Olentangy Liberty’s first trip to the state volleyball tournament since 2021 ended one win short of the final on Thursday, November 12, as unbeaten Cincinnati Seton swept the Patriots 25-11, 25-17, 25-16 in an Ohio High School Athletic Association Division I state semifinal at Vandalia Butler High School, according to The Columbus Dispatch’s match report. Seton, now 27-0, advances to the Division I state championship match against Cincinnati St. Ursula on Friday, November 13, at Wright State University.
The Saints took control early, building a 5-2 lead in the first set behind three kills from Charley Moeddel and two aces from Maggie Timmerman, The Columbus Dispatch reported. Liberty pulled within 8-6, but a 12-3 Seton run put the set away, and the Patriots hit just .077 in the opener and .031 for the match against Seton’s block and defense.
Liberty’s best stretch came in the second set, when kills from Ellyn Lough, Caroline Scott and Quinn Smith, plus three aces, pushed the Patriots ahead 7-4. Seton answered with three kills each from Kenna Meibers and Charlotte Holm to lead 13-11, then closed the set on an 8-1 run. The Dispatch noted that Liberty, which had averaged 10.3 aces per match during its postseason run, managed just six aces all night, five of them in that second set.
Seton finished the sweep in the third set, opening leads of 4-0 and 14-6. Moeddel’s 16th and 17th kills closed out the match, and setter Penelope Reisman finished with 34 assists, five digs and three kills for the Saints, according to The Columbus Dispatch. For Liberty, Smith led with six kills, Sophia Aquillo recorded 12 assists and Laney Larkin posted 12 digs.
Liberty coach Jennifer Chapman told The Columbus Dispatch that Seton’s balance was unlike anything her team had faced. In the Dispatch’s report, Chapman said earlier opponents usually leaned on one strong middle or one strong outside hitter, while Seton presented several of those threats across the net at the same time, forcing Liberty to divide its attention on every rally.
The loss ends a 23-4 season that few outside the program predicted. The Patriots lost three of four matches between August 29 and September 8, and their only central Ohio loss came against Olentangy Berlin, but they won 17 straight matches entering the semifinal, including victories over Olentangy Orange and Pickerington Central, The Columbus Dispatch reported. Scott told the Dispatch that reaching state was the goal the team’s seniors set at the start of the season, and that seeing the group push through adversity to get there meant a great deal.
Liberty graduates seven seniors — Scott, Larkin, Lough, Leah Kille, Veronica Ganz, Ellie Ewing and Adi Missig — while four sophomores who played key roles return. Seton, meanwhile, plays for the Division I title on Friday against St. Ursula, which, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer, rallied past Cleveland St. Joseph Academy in four sets in Thursday’s other semifinal to set up an all-Cincinnati final.
Photo: BPaulLucas, CC BY-SA