The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Cougars move on to play for state berth
STOW >> Lake Catholic’s opponents know all about Ashley Browske, the Cougars’ senior standout hitter.
Browske, committed to Pitt, leads Lake Catholic with more than four kills and four digs per set.
When coach Rob Cline sees his offense diversify, that’s when the Cougars’ offense elevates.
Against Mantua Crestwood in a Division II Stow regional semifinal Nov. 1, Lake Catholic’s middle hitters provided an extra offensive dimension.
The Cougars advanced to their third straight regional final with a 3-1 win over the Red Devils. Browske led the team with 19 kills, but junior middle Ainslie McLaughlin put up 14 and senior Kylie Snyder added 12.
“That just sets the tempo,” Cline said. “If you can get the middles going, the other team has to pay attention. They just can’t leave and go block Ashley, that helped.”
Lake Catholic advances to a D-II Stow regional final against Gilmour at StowMunroe Falls High School on Nov. 3. The Cougars are the back-to-back defending regional champions.
Lake Catholic won the first two sets by identical scores, 25-19, to take control of the match early. Browske was able to conserve her energy throughout the first set while Snyder provided early momentum.
“We played great defense and the energy of the team really gets me up every time,” Snyder said. “Captains like Ashley really help me get up and support me a lot.”
Crestwood opened the third set on a 5-0 run. The Red Devils capitalized on 11 Lake Catholic errors to win the set, 25-19. Crestwood provided a challenge to the Cougars as the Red Devils would immediately send balls back over the net instead of making a pass and setting a hitter.
“We had to be on our feet ready to move and play good defense,” Browske said. “We saw that in the game, if we did tip, they would throw it over so we had to be aggressive on our swings.”
Lake Catholic righted itself in the fourth set behind its All-Ohio hitter. Browske spurred a 4-0 run to begin the game and notched seven kills to lead the Cougars to a 25-16 victory that returns them to a familiar stage.
Defensively, Lake Catholic was faced with the task of slowing Crestwood’s powerful hitters, Slate Bretz and Ellen Cox. The Cougars relied on their service to prevent the Red Devils from establishing rhythm and their weapons from taking over the match.
“We always try and serve aggressive,” Browske said. “It’s hard to be aggressive and not make errors but I thought we did a great job serving specific people and getting them out of system.”