ALLIANCE — Three consecutive kills by Ahnna Bergant rescued Lake Catholic from the brink of elimination Saturday, while Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin used a dominant fifth set to secure its own return to the state volleyball tournament.
Lake Catholic Volleyball and NDCL Volleyball survived five-set regional championship battles Nov. 7, extending their seasons into the OHSAA state semifinals.
Lake Catholic rallied from a 14-13 deficit in the deciding set to defeat North Coast Conference rival Elyria Catholic, 25-18, 26-24, 20-25, 24-26, 16-14, in a Division IV regional final at Alliance.
NDCL overcame a fourth-set setback to defeat Medina Highland, 23-25, 25-9, 25-16, 21-25, 15-6, in a Division III regional championship at Mentor.
The victories send Lake Catholic to the state semifinals for the sixth consecutive season, while NDCL returns to the final four for the second straight year.
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The area’s other two regional finalists saw their seasons come to an end. Gilmour Academy Volleyball fell to Padua Franciscan in three sets in Division III, while Riverside Volleyball dropped a four-set match to Magnificat in Division II.
Lake Catholic 3, Elyria Catholic 2
Division IV regional championship — Alliance High School
The Cougars have built a dynasty on winning championship moments, but Saturday’s regional final against Elyria Catholic tested that experience to its limit.
After winning the opening two sets, Lake Catholic watched its conference rival fight back to force a winner-take-all fifth set. The Panthers then moved within one point of ending the Cougars’ championship reign.
Trailing 14-13, Lake Catholic needed three consecutive points to stay alive.
Bergant delivered all three.
The senior outside hitter recorded three straight kills to turn a potential season-ending defeat into a 16-14 victory, sending Lake Catholic to its sixth consecutive regional championship and 13th overall.
The Cougars (23-4) have now won nine straight matches and remain in contention for a fifth consecutive state championship.
Lake Catholic appeared to be in control after taking the opening set, 25-18, and surviving a late Elyria Catholic rally in the second.
The Cougars led the second set, 24-19, before the Panthers scored five consecutive points to tie it at 24. Two Elyria Catholic hitting errors allowed Lake Catholic to escape with a 26-24 win and a two-set advantage.
The Panthers responded behind Ella Feskanich and Ari Dimacchia, who helped Elyria Catholic win the next two sets, 25-20 and 26-24.
Feskanich finished with 17 kills, while Dimacchia contributed 12.
That comeback set the stage for Bergant’s heroics.
Ryann Schneider led Lake Catholic with 16 kills, while Bergant finished with 14. Emily Dunavant contributed 10 kills, and Emma Riebe added eight as eight Cougars recorded at least one kill.
Libero Lola Loncar, a Clemson commit, helped anchor the defense during the Cougars’ comeback effort.
The regional championship was Lake Catholic’s third consecutive postseason victory over Elyria Catholic in the regional final. The conference rivals split their regular-season meetings, with Elyria Catholic winning, 3-1, on Sept. 8 and Lake Catholic sweeping the Oct. 1 rematch.
Saturday’s victory gave Lake Catholic a 2-1 advantage in this season’s series.
The Cougars also improved their program’s remarkable postseason résumé. Lake Catholic has won five state championships, including four straight from 2022 through 2025, and is now three victories away from adding another title.
Next: Lake Catholic faces Ottawa-Glandorf in a Division IV state semifinal Thursday, Nov. 12, at 6 p.m. at Wright State University’s Nutter Center.
GAME CENTER — Lake Catholic vs. Elyria Catholic
NDCL 3, Medina Highland 2
Division III regional championship — Mentor High School
The Lions are headed back to the state semifinals after surviving another five-set battle.
NDCL (19-7) defeated Medina Highland (20-7) for the second time this season, overcoming an opening-set defeat and a Highland rally in the fourth set to secure the regional championship.
After dropping the first set, 25-23, NDCL responded with a commanding performance in the second.
Frankie Brkic delivered a service ace, and Mia Moissis added a kill as the Lions closed the set with an 18-6 run to win, 25-9.
The momentum carried into the third set.
NDCL built an early advantage before Highland narrowed the deficit to three points. The Lions responded with a 16-2 run, highlighted by Madeline Rand finding an opening over the Highland block, and took the set, 25-16.
Highland refused to go quietly.
The Hornets gained control in the fourth set and earned a 25-21 victory to force a deciding fifth set.
NDCL, however, seized control immediately.
A 5-1 opening run forced Highland into a timeout. The Lions maintained their pressure, with Audra Smith recording a kill during another five-point run.
Brkic added a kill as NDCL completed a 15-6 victory in the deciding set.
