“It just wasn’t our moment,” Fenwick coach Tyler Conley said. “It feels like we left a little bit out there. Our serving and serve-receive didn’t show up quite like it had the last month, but our kids gave it everything they had. There’s no disappointment in their effort. We’re proud of the season they had. I’m proud of the group that we had. They prepared like champions all year long.
Credit: DaytonDailyNews
“This is a group that will carry on. They’ve kind of laid a nice foundation for the future. I know that’s hard for them to hear right now, especially our two seniors, but they laid the groundwork for future years.”
The Falcons (23-6), making their fifth trip to the state tournament, piled up 44 errors in falling 25-17, 14-25, 25-17, 25-18.
Fenwick totaled 13 service errors and, outside of a solid second set, had a hard time sustaining positive momentum.
Elizabeth Hoerlein and Julia Gardon paced the Falcons with 15 and 13 kills, respectively. Bella DeSalvo (16), Emma Schaefer (15) and Gardon (11) led the way in digs, and Grace Maziar added 39 assists.
It was the final match for Fenwick seniors Brooklyn Brunner and Katie Dawson.
“This is going to hurt for a while,” said Gardon, a junior outside hitter. “I know that this is going to be a big motivation for us next year because we don’t want to walk off the court like this again. We don’t want to have this feeling ever again.”
Fenwick didn’t go quietly in the fourth set, chopping a 13-3 deficit to 18-15 and 19-16 before Holy Name closed it out.
“That’s normal volleyball. That comes in every single match you play,” Green Wave coach Megan Green said of the Falcons’ surge. “We’ve been talking all season long about those lulls in the middle of a set or the middle of a match, and I think mentally they’re really prepared for that. They know how to fight through it and get themselves out of it.”
Holy Name (25-3), ranked third in the state, got 16 kills and 17 digs from outside hitter Samantha Snow. Lauren Whetstone (20) and Abriana Marchetta (11) paced the winners in digs, while Kayla Jarosz had 12 kills and Marchetta totaled 37 assists.
“Give Holy Name credit,” Conley said. “There were moments where I thought we did put good swings on the ball or good serves on the ball and they made the play, and then we had to go make another play and the error would happen. That’s where it’s frustrating.”
The Green Wave’s only other state appearance came in 1982.
Holy Name will face Columbus Hartley for the state title Saturday at 3 p.m. The Hawks (22-6) swept Mentor Lake Catholic (16-12) 25-18, 25-23, 25-15 in Friday’s second semifinal.
“It’s great to kind of put Holy Name back on the map and show that we’re a good, solid team too,” Green said. “We deserve to be here.”
Friday’s contest marked the end of an 11-game winning streak for Fenwick.
“We had a lot of unforced errors today,” Maziar said. “I think that’s kind of what led us down the wrong path, but I’m really proud of the way we never gave up. That’s one of the things that I love about this team. Even when we do face adversity and maybe we’re not having our best day or our best practice, we’re going to give it everything we have for that day.”
Conley said the loss of Brunner and Dawson to graduation will be significant. He called them “incredible leaders on and off the court.”
“They taught this group what it meant to work, they’ve taught them what it means to be good Catholic women, and they’ve led us in such an incredible way,” Conley said. “That’s going to leave a giant void. We’re used to classes of nine and six, and the void is still just as large with the two because of the leadership they brought this year.”
Brunner and Dawson said it was a special ride that they won’t forget.
“I was blessed to be a part of this team,” Brunner said. “I knew from the start this team was really special. I know for sure these girls have a bright future in their path.”
“This was an incredible experience regardless of what happened in the end,” Dawson said. “I’m so proud of this team and to be a part of this program. It’s truly been an impact on my life in a positive way.”
Schaefer said this experience will help the Falcons as they try to get back to state next season. She’s one of seven juniors on this year’s state roster — Grace Dinkelaker, Emma Goubeaux, DeSalvo, Gardon, Hoerlein and Maziar are the others. The lone sophomore is Ellie Googins, and the freshmen are Elena Eggleton, Payton Deidesheimer, Gracie Schmitt, Caroline Hensley and Kate Hafer.
“It was a blessing to have these seniors by our side, and they really did lead us and showed us how to build this program,” Schaefer said. “I think we’ve got big things ahead of us. Now we’ve been here and it’s going to be nothing new, so hopefully we’ll be back next year.”
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