Flyers’ dream season ends one game from state final 4

LEXINGTON — In a game that saw four players committed to NCAA Division I colleges, Lake volleyball held their own against the No. 2-ranked Division II team in Ohio.

However, Gates Mills Gilmour Academy (17-10), from Geauga County, eventually got their way, advancing to the state final four with a 25-21, 17-25, 25-17, 25-17 regional final victory over the Flyers Saturday.

After reaching the regional tournament for the first time in school history, Lake’s season ends at 21-7.

“I don’t think it was even on our radar to get to this point,” Lake coach Amy Vorst said. “This was our goal, to get a district championship.

“We said we were going to get a district championship the last four years and we lost in the district finals the last two years,” Vorst continued.

“To get to this point was phenomenal. I mean, it really was icing on the cake. I think it was doable, but we didn’t lose to scrubs. That (Gilmour) is a phenomenal team. It was a great match.”

Lake will graduate four seniors, setter and outside hitter Vayda Delventhal, libero Sydney Stanley, right side hitter Maura Deutschmann, and outside hitter and setter Taryn Dewese.

“This group of seniors is something special,” Vorst said. “They play for each other, they support each other. I don’t have one negative thing to say about these kids.”

For Gilmour, it is their fifth straight trip to the state final four and 13th overall with two state titles. One of their two seniors, right side hitter Maria Flynn, will have played at the state tournament all four years of her high school career.

The Flyers and Lancers were familiar with each other, pairing off in a showcase scrimmage at Owens Community College last summer and splitting two sets.

Flynn is committed to playing collegiately at the University of Chicago while Gilmour junior outside hitter Marlie Davis will play at Colgate University. For Lake, DeWese will play at Vanderbilt University and Delventhal is heading to Cleveland State University.

The Flyers took early leads in the first three sets, going up 4-1 in the opening set on two kills by Dewese, scoring the first three points of the second set, again on two kills by Dewese, and the first two points of the third set with both points coming off kills by Dewese.

“We were a little more confident,” Vorst said. “I thought our serve-receive did really well in the first three sets, and then I don’t know if it was fatigue or what, or lack of confidence, but we kind of stopped playing our match there in the fourth.”

In the first set, Gilmour quickly reversed their fortune, tying the score at six points apiece on three straight kills by junior outside hitter Aubrey Anders.

Flynn and Gilmour sophomore middle blocker D’Aira Whitner combined for block assists to put the Lancers up, 6-5, and they never trailed again.

An ace by Lake freshman defensive specialist Calli Conley got the Flyers to within two, 21-19, but a kill by Anders scored the set point.

In the second set, another ace by Conley gave Lake a 20-13 and Dewese had six kills as the Flyers seemed to have figured the match out and cruised to the eight-point win.

The third was more like the first, with Gilmour junior middle blocker Kayla Channell tying the match at four points, and after the Lancers jumped out front, consecutive kills by Delventhal and junior middle hitter Keira Magers tied the score at seven points apiece.

But two kills by Davis and an ace by senior defensive specialist Ava Malinowski put the Lancers back out in front for good. In the fourth, Gilmour never trailed, taking an 18-9 lead on an ace by Davis.

While the Lancers had multiple starters and non-starters who were six-foot or taller, including a 6-foot-3 freshman, Vorst said it was her team’s inability to handle their serves that ultimately was the difference.

“I think it came down to service,” Vorst said. “They became extremely aggressive in their serve and our blockers were just a little late.

“Their offense is a little quicker than what we’ve seen this season and they are tall and they are dynamic. I mean, they hit above our blockers sometimes.”

Gilmour coach Danny Coughlin saw his team suffered 10 losses when a key player was injured in mid-season, plus they play some of the top Division I competition in the state. He said Lake gave them a good scare in the second set.

“Lake did fantastic. I have a lot of respect for their coaching staff,” Coughlin said. “Their outside (Dewese) is fantastic, so it took a little bit of time for us to figure out what we wanted to do.

“Usually, we preach on six-rotations to figure out the game plan of the other team. I know we won the first set, but they came out strong in set two and made us a little uncomfortable.

“But I think our overall experience of being able to keep our composure in a big match probably what was able to turn the tables for us.”