STATE VOLLEYBALL Cincinnati Ursuline powers way past Austintown Fitch

The Falcons had their 21-match winning streak snapped, 15-1, 15-3.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
DAYTON -- His daughter, Maggie, was the first to step off the court. His team -- the last of his coaching career -- quickly followed.
But Tom Case lingered for a moment, stopping by the bench to gather his things and tie up the loose ends. He was the last to leave.
He was in no hurry. For the first time in his 14-year coaching career, the Fitch High volleyball coach didn't need to worry about next season.
For now, he's just going to enjoy this one.
"This is it," he said. "There will be some time [for reflection], but I'll go take care of that in my own way."
The final match of Case's final season ended on Friday with a 15-1, 15-3 loss to Cincinnati Ursuline Academy in the Division I state semifinal at Wright State University.
And Case knew why.
"They were better," he said. "They passed better, they hit better and they blocked better. There's no should've, would've, could'ves. Sometimes you just have to step in and face it."
End of the road
The Falcons (23-5) -- who had won 21 straight matches before Friday -- had little success against the defending state champions.
After Fitch took a 1-0 lead in the first game, Ursuline junior Melissa Zenz had 10 straight service points to give the Lions control. The two teams battled back and forth, but Fitch's offense couldn't score and the Lions eventually pulled away for the final five points.
The Falcons again took a 1-0 lead in the second game, but Ursuline (25-3) scored five straight to take the lead. The Falcons then scored two points before Ursuline used a 10-0 run to close the match.
"This week we really focused on our mental preparation," said Ursuline coach Amie Meyer. "This team is so experienced and I think we were really confident entering the match. We're just peaking at the right time."
Fitch was making its third trip to the state tournament in five years and had three starters back from the 2001 state semifinal team -- seniors Maggie Case, Stacie Mang and Rachel Terzak.
Mentally, the Falcons were ready, Case said.
"Going in, they did not show a nervousness that you might expect them to show," he said. "But the speed of [Ursuline's] game had us on our heels. They played every bit like the defending state champions."
Senior standouts
Maggie Case -- a Div. I prospect -- had just two kills and five digs for the Falcons, while Mang added two kills, four assists and four digs and senior Jenn Drabison had three kills.
"Their league [Girls Greater Cincinnati League] and their schedule certainly prepares them for this," Case said of Ursuline. "We played Toledo St. Ursula and when you play these teams, you're just playing at another level."
Senior Carli Reihman, a Miami (Ohio) recruit, led the Lions with 10 kills, and Jeanna Staun -- also a Miami recruit -- added seven kills.
Stephanie Blackburn, an Ohio University recruit, had five kills and six digs and Erin Webster had 22 assists for Ursuline, which will play Cincinnati St. Ursula in the title game at 4 p.m. today.
St. Ursula, which defeated Fitch in three sets in 2001 en route to the state championship, defeated Toledo St. Ursula in Friday's other semifinal.
The two Cincinnati schools -- which are in the same league and the same county, but not in the same region -- have met in the last three state title matches.
"A lot of the fans really wanted to see the two schools play again," Meyer said. "It doesn't matter to us. We just want to win."
Fitch, which has won just one set in its three trips to the state tournament, will lose five seniors to graduation and return just two starters next season.
No matter what happens next season, the Falcons can always look back on this season with pride. On Friday, they simply met their match.
"Some days," Case said, shaking his head, "that's just the way it goes."
scalzo@vindy.com