To say St. Ursula Academy dominated last night's City League volleyball championship match against Central Catholic doesn't quite cover it because the 18-2 Arrows approached perfection at Waite Field House.
In fact, in the first game, they got it.
Ohio's third-ranked Division I team opened with an eye-popping 15-0 Game 1 victory, then cruised to a 15-5 win to capture its third straight CL title.
“They put it all together,” coach John Buck said of his Arrows. “They had a lot of motivation and a lot of things to prove. These kids were just fired up and ready to play.”
The Irish (13-6) were stunned from the outset by the onslaught of junior All-Ohioan Sarah Florian, and never did get untracked.
“We weren't ready,” Central coach Denise Wiczynski said. “We overpassed and gave [Florian] the ball. We weren't blocking and we weren't passing. Nothing went right for us tonight. We just didn't have it. I tried 11 different people and some of the inexperience showed. The kids admitted they were shaken.”
Florian, a 6-0 outside/middle hitter, is one of America's most highly recruited prep players. Last night she found a new level.
“I think this is as good as it gets for me,” Florian said. “It was a lot of fun. Our team came out really pumped up and that first game was absolutely awesome.”
Part of it was Florian's skill, and part was the superb complementary play of her less experienced teammates.
In the 14-minute first game, Florian delivered half of her 16 total kills, had two point-scoring blocks at the net, and served the final four points.
“I couldn't have done it without my team,” Florian said. “They did really well passing and setting and serving. It wasn't just me. We started out so strong I think it threw [Central] off balance.”
Central, the last CL team to beat St. Ursula (1999 league final), finally scored on Sarah Large's serve to open Game 2.
After a Joan Brooks kill put Central ahead 2-1, the Arrows scored eight unanswered points, and later rode Sydney Antonio's final four serves to close the 20-minute second game.
The Arrows were also solid defensively, with juniors Antonio, Kelsey Hills and Sara Hotz, sophomores Laura Fender, Jessica Dominiak, Alison Mugler and Brittany Fox, and freshman Allison Florian (Sarah's sister) all helping hold a taller Central lineup to just seven kills, four by senior Erin Jasin.
“Sarah Florian kept those kids into it and she didn't want to let up for one second out there,” Buck said. “That was as good as I've ever seen any hitter play. Sixteen kills, five balls kept in play and no hitting errors. No player I've coached has ever done that.”
OTHER RESULTS: Varsity consolation - Notre Dame d. Bowsher 4-15, 15-3, 15-1; junior varsity championship - St. Ursula d. Notre Dame 15-3, 15-4; freshman championship - St. Ursula d. Central 15-13, 15-12.
First Published October 11, 2002, 4:11 p.m.
