Beaumont Volleyball Team Falls Short in State Semifinals

Everything was going along so well in the Beaumont volleyball team’s first trip to state competition, and then it all just fell apart.

After winning the first set over the more experienced Bishop Hartley of Columbus, the Blue Streaks succumbed to the nerves of the moment and their opponent’s rapid in-match adjustments falling, 3-1, in the Division II state semifinals at the Ervin J. Nutter Center at Wright State University.

The set scores were 22-25, 29-27, 25-22, 25-22.

To illustrate the experience gap between the teams, Beaumont had stumbled at the district final gate the last three years. Hartley was returning to state competition this season after reaching this stage from 2007-2009.

The Hawks are ranked sixth in the Ohio High School Volleyball Coaches Association poll. The Blue Streaks are unranked.

“First time down there, I think the nerves got us a little bit. Hartley’s a good team. They pass well, play good defense and kept to their game plan. We tried to do some different things, and it didn’t quite work out,” Beaumont head volleyball coach Patrick Royer said.

Lauren Youngblood led the Blue Streaks (19-9) with 16 kills followed by Midori Harrison with 13. Mairin Jerse had 22 digs and Molly Davet had 21. Kelsey Vallee had 23 assists, and Katie Siefert had 19.

Molly Shonk led the Hawks (23-5) with 17 kills and 18 digs. Brooke Betts led everyone in kills with 18. Her teammate Lauren Hurley posted 21 digs with Samantha Tallman producing 16. Natalie Briggs piled up 29 assists.

In the second set, Royer said his team got a little tentative, and the Hawks began to find their zone.

“We just started backing off. We tried to pick some different spots and they adjusted and kind of moved past us,” Royer said. “We got out of our offensive rhythm way too easy. We needed to stay in there and play a little harder.”

Despite Thursday’s performance, there was plenty to look back on this season including the Blue Streaks’ 3-1 upset win over then-defending Division II state champion Lake Catholic in the Region 5 finals last week that sent them to the state round.

Joining a North Coast League that includes powerhouse teams like Lake Catholic, Padua and Walsh Jesuit raised the Blue Streaks’ level of competition but might have tapped out some of team’s reserves late in the season, Royer said.

Royer hopes a few scheduling adjustments, like spacing out the games a bit more, will help the team manage the season better and take advantage of the league’s top competition.

The team will be losing two starters including Harrison and Maria Ianni.

“I think we’ll be back. At least we’ll be competitive, I know that,” Royer said. “We got some good kids coming up. … This was a good experience for them. There were some real surprises and some really improved kids who took to the offense. They did a nice job.”