Moissis led NDCL with 14 kills, while Brkic and Rand contributed 12 each.
Defensively, Sam Wheeler recorded 37 digs to help the Lions withstand Highland’s attack.
The win was NDCL’s fourth straight and completed a two-match season sweep of Highland. The Lions also defeated the Hornets in two sets Sept. 19.
NDCL has won three state championships, including back-to-back titles in 2014 and 2015 and another in 2022.
The Lions advanced to the state semifinals last season and now have another opportunity to compete for a championship.
Next: NDCL faces Cincinnati Archbishop McNicholas in a Division III state semifinal Friday, Nov. 13, at 6 p.m. at Vandalia Butler High School.
GAME CENTER — NDCL vs. Medina Highland
Padua Franciscan 3, Gilmour Academy 0
Division III regional championship — Norwalk High School
Gilmour Academy’s pursuit of another state tournament appearance ended Saturday with a 25-18, 25-22, 25-21 loss to Padua.
The Lancers (14-8) entered the regional final riding a six-match winning streak, including a five-set victory over Padua on Sept. 16.
The Bruins, however, controlled the rematch with an efficient offensive attack and consistent pressure from the service line.
Gracie Placak led Padua with 15 kills, while Mallory Rosa added 11 and Sophia Sidon finished with nine.
Padua recorded 46 kills and a .267 hitting percentage while collecting 10 service aces and 53 digs.
Ali Bradford led the Bruins with 20 assists, and Kacy Borowy contributed 14 assists and nine digs.
Giulia Reginelli anchored the defense with 15 digs and added seven assists. Mia Gaal recorded three aces and nine digs, while Joey Kurtz contributed four kills and three blocks.
Gilmour countered with 12 kills from KJ Williams, seven from Ava Anders, and six from Aiden Pike.
Pike added 11 digs, while Kaya Wilson finished with 10.
Gilmour remained competitive in the final two sets but could not find the breakthrough needed to extend the match.
The result evened the season series between the teams at one match apiece.
Padua (18-8) advances to the state tournament for the first time since 2020 and will face Bloom-Carroll in a Division III semifinal Friday at 8 p.m. at Vandalia Butler.
Gilmour, which won the 2024 state championship, closes another postseason run after reaching the regional championship round.
GAME CENTER — Gilmour Academy vs. Padua
Magnificat 3, Riverside 1
Division II regional championship — Woodridge High School
Riverside’s bid for its first state tournament appearance came to an end Saturday, but not before the Beavers gave Magnificat an early challenge.
The Beavers (19-6) captured the opening set, 25-22, before the Blue Streaks rallied to win the next three, 25-20, 25-19, 25-16.
Magnificat (23-3) extended its winning streak to six matches and secured its second consecutive state semifinal appearance.
For Riverside, the loss ended a six-match winning streak and a postseason run that included victories over Hudson and Lakewood in the district and regional rounds.
The Beavers entered Saturday’s contest seeking a historic first appearance in the state tournament.
Riverside had battled through a challenging schedule, including matches against Lake Catholic and Mentor, and had established itself as one of the area’s top Division II programs.
The regional final marked the third time Riverside has finished as a regional runner-up.
Although the Beavers could not sustain their early momentum against Magnificat, their 19-win season and regional championship appearance represented another significant achievement for the program.
Magnificat advances to face Big Walnut in a Division II state semifinal Friday, Nov. 13, at Vandalia Butler High School.
GAME CENTER — Riverside vs. Magnificat
State semifinal schedule
| Division | Matchup | Date and time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| IV | Lake Catholic vs. Ottawa-Glandorf | Thursday, Nov. 12, 6 p.m. | Wright State University |
| III | NDCL vs. Archbishop McNicholas | Friday, Nov. 13, 6 p.m. | Vandalia Butler High School |
Lake Catholic is pursuing its fifth consecutive state championship, while NDCL is seeking its fourth title in program history.
Editor’s note: Team records and matchup histories reflect information entered in the OV Sports Engine. Quotations from the regional championships were originally reported by The News-Herald.
Today's Games
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November 8, 2026.
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HOT STREAKS
Active team winning streaks of 3 games or more.
