'Won't back down': Confident Central Catholic heads to land of OHSAA volleyball giants

In celebrating the win that put them in the OHSAA state volleyball final four, the Central Catholic Crusaders kept it light, in spirit if not in calories.

They headed down the street and finished off Saturday night in Strongsville at Mitchell's Ice Cream.

Then they rode a minibus home and had another hour to do some group-think about a celebration of a lifetime.

A regional championship was better than premium butter pecan. This was the first one in program history.

But why not dream big and imagine the double-large-scooper that would be a state championship?

"Nothing's stopping us now," senior Sydney Turner said after a tough four-set win over Buckeye Central. "We made it this far. We've got the momentum, and we're going to keep rolling with it."

Turner isn't the only one on the team conveying an aura of confidence heading into Friday's OHSAA Division IV state semifinals at Wright State University, near Dayton.

But everyone realizes it's a jungle out there.

Friday's 6 p.m. state semifinal opponent is the Tiffin Calvert Senecas, who won state championships in 2018 and 2020. Tiffin Calvert is from Seneca County.

In the other state semifinal, at 4 p.m. Friday, the New Bremen Cardinals will take on the Shenandoah Zeps.

Shenandoah, from Noble County, is 27-0 in 2023.

New Bremen, from Auglaize County, won state titles in 2017 (defeating St. Thomas Aquinas in the finals), 2019 and 2022. The Cardinals lost to Tiffin Calvert in the state finals in 2018 and 2020. New Bremen beat Convoy Crestview in last year's state championship match.

"Tiffin Calvert is very athletic, and very good," said Buckeye Central head coach Missy McDougal. "They're a powerhouse.

"Central Catholic is a great team. It will be a tough match for both of them."

Senior-laden Calvert features an Ohio player of the year candidate in senior Caroline Lanicek and is in its sixth season under head coach Lori Rombach, who already has 150 wins and two state titles.

Likewise, Central Catholic is thick with seniors and has a sixth-year head coach in Lauren Colla.

"It means a lot to have this opportunity with this group," Colla said. "We have nine seniors, and every one of them has contributed in one way or another.

"Our entire team consists of smart players who really work well together and have good energy and are just good people in general."

Her advice to her players:

"Honestly, just have fun, just play your game. When they are on, they are on."

The Crusaders (23-5) are a Stark County story that touches quite a few county teams they faced during the regular season.

They beat Northwest, Tuslaw, Massillon, Louisville, Lake Center Christian, Lake, St. Thomas Aquinas and Alliance. They lost to Perry and GlenOak.

A wide-ranging schedule included a loss to Copley, Colla's alma mater and a Division II regional finalist.

The Crusaders did not face Marlington, which reached the state final four in Division II by beating Copley and faces Cincinnati Mercy McAuley at 4 p.m. Thursday.

Beating Tiffin Calvert would send Central Catholic to Saturday's 5 p.m. state finals at Wright State's 10,000-seat Nutter Center.

Senior Lauren Neisel said the Crusaders are as ready as they can be.

"A lot of us have been playing together for a long time," she said. "We're a team that won't back down, regardless."

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Central Catholic faces Tiffin Calvert in OHSAA state volleyball