Miami East, St. Henry take aim at state volleyball titles

Redskins looking for 7th championship; Vikings seeks 1st

High school sports results for May 26
5/26/12
Wayne boys win team track title
5/25/12
Bellbrook tennis duo advances to semifinals
5/25/12
Jefferson grad takes lessons from Miami Heat cousin
5/25/12
T-Bolts excited for state debut
5/25/12
> More high school headlines

By Debbie Juniewicz, Contributing Writer Updated 1:16 PM Wednesday, November 9, 2011

One school has a storied volleyball history with 13 state appearances and six championship titles, the other is making its first trip to the state tournament.

But state experience aside, St. Henry and Miami East have much in common. The Redskins and Vikings both have their sights set on a championship.

Division IV St. Henry and Division III Miami East step onto the Nutter Center floor as the top-ranked teams in their respective divisions with  27-1 records.

“Rankings and records don’t mean much,” Miami East coach John Cash said. “All four teams have a bull’s-eye on their back because they’re the last four standing.”

Diana Kramer has experienced the St. Henry volleyball tradition as a player and, now, as a coach.

“These players have a lot of pride wearing the St. Henry uniform,” she said. “They look up at the state banners in the gym and they want to be a part of that.

“And in this community, everyone knows someone who has gone to state.”

St. Henry, which won its first state title in 1985, joined an elite group of four teams in the state that have won six or more volleyball championships with the Redskins most recent win in 2004.

St. Henry took out recent state champions Marion Local (2007, ’08 and ’09) and Lehman Catholic (’10) in the district and regional finals, respectively, to earn this year’s state berth.

“The last handful of years, the state champion has come from our region and, hopefully, that will continue this year,” Kramer said.

St. Henry has a pair of first team all-state players in senior outside hitter Katie Hoyng and senior Abby Brunswick, who plays setter, right side and outside hitter. Senior outside hitter Ashley Heitkamp earned third-team all-state honors.

Building a tradition: Miami East had never played for a regional title, much less advanced to the state tournament. But the Vikings seem unfazed.

“These kids are really business as usual,” Cash said. “The measurements of the floor are going to be the same whether it’s our gym or the Nutter Center.”

The buzz around the school has been tremendous. The high school canceled classes Thursday so the student body can attend the Vikings’ 2 p.m. semifinal match.

“I told the girls when I started here that if we started doing things right, we’ll see a lot of support,” Cash said.

Balance has been a key to the Vikings’ success this season with both of Cash’s daughters, Abby, a team captain, and Sam, as well as co-captain Leah Dunivan, defensive specialist Allie Millhouse and libero Allison Morrett playing key roles for the first-time state qualifiers.

State volleyball

What: OHSAA State Volleyball Tournament

Where: Wright State University (Nutter Center)

When: Thursday thru Saturday

Schedule: (semifinal times are approximate, with the first match at noon and subsequent matches beginning 30 minutes after the conclusion of the preceding match)

Cost: $9

Semifinals

Thursday

Division III: noon — Gilmour Academy (25-2) vs. Bishop Ready (22-5); 2 p.m. — Adena (24-3) vs. Miami East (27-1).

Division II: 4 p.m. — Bishop Hartley (22-5) vs. Beaumont (18-9); 6 p.m. — Alter (28-9) vs. Mansfield Madison (26-2).

Friday

Division I: noon — Findlay (22-5) vs. Mount Notre Dame (22-5); 2 p.m. — Toledo St. Ursula Academy (27-0) vs. Walsh Jesuit (20-7)

Division IV: 4 p.m. — Tuscarawas C.C. (23-4) vs. Reedsville Eastern (27-0); 6 p.m. — Sycamore Mohawk (25-2) vs. St. Henry (26-1)

Finals

Saturday: 11 a.m. — Division III; 1 p.m. — Division II; 3 p.m. — Division I; 5 p.m. — Division IV

Share this article