Wadsworth’s girls volleyball team is headed back to the state tournament. The Grizzlies rallied past Olmsted Falls 3-1 on Saturday in the Division II, Region 5 final at Ravenna, dropping the first set before winning the final three, the Akron Beacon Journal reported.
Olmsted Falls (22-4) took the opener 25-20. Wadsworth (24-2) answered 25-14, 25-22 and 25-15, with junior Natalie Maddox spiking down the final point before the Grizzlies received their regional championship trophy and medals, according to the Beacon Journal.
Junior Quinn Macko and senior Kameron Chapman powered Wadsworth once again, the Beacon Journal reported. Macko totaled 19 kills, five service aces, five blocks and three digs as the Grizzlies won their 21st match in a row, and Chapman contributed 10 kills and eight blocks.
“Our energy really carried us through the game,” Macko told the Akron Beacon Journal. “We worked as a team. If we would get one pass, we would get the set and we would get the kill.” Maddox told the Beacon Journal: “I am so excited for our team. We all work so hard.”
The supporting numbers ran deep. Junior Averie Shell totaled 35 assists, nine digs and three blocks, junior Ellie Wolf had 24 digs, and junior Angelina Gambaccini added 13 digs and six kills, according to the Beacon Journal. Junior twins Julia Maddox (six blocks) and Natalie Maddox (six kills) also played key roles.
It is the second trip to the state tournament in three years for Wadsworth, the Beacon Journal reported, and the first under first-year head coach Joseph Snyder, who was an assistant the previous two seasons. “We played as one,” Snyder told the Beacon Journal. “The players came out and were able to play in the moment, play for each other, play disciplined and relied on their training.”
Wadsworth will meet Kings in a Division II state semifinal at 2 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, at Vandalia Butler High School, according to the Beacon Journal. Kings reached the semifinal by sweeping Anthony Wayne in its regional final on Saturday.
Photo: The main entrance of Wadsworth High School. Photo: SilentMatt Psychedelic, CC BY-SA