(11-13-26) Coldwater and Versailles are playing each other for a state championship tomorrow. The Cavaliers outlasted No. 2 Byesville Meadowbrook in five sets Friday morning at Wittenberg University — 25-15, 26-28, 19-25, 25-20, 15-12 — in the Division V state semifinal, and MAC rival Versailles swept previously unbeaten Canfield South Range 3-0 (25-14, 25-21, 25-23) in the other semifinal. The all-MAC final is Saturday at noon at Wright State’s Nutter Center.

Coldwater (24-4) is the top-ranked team in Division V. Meadowbrook (25-1) ends its season at 25-2, its second straight Final Four trip and third in seven years.

How the fifth set decided it

The match swung twice before the decider. Coldwater rolled through the first set 25-15, jumping out 8-4 and then reeling off six straight points to lead 11-4. Meadowbrook answered in the second, 28-26 — Coldwater had fought back from 15-11 down to lead 17-16 on back-to-back aces, but Lilly Roe’s ace put the Colts up 25-24, Natalee Norman’s kill made it 27-26, and Alli Back’s serve closed it.

Meadowbrook took the third 25-19 behind Addie Schultice, the Colts’ All-Ohio first-teamer, who had a trio of kills in the late run that turned a 13-12 Coldwater lead into a 17-14 Meadowbrook edge. Coldwater flipped it again in the fourth, rallying from a 5-0 Meadowbrook start to lead 19-11 and closing 25-20 to force a fifth.

The decider was Coldwater’s from the start: 2-0, then 4-0. Meadowbrook got within two on a Presleigh Valentine kill, but the Cavaliers stretched it to 13-9, held match point at 14-11, and closed it 15-12.

The numbers

Coldwater hit .177 as a team with 64 kills and 109 digs. Junior Campbell Etzler led the Cavaliers with 18 kills on .237 hitting and 34 digs, and junior Harlow Heyne added 15 kills — both finished with 20 points. Paige Ontrop had 14 kills on .290 with seven block assists, Mara Riethman had 10 kills and nine block assists, and setter Charlotte Hoying handed out 53 assists. Libero Audrey Diller dug up 27 balls.

Meadowbrook hit .151 with 58 kills and 112 digs. All-Ohio first-teamer Addie Schultice was the Colts’ engine with 25 kills and 25 digs for 26 points. Natalee Norman added 14 kills and 26 digs, Presleigh Valentine had 10 kills on .258 hitting, setter Bricelynn Vargeson handed out 50 assists, and Kara Launder dug up 22 balls.

The road here

Coldwater reached Springfield by beating previously undefeated Marion Pleasant 3-1 (25-20, 13-25, 25-21, 29-27) in the regional final last Saturday at Ontario. Pleasant had won two straight regional titles and hadn’t dropped a set all season until that match. Coldwater also beat Pleasant 3-0 in the 2024 state final.
The Cavaliers carry two first-team All-Ohio selections into Saturday in junior Campbell Etzler, a first-teamer, and junior Harlow Heyne, a second-teamer. Head coach Nikki Etzler is the Division V Coach of the Year.

Versailles downs unbeaten South Range

Versailles (22-6) is through to the final after sweeping previously unbeaten Canfield South Range 3-0 (25-14, 25-21, 25-23) in Friday’s second semifinal at Wittenberg. The Tigers hit .370 as a team — senior Kiley May, a second-team All-Ohio selection, had 20 kills on .417 hitting and 21 points, Allie Wietholter added 11 kills on .450 with three aces, and setter Rowan Schmitmeyer handed out 44 assists. Sophie Stammen led the defense with 16 digs.

Versailles reached Springfield by sweeping Madeira 25-16, 25-12, 25-13 in the regional final, its first regional crown since 2022, after sweeping West Liberty-Salem in the regional semifinal.

South Range ends its season at 27-1, its first Final Four appearance in program history. The Raiders hit .278 in the semifinal — Lily Weaver had 17 kills on .455 hitting, and senior Anna Toy, the Division V District 1 Player of the Year and a third-team All-Ohio selection, had 14 kills. Toy had 31 kills and 26 digs in the regional final win over Orrville, and a match-high 34 kills in the regional semifinal win over Lakeview. Head coach TJ Irons was the District 1 Coach of the Year. South Range was chasing what would have been the first state volleyball title for a Mahoning Valley program.

The final

Coldwater (24-4) vs. Versailles (22-6), Division V state championship, Saturday, noon, Nutter Center, Wright State University. It’s an all-MAC final, and a rematch: Coldwater beat Versailles 3-1 in their regular-season meeting on Sept. 24. The match streams live on the NFHS Network.

Sources: Daily Jeffersonian live blog; OHSAA official box scores; OHSAA state tournament pairings; WOSN; Your Sports Network; Lake Valley Sports Media; 21 WFMJ.

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