VOLLEYBALL Orrville ends Columbiana's best season

The unseeded Clippers advanced to the regional final.
By TOM WILLIAMS
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
BARBERTON -- The best volleyball team in Columbiana High history started later than everyone else in the state.
But the unheralded Clippers also were one of the last teams playing before their season ended Saturday with a 15-11, 15-5 regional final loss to Orrville, the second-ranked Division III team in the state.
"We were the underdogs for the whole tournament -- no one expected us to get this far," said Clippers senior Carly Washinko who tied juniors Cara Hardenbrook and Kristina Davidson with three kills apiece against the Red Riders. "It was a very successful season -- I think everyone is happy with the way things worked out."
Five days before the season began, Columbiana promoted Erin Heasley from freshman to varsity coach.
Heasley guided the unseeded Clippers (19-9) to the Salem district tournament crown and a regional semifinal victory over Girard, the defending regional champion.
"This is the first Columbiana team to go to regional," Heasley said. "You don't see tears -- I think they are proud of what they accomplished. We had no preseason, we had no open gyms, we had no summer [sessions]."
Slow start
The Clippers started slowly, falling behind Orrville 11-0.
"I was very anxious," Washinko said. "We had an hour-and-a-half bus ride, so we had some time to think about it. The adrenaline was rushing."
The Tide turned when Columbiana scored eight straight points to get back into the match.
"You could call us the Kardiac Kids -- [we] tend to get down sometimes and it takes a deficit for [us] to step it up," Heasley said. "I think the girls thought [the Red Riders] were superhuman and weren't going to make mistakes, [then] they started making a couple.
"I told them that they are they a high school volleyball team like we are -- they're going to make mistakes and we have to capitalize on them," Heasley said.
The Red Riders scored the next three points and sealed the win with an ace by senior outside hitter TaNeisha Winters.
Game two began in a similar fashion, with Orrville jumping ahead, 8-0. This time, the Clippers were unable to mount a sustained run.
Underestimated
"We took Columbiana too lightly," said Orrville (26-1) coach Diane Shanklin whose team earned her first trip to state in 28 years of coaching. "We didn't play as I expected."
Shanklin said the Red Riders knew their "regional semifinal win match against Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph would be our toughest. This should be a good lesson for us because it shows that anything can happen."
Katelyn Orr scored 12 points with one ace while Kara Guster made 12 assists. Winters made six digs while Erica Short had four blocks.
"I'm not sad or anything," said senior hitter Steph Barnes, who led the Clippers with seven points. "I'm actually really happy that we got this far."
Junior setter Whitney Goist made nine assists, Hardenbrook had 14 digs and Davidson made two blocks.
"We didn't do a lot during the summer because we had a [change] of coaches," Washinko said. "We thought we would be contenders in the [Tri-County League], but we didn't expect to come all the way to regionals.
"It would have been nice to win the TCL, but this was a wonderful experience," the outside hitter said.
williams@vindy.com