Badin took a 2-0 lead on Mercy McAuley, the state’s top-ranked team, before the Wolves stole three straight sets from the Rams to claim a Division II regional title on Saturday at Vandalia.
Badin (20-8) registered 25-16 and 26-24 victories in the first two sets, and Mercy McAuley (23-4) rallied back to win the next three 25-20, 25-23, 15-6 to advance to the state Final Four.
“Every year since I’ve been at Badin, we’ve taken it one step further,” Green said. “I thought we were going to win state this year. We had a few ups and downs, but we played good throughout the season. I think we gave it our all, and it just wasn’t enough.”
Badin went 10-2 in its last 12 matches to make a third straight trip to the regional finals. Those two losses came at the hands of Mercy McAuley — 3-1 at Badin on Oct. 9 and then on Saturday.
“This right here does not define the team. They’ve fought really hard,” Badin coach Courtney Weinheimer said. “I don’t think anyone thought after losing six seniors last year that we’d be back in this position.
“These girls had a goal, and they set that goal. They were not going to listen to what anybody had to say all year.”
The Rams owned a 24-18 advantage in the second set, but the Wolves stormed back to tie it at 24-24. Badin won the set 26-24, however, Mercy McAuley used that momentum to its advantage the rest of the afternoon.
“I just don’t know if we got tired at the end or not,” Weinheimer said. “They’ve got more power hitters than us. That’s what it was. They’re a great team, so I hope they come home with the state championship.”
Junior Luci Heid led the Greater Catholic League Coed heading into Saturday with 401 kills, while juniors Olivia Schmidt (78) and Jazmine Starks (64) were tops in the league in blocks. Senior Grace Glover had 568 assists and 55 service aces.
“The girls left it all out there on the court, and I’m super proud of them,” Weinheimer said. “For them to get here, I’m just super proud of the way they played and for the season they had. They fought all season and never gave up.”
Badin graduates Julia Lamermayer, Shelby Mulcare, Abby White, Green and Glover. They were part of a program that went 85-26 over the past four seasons — with four straight Division II district titles, three consecutive trips to the regional finals and a regional championship in 2022.
“These seniors, to do all of that, it’s a huge accomplishment,” Weinheimer said. “So we will come back into the gym in a couple of months and start to prepare for next year.
“I don’t think we’re going away. The kids that we have coming in are great volleyball players. We’re teaching that desire to win — the want to win. Our girls aren’t going to listen to anyway who will tell you what you shouldn’t be. They’re going to go out and show them what they are.”
The Wolves will face Alliance Marlington on Thursday at 4 p.m. at Wright State University’s Nutter Center in the Division II state semifinals.
About the Author