FAIRBORN, Ohio — It was a good day for Northeast Ohio at the OHSAA girls volleyball state championships.
In Division II, Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin won its third title Saturday following in a thrilling five-set showdown with Gilmour. Then in Division III, Lake Catholic won its second-ever championship with a three-set sweep of Coldwater.
The D-II matchup at Wright State University's Nutter Center was an all-Greater Cleveland affair, with the Lions battling the defending champion Lancers. Gilmour (21-9) used a balanced attack to race out to a 2-1 lead after the first three sets, taking the latter two by a combined 17 points.
However, NDCL (20-7) managed to force a decisive fifth set by a score of 25-14, with Caroline Jurevicius (daughter of former Browns receiver Joe Jurevicius) tallying seven of her 27 kills. Although the Lancers kept it close, the Lions never trailed in the final battle, as Jurevicius delivered the final point off an assist from Grace Daniels that secured a 15-12 win and the state title.
D-III was a lot less stressful, at least for top-ranked Lake Catholic (27-2). The Cougars dominated Coldwater (25-5) from start to finish, winning the first two sets 25-12 and 25-13. Katie Sowko and Claire Duricky each had 10 kills, and although the Cavaliers fought hard in the third set, the champs wound up pulling away for a 25-20 win.
Also on Saturday, Magnificat took on Blue Ash Ursuline for the Division I championship. Unfortunately, the Blue Streaks couldn't defend their title, falling to the Lions in a nail-biting four-set affair.
