Friday, November 12, 1999
Three teams seek volleyball glory
Roger Bacon, Ursuline, MND in state semis
BY DAVE SCHUTTE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The long wait is over for coach Caryl Schawe and the Roger Bacon volleyball team.
“It's been 17 years and a lot of gray hairs, which is a long time,” Schawe said. “The last time Roger Bacon went to state was in 1985, but I was on maternity leave. I last went in 1982 when coaching at Our Lady of Angels. ”
Roger Bacon (22-5) will be in action at 11 a.m. today at Wright State University's Nutter Center, meeting Millersburg West Holmes (24-3) in a Division II state semifinal match.
Salem (24-3) plays Galion (25-2) in the other match. The winners play for the state championship at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
In the Division I tournament that begins today, Ursuline plays defending champion Mount Notre Dame at 2:30 p.m. The winner advances to Saturday's 4 p.m. title game against the winner of the Austintown-Fitch (26-1)-Rocky River Magnificat (25-2) match.
When St. Ursula, the six-time defending Division II state champion, moved up to Division I this season, Schawe declared that the wall had been removed from Roger Bacon's way.
The Spartans made the most of the situation, winning the Girls Greater Cincinnati League Gray Division championship. They went untested en route to claiming the sectional, district and regional titles.
Schawe considered Dayton Chaminade-Julienne, a team that beat St.Ursula during the season, the Spar
tans' toughest obstacle. The two teams met in Saturday's regional semifinals at Wilmington.
“I believed in my heart that if we played up to our ability, we would beat them,” Schawe said. “We took them out of their offense, and at one point, we ran off 19 consecutive points.”
After winning the regional, Schawe's thoughts turned to the athletes the past six years who never got a chance to play for the title.
“We had the ability and the talent the past six years, but because of St.Ursula, the kids never got a chance,” Schawe said. “I'm happy for these girls.”
Roger Bacon is led by setter Kim Boehmer, a four-year starter.
The Spartans lack height but has won with outstanding passing and excellent defense.
“We're probably the smallest team in Ohio,” Schawe said. “But the girls don't think they're small, and they play big.”
In Division I, Ursuline and Mount Notre Dame will meet for the third time this season. The teams split during the regular season and tied for the GGCL Scarlet Division title.
Mount Notre Dame won the first match 15-10, 15-9; Ursuline prevailed 15-6, 15-6 late in the season.
“We may have overscouted Ursuline for the second match,” Mount Notre Dame coach Donna Mechley said. “We watched films of the first match and took the girls through the zones where Ursuline would serve.”
Ursuline coach Amie Meyer reflected on last year's loss to Mount Notre Dame in the state semifinals.
“We've got some motivation because of that loss,” Meyer said. “We beat them late in the season, but I don't think our girls will be overconfident, because (Mount Notre Dame is) No.1 in Cincinnati and in Ohio.”
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