Volleyball Stat Leaders
2026-2027Attacking
K
Faith VencillEdgewood491
Ellie SpencerKirtland322
Jacleyn ZgoncRiverside319
Ahnna BergantLake Catholic307
Mia MudraIndependence292
Lauren HanekJefferson286Emily SlusherIndependence261
Rhiley Williamsgeneva260
Natalie SoltisCardinal259
Frankie BrkicNDCL250Complete Leaders
| Rank | Player | School | SP | K | K/S | KILL % | ATT | E | HIT % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Faith Vencill | Edgewood | 67 | 491 | 21.00 | 120.5% | 875 | 52 | 1.113 |
| 2 | Ellie Spencer | Kirtland | 96 | 322 | 10.50 | 89.2% | 958 | 184 | 0.209 |
| 3 | Jacleyn Zgonc | Riverside | 66 | 319 | 4.80 | 48.3% | 660 | 78 | 0.365 |
| 4 | Ahnna Bergant | Lake Catholic | 92 | 307 | 13.60 | 210.3% | 771 | 92 | 1.137 |
| 5 | Mia Mudra | Independence | 81 | 292 | 52.30 | 708.8% | 639 | 100 | 5.469 |
| 6 | Lauren Hanek | Jefferson | 85 | 286 | 12.90 | 146.8% | 750 | 124 | 0.279 |
| 7 | Emily Slusher | Independence | 81 | 261 | 41.50 | 595.6% | 603 | 115 | 4.203 |
| 8 | Rhiley Williams | geneva | 83 | 260 | 10.60 | 165.1% | 626 | 118 | 1.266 |
| 9 | Natalie Soltis | Cardinal | 81 | 259 | 3.20 | 35.1% | 738 | 139 | 0.163 |
| 10 | Frankie Brkic | NDCL | 77 | 250 | 3.20 | 36.4% | 686 | 114 | 0.198 |
Serving
A
Gabby Kaplanlakeside84Andriana GrmanKirtland74
Taylor Klukchardon71Ellie SpencerKirtland70Mia MudraIndependence66
Moira WondersBerkshire66
Molly FlyntFairview66Chloe KingFairview65Lilli DeweeseBerkshire63
Callie McGuiremadison61Complete Leaders
| Rank | Player | School | SP | A | A/S | ACE % | SA | SE | SERV % | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gabby Kaplan | lakeside | 81 | 84 | 1.00 | 22.3% | 377 | 50 | 165.1% | 18 |
| 2 | Andriana Grman | Kirtland | 94 | 74 | 2.70 | 49.4% | 423 | 37 | 255.4% | 0 |
| 3 | Taylor Kluk | chardon | 76 | 71 | 1.00 | 22.2% | 327 | 43 | 87.3% | 13 |
| 4 | Ellie Spencer | Kirtland | 96 | 70 | 3.20 | 70.0% | 408 | 42 | 175.9% | 0 |
| 5 | Mia Mudra | Independence | 81 | 66 | 16.10 | 255.8% | 339 | 37 | 1,135.3% | 0 |
| 5 | Moira Wonders | Berkshire | 77 | 66 | 15.60 | 275.5% | 353 | 42 | 1,052.4% | 219 |
| 5 | Molly Flynt | Fairview | 81 | 66 | 7.00 | 50.0% | 216 | 23 | 171.6% | 0 |
| 8 | Chloe King | Fairview | 78 | 65 | 5.00 | 81.8% | 299 | 35 | 92.9% | 0 |
| 9 | Lilli Deweese | Berkshire | 77 | 63 | 11.80 | 268.4% | 288 | 34 | 1,051.3% | 170 |
| 10 | Callie McGuire | madison | 76 | 61 | 3.00 | 62.2% | 303 | 45 | 350.1% | 157 |
Blocking
TOT BLKSEmma RiebeLake Catholic102.0
Sophi Smithrootstown97.0
KJ WilliamsGilmour Academy88.0
Emily Mechenbierperry86.0Sophia RaguzLake Catholic86.0
Gillian PayneBeaumont85.0
Vera Willoughbyorange82.0Faith VencillEdgewood74.0Cecile Gindiorange71.0Payton WoodringEdgewood70.0Complete Leaders
| Rank | Player | School | SP | BS | BA | TOT BLKS | B/S | BE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emma Riebe | Lake Catholic | 92 | 20 | 82 | 102.0 | 6.90 | 3.9 |
| 2 | Sophi Smith | rootstown | 78 | 68 | 29 | 97.0 | 1.30 | 4.3 |
| 3 | KJ Williams | Gilmour Academy | 78 | 50 | 38 | 88.0 | 6.30 | 15 |
| 4 | Emily Mechenbier | perry | 73 | 49 | 37 | 86.0 | 1.20 | 3.9 |
| 4 | Sophia Raguz | Lake Catholic | 91 | 11 | 75 | 86.0 | 5.90 | 3.3 |
