Rockets with a kill.
The win helped McNicholas (23-5) avenge two losses to the Cardinals during the regular season.
“They played a lot better than when we played them a couple other times earlier in the year,” Gruber said. “They put balls away at key moments. Credit to them. It was a great game. A lot of fun.”
McNicholas coach Julie Mulvey said her team was well-prepared for the third meeting.
“We were not at our best during the regular season against them,” she said. “We studied them. We knew them like the back of our hand playing them twice. We used that as our advantage knowing them so well.”
St. Charles was led by a senior-laden roster in their final match. That included opposite-side hitter Mladen Tague, the Division II state and Region 5 Player of the Year, who had 13 kills and 11 digs. Outside hitter Jack Koesters had 11 kills and 10 digs, middle blocker Connor Cole contributed 10 kills, and setter Thomas Clark had 39 assists.
“Coach thanked the seniors,” Koesters said of Gruber’s message to the team. “We put a lot of work into this. We still finished runner-up. I’m proud of where we are. We’re one big, fun group. ... It was two good teams out there. It was super fun.”
Outside hitter/defensive specialist Gavin Gerhard led McNicholas with 18 kills followed by opposite-side hitter/setter Ethan Gundrum with 16. Setter Ben Jones had 20 assists.
St. Charles advanced by beating St. Vincent-St. Mary 25-23, 25-16, 28-26 in a semifinal Saturday. McNicholas beat Independence 25-15, 25-12, 25-18 in the other semifinal.
“We put a lot into this senior group,” Gruber said. “They were really special. It was mostly about them, but we have some good young guys. It was a great experience for them.”
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: St. Charles volleyball loses OHSAA boys state title vs. McNicholas
