SPRINGFIELD, OH - The Volleyball Cats returned to the Final Four this past weekend at Wittenburg University. The Cats came up short in their run last year, losing to the St. Xavier Bombers in the State Title game in a heartbreaking sweep.
The Cats would get their shot at revenge, this time coming in the State Semifinal. The Bombers entered the game ranked in the top ten nationally and number one in Ohio. St. Xavier presented a vastly different team this year; however, it lost brothers Andrew and Aiden Berkenmeier and star Brady Jones. The three combined for 29 kills in the state title match the previous year. The Bombers did return star outside hitter Joe Taggert, an Ohio State commit, who racked up 10 kills in the Bombers' 2024 championship.
The semi-final match began in a back-and-forth first set, which saw 19 tie points and seven lead changes. The Wildcats found themselves with a set point, with the score at 24-23, but drew back to even, making it 24-24. The Cats won the next point and had another chance to win the set but were denied by the Bombers' reliable Taggert as he notched a clutch kill to even up at 25 a piece. The Bombers would collect the following two points and win the first set 27-25 to take a 1-0 lead in the match. Both teams accumulated many kills in the set, with St. Xavier picking up 18 and the Wildcats collecting 16.
With a one-set deficit heading into the second, the Cats looked to even up the sets. It was a much more sound effort from the Cats in the set as they played with a lead for the majority of the set. The Cats' most significant margin in the set got as high as five points to their 25-21 victory. Junior Outside Hitter Jack Ragon paved the way to victory, collecting nine kills in the four-point win to tie the match up at one.
Set three was another close one that saw the Cats edge out a two-point win despite an early seven-point Wildcat lead. Trailing 13-6, Bombers head coach Bill Ferris called a timeout, which his team would utilize and go on a 7-to-1 run to get the set back to within one point, forcing the Cats to take a timeout of their own. From that point on, the set was back and forth until the Wildcats took a 25-23 victory, propelling themselves to a 2-1 lead in the semi-final match.
With their season on the line, the Bombers had a strong fourth set. After a close start, St. Xavier pulled ahead at the midway point with a nine-point cushion, with the score 18-9. Head Volleyball Coach Dominick Adornato '11 called a timeout in hopes of sparking his team, but the Bombers held on to win the set dominantly by a score of 25-16, forcing a fifth set.
Fifteen points now separated the Cats from advancing to the state title match. The set started with each team exchanging kills before the Cats began to find their stride at the midway point. The Wildcats found themselves with an 11-7 lead late in the first-to-fifteen match-deciding set. St. Xavier called a timeout, hoping to spark a late comeback, but it failed. The Cats finished the match with a 4-1 run, defusing the Bombers and advancing to the State Final match. The Bombers' Taggert picked up 28 kills in the loss. Cats' Junior setter Andrew Brobbey collected 58 assists in the victory. Jack Ragon also had a standout game, slamming down 25 kills in the five-set win, while Henry Van Ginkel led the way with five blocks.
The win would be coach Adornato's 100th-career win as head coach.
Awaiting the Wildcats in the finals were the Thomas Worthington Cardinals (22-5), a team that swept the Wildcats earlier in the season on April 5. The Cardinals defeated New Albany in three sets the day before punching their ticket to the championship match. The Cardinals rostered multiple college commits, including star middle Finn Ruben, a Loyola commit, and JT McGuire, a North Greenville commit.
The first set of the OHSAA State Title match was a strong showing from the Wildcats that saw the blue and gold take a 25-17 victory to take a 1-0 lead in the game. Ragon led the way, picking up seven kills in the opening set with help from Will Overburger, who had three kills, and Ethan Rosetti, who had two kills. Errors plagued Thomas Worthington as they committed 10 of them in the set, while the Wildcats only had three.
With a 1-0 lead in the match, the Wildcats looked ahead to the second set. In a much more rocky effort, the Cats pulled out a 25-23 win despite trailing by seven points at one point. The Cats made 12 errors in the set; however, a six-block effort, matched with 13 kills, helped boost the Cats to achieve a two-point win. Overburger led the way for the Cats in the set with five kills, two blocks, and no errors. Gavin Schafer put up four blocks paired with three kills as well. The Cats now had a 2-0 advantage, looking to pull out the brooms and sweep the Cardinals.
The Cardinals had something different planned, though. In the third, make-or-break set, the Cardinals seemed to find new life with their season on the line. Thomas Worthington went on a 9-2 run to start the set and ran away with the set from that point forward. Presented with a 19-9 deficit, the Cats took a timeout in hopes of sparking a late set comeback, but the Cardinals suppressed it as they went on to win the set by a score of 25-17. To force a fourth set, the Cardinals racked up 13 kills, four blocks, and three aces in the set, paired with only four errors.
While the fourth set was closer in the end, it was still a weak showing by the Wildcats. The Cardinals started the set with a 9-3 run, forcing an early Ignatius timeout. Seemingly, every time the Cats thought they might be amid a comeback, Thomas Worthington put their foot down and picked up clutch points. The Wildcats took another timeout down 17-9, hoping for a late comeback. The Cats went on an 11-8 run to end the set, but it wasn't enough, as the Cardinals won 25-20. The Cats made an uncharacteristic 13 errors in the losing effort, forcing the match to a fifth set.
With the threat of a reverse sweep on the line and a tenth set in just two days, the Cats seemed to be doomed as Thomas Worthington started the State Champion deciding set with a 7-0 run. With fifth sets being first to fifteen points, the Cats would pull off the impossible after a timeout.
Following an attacking error by Thomas Worthington, Ragon slotted back to the service line, working on a six-point deficit. Ragon then went on a seven-point spree, collecting four service aces to give the Cats a lead.
After JT McGuire picked up a kill for the Cardinals, the match was tied at 8-8. The Cats then collected the following two points with a Rosetti kill and a Cardinal error. Worthington fought back, though, with McGuire's kill and an Oliver Marker ace. The Cardinals went on a 3-1 run, putting themselves two points away from winning the match.
The Wildcats took a timeout, however, and got themselves back on track. The Cats stormed out of the timeout and went on a 3-1 run, setting themselves up with a 14-13 lead, match point. The Cardinals won the next point, though, evening the match-up and forcing extras. On the next point, Ragon picked up one of the most significant kills of his career, giving the Cats another shot at match point. Jim Skerl '74 award winner Will Overburger hopped back to serve for the Cats with a chance to give the Cats glory.
The Cardinals struggled on serve and never got to set up an attack, electing to free the ball over the net. As Overburger tracked the ball, he realized it was fading out of bounds and let it go. The ball landed out, and the Cats crowned themselves OHSAA Division 1 Champions, returning from down seven in the final set. The Championship was the Wildcats' second in program history, first since the OHSAA officially sanctioned the sport in 2023.