| 6 | Gillian Payne | Beaumont | 76 | 14 | 71 | 85.0 | 1.10 | 3.7 |
| 7 | Vera Willoughby | orange | 61 | 60 | 22 | 82.0 | 1.30 | 4.1 |
| 8 | Faith Vencill | Edgewood | 67 | 23 | 51 | 74.0 | 2.40 | 3.4 |
| 9 | Cecile Gindi | orange | 62 | 55 | 16 | 71.0 | 1.40 | 0 |
| 10 | Payton Woodring | Edgewood | 67 | 24 | 46 | 70.0 | 1.00 | 3.2 |
Digging
DBria GolemKirtland600Ella Haynrootstown522Lola LoncarLake Catholic458Sam WheelerNDCL456Molly FlyntFairview395Maddie BowerBerkshire386Ellie SpencerKirtland378Adelyn GrantCardinal376Haylee RhodesEdgewood345
Ava GarrettMentor335Complete Leaders
| Rank | Player | School | SP | D | DE | D/S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bria Golem | Kirtland | 96 | 600 | 26 | 21.30 |
| 2 | Ella Hayn | rootstown | 79 | 522 | 98 | 6.60 |
| 3 | Lola Loncar | Lake Catholic | 91 | 458 | 0 | 29.80 |
| 4 | Sam Wheeler | NDCL | 81 | 456 | 1 | 5.60 |
| 5 | Molly Flynt | Fairview | 81 | 395 | 0 | 21.60 |
| 6 | Maddie Bower | Berkshire | 77 | 386 | 0 | 52.70 |
| 7 | Ellie Spencer | Kirtland | 96 | 378 | 17 | 11.10 |
| 8 | Adelyn Grant | Cardinal | 81 | 376 | 0 | 4.60 |
| 9 | Haylee Rhodes | Edgewood | 67 | 345 | 0 | 14.40 |
| 10 | Ava Garrett | Mentor | 75 | 335 | 0 | 4.60 |
Ball Handling
ASTSummer MatthewsEdgewood715Lucy KlepperCardinal650Makayla KoenigRiverside632
Keira Schaabwest geauga594Mira SiebertGilmour Academy548Chloe KingFairview526
Annabel Robertsmayfield512
Emily Grubichkenston499Ryley MurphyNDCL491Emily DunavantLake Catholic477Complete Leaders
| Rank | Player | School | SP | AST | AST/S | BHA | BHE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Summer Matthews | Edgewood | 67 | 715 | 26.40 | 1,708 | 72 |
| 2 | Lucy Klepper | Cardinal | 81 | 650 | 8.00 | 2,182 | 11 |
| 3 | Makayla Koenig | Riverside | 66 | 632 | 9.60 | 1,485 | 1 |
| 4 | Keira Schaab | west geauga | 77 | 594 | 7.90 | 1,653 | 0 |
| 5 | Mira Siebert | Gilmour Academy | 79 | 548 | 41.70 | 1,479 | 14 |
| 6 | Chloe King | Fairview | 78 | 526 | 31.10 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Annabel Roberts | mayfield | 80 | 512 | 6.40 | 1,467 | 5 |
| 8 | Emily Grubich | kenston | 94 | 499 | 5.30 | 1,417 | 0 |
| 9 | Ryley Murphy | NDCL | 51 | 491 | 9.60 | 1,519 | 1 |
| 10 | Emily Dunavant | Lake Catholic | 90 | 477 | 28.90 | 1,800 | 20 |
Serve Receiving
RRBria GolemKirtland546Lola LoncarLake Catholic514Taysha Riveralakeside494Ella Haynrootstown489Cora Bracegeneva479Adelyn GrantCardinal477Madeline SteenJefferson462
Reannan Konopkabrooklyn450Sophie Caminochardon436Kara Selbykenston435Complete Leaders
| Rank | Player | School | SP | RR | RE | R/S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bria Golem | Kirtland | 96 | 546 | 40 | 16.80 |
| 2 | Lola Loncar | Lake Catholic | 91 | 514 | 33 | 29.10 |
| 3 | Taysha Rivera | lakeside | 81 | 494 | 71 | 7.50 |
| 4 | Ella Hayn | rootstown | 79 | 489 | 81 | 8.30 |
| 5 | Cora Brace | geneva | 83 | 479 | 41 | 13.60 |
| 6 | Adelyn Grant | Cardinal | 81 | 477 | 38 | 5.90 |
| 7 | Madeline Steen | Jefferson | 80 | 462 | 52 | 5.80 |
| 8 | Reannan Konopka | brooklyn | 73 | 450 | 110 | 6.20 |
| 9 | Sophie Camino | chardon | 76 | 436 | 43 | 5.70 |
| 10 | Kara Selby | kenston | 89 | 435 | 54 | 6.00 |
