NDCL and Gilmour to face off at D-II state

There will be an all-area matchup as Notre Dame Cathedral Latin and Gilmour will play for a state title.

“It just really speaks volumes about the talent that’s in northeast Ohio ... Other than that we’re here for one thing.” Tom Ray, NDCL coach

VANDALIA » For the first time since 2015, the Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin volleyball team is headed to the state championship match.

Powered by sophomore Caroline Jurevicius’ 20 kills, NDCL advanced past previously unbeaten Jonathan Alder in three sets (25-17, 25-12, 25-15). Next up for the Lions is a showdown with Gilmour Academy on Nov. 15 for the D-II state championship at Butler High School in Vandalia.

Jurevicius led an extremely efficient Lions offense that hit at a 38-percent clip. The sophomore hit 76-percent scoring on 20 of her 26 attempts, while also playing a major role on defense.

As one half of NDCL’s intimidating block, Jurevicius added six blocks. Fellow six-foot-two teammate Missy Sterkel, led all players with seven while also landing five kills.

“We kept putting our hands i n front of their face, and it’s kind of intimidating,” Jurevicius said. “When you have someone like Missy Sterkel with her hands hovering near the net, I would be scared of having hands in front of my face. So I think that put a lot of pressure on them.”

On offense Jurevicius was assisted by senior Hanna Bissler who finished with 13 kills while hitting at 44-percent. Bissler and Jurevicius combined for 13 first set kills, setting the tone for the rest of the match.

The Lions jumped out to an early lead in the opening set, leading 9-4 before a Pioneers timeout. Three straight aces from Emma Shepherd pulled Alder within one point before Bissler slammed home a kill.

It was Bissler’s first of the match, which she followed up with four more over the next 15 points.

NDCL faced some difficulty in the early goings of the second set, sitting tied with the Pioneers at nine a piece. But a Bissler kill broke the tie and Jurevicius had four hammers in the next nine points to all but ice the set.

Senior Ella Shuber t slammed the door shut, serving the final eight points of the set with help from Jurevicius and Sterkel.

The third set opened with even more of a fight from Alder, who opened up with a 10-6 lead, their biggest of the day. The Lions, as they did all match, stormed back to tie and then take the lead.

“I think we fight for every point because we’ve let seasons go in the past,” Bissler said. “We understand how that feels so we understand we have to fight for every single ball whether it’s the first point of the match or the last point. Our defense had a really good mindset.”

For NDCL, who had their season paused for 18 days due to the novel coronavirus, clinching a spot in the state championship match is a dream come true. And for head coach Tom Ray, it’s a chance to show how far volleyball in northeast Ohio has come, as his team faces a familiar foe from just down the road.

“It just really speaks volumes about the talent that’s in northeast Ohio.” Ray said. “We’re excited to be here and compete. Other than that we’re here for one thing.”

In their first game back from their coronavirus pause, the Lions fell to Gilmour in four sets. Now, NDCL gets a second shot to prove itself.