Alter volleyball earns shot at 4th state championship

Another power falls as Alter edges Mansfield Madison.

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By Debbie Juniewicz, Contributing Writer 11:05 PM Thursday, November 10, 2011

FAIRBORN — Alter coach Tina Jasinowski had just two words to say to the Knights after their semifinal match Thursday:

“One more.”

The Knights edged second-ranked Mansfield Madison 24-26, 25-21, 25-17, 25-23 in the Division II state volleyball semifinals at the Nutter Center. It was the second state power the Knights have dispensed with in the past week as Alter eliminated top-ranked Wyoming in the regionals. Alter, now 19-9, is one win from a fourth state title.

The Knights were anticipating a big attack from the Rams’ Dakia Sellers, but the senior was largely quiet in the first set. Meanwhile, the young Alter players were dealing with the nervousness of their first state match and the seniors were dealing with the pressure of knowing it was their last chance to win a title.

“Once we won the second set, we got into a little bit of a comfort zone,” Jasinowski said. “We settled into what we wanted to do.”

Senior Megan Courtney paced the Knights’ with a match-leading 22 kills and 19 digs. The setter/outside hitter also had 19 assists, while sophomore setter Mary Rodehaver had 22. But there were strong performances across the board by the Knights in their semifinal match.

“Our secondary kids were coming up with big things for us tonight,” Jasinowski said. “If you only rely on your top kids, or your big kids, you might not be where we are now.”

Freshman outside hitter Maddie Bazelak and sophomore middle hitter Natalie Seiler proved to be key players for the Knights. Bazelak was second to Courtney with nine kills, including the one that clinched the second set.

“Who would have thought that the big swings toward the end would come from a freshman,” Jasinowski said.

Seiler did her part to stifle the Rams with a big block. The middle hitter had a match-leading nine blocks on the night.

Next up for Alter is Bishop Hartley (23-5). The Hawks, making their fourth state appearance in the past five seasons, edged Beaumont 22-25, 29-27, 25-22, 25-22 in the semifinals.

The D-II final gets under way at 1 p.m. Saturday.

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