Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller wins second state title
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller (21-4) defeated Hudson (21-6) 3-0 (31-29, 25-11, 25-21) in the OHSAA Division I Boys Volleyball State Championship Saturday at Pam Evans Smith Arena on the campus of Wittenberg University.
Hudson is making their second OHSAA state tournament appearance (2023) and their first championship match appearance. Moeller is making their second OHSAA state tournament appearance, previously winning the state championship in 2023.
Moeller rallied from down 24-21 to win the first set, 31-29. The set featured seven lead changes and 13 ties. Senior outside hitter Elvis Arvay led the Crusaders with seven kills in the set.
The second set was tied 8-8 before Moeller went on an 11-0 run en route to a 25-11 set two victory.
Hudson opened up the third set with a 14-7 lead, but Moeller responded with an 8-0 run to lead 15-14. Moeller maintained a one-point lead over the next 12 points, but scored four of the final five points in the match to secure the 25-21 set three victory and the Crusaders second state title.
Four players for Moeller finished the match with ten kills as the team had an OHSAA tournament record 50 kills in a three-set match. Their .296 hitting percentage and 54 digs are also OHSAA tournament records in a three-set match.
Individually, Moeller senior libero Tyler Wong set a new three-set match record for digs with 19, breaking the previous record of 13. Senior setter Nick Dollard had 34 assists in the match.
Leading the way for Hudson was senior outside hitter Owen Stearns with seven kills, and junior setter Jackson Battaglia who notched 21 assists and three service aces.
Moeller won ten state championships prior to boys volleyball becoming an OHSAA sanctioned sport in 2023 when the state tournament was hosted by the Ohio High School Volleyball Coaches Association.
Franklin Bishop Fenwick wins first state title
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – Franklin Bishop Fenwick (23-6) defeated Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary (18-10) 3-0 (25-17, 25-15, 25-20) in the OHSAA Division II Boys Volleyball State Championship Saturday at Pam Evans Smith Arena on the campus of Wittenberg University.
Fenwick is making their first OHSAA state tournament appearance while St. Vincent-St. Mary is making their fourth OHSAA state tournament appearance.
Fenwick won the first set 25-17, scoring seven of the last nine points to take a 1-0 advantage in the match. Senior outside hitter Parker Povse led the Falcons with five kills in the set.
Fenwick never trailed in set two and used scoring runs of 6-0, 5-0, and 5-1 to jump out to a 2-0 lead in the match.
St. Vincent-St. Mary opened up the third set with a 9-4 lead, but Fenwick responded with a 9-3 run to lead 14-13. Back-and-forth scoring continued with four ties and three lead changes over the next seven points, but Fenwick pulled away to win the third set 25-20.
Seniors Will Lenz (13) and Parker Povse (10) each tallied double digit kills for Fenwick while the team finished the match with 45 digs, a new Division II OHSAA tournament record.
Leading the way for St. Vincent-St. Mary was sophomore setter Dev Brickman with five kills, 11 assists, and eight digs.
Fenwick previously won state championships in 2013 and 2021 when the Ohio High School Volleyball Coaches Association hosted the state tournament.