Cardenal, Gilmour and Lake Catholic sweep district titles – News-Herald

The last time the Cardinal advanced to the regional round, teams only had to win two sets. But the Huskies added a new chapter to their story on October 24.

They defeated Kidron Central Christian, 3-0, to be part of the first regional round in Division VII history. It is the first time since 1996 that the Huskies have advanced to the regional round.

The Huskies will play Wellsville on Oct. 31 in Strongsville.

The Cardinal built a big lead in the first set, but the Comets began to weaken. Despite a 10-5 run, Kidron’s comeback fell short as the Huskies took the first set.

The second set once again went to the Huskies, but Kidron was able to lead in the third set. However, the Huskies were able to recover.

Down 21-20, they went on a 4-1 run to finish the sweep and lift the district title.

Cardinal has yet to drop a set this postseason.

• It’s fortunate that No. 7 goes to Gilmour, as the Lancers swept Canfield for a D-III district title in Medina. The Lancers took the first set, 25-10, before the final two sets were 25-17.

They have advanced to the regional final the last five seasons in a row and are aiming for their sixth on October 31. The Lancers will face Padua, which defeated Bay in five sets, in Mentor.

• Lake Catholic also swept to a double-digit berth in a DV district final, defeating Tuslaw in Streetsboro. The Cougars won their fifth straight district.

They were led up front with three players in double figures for kills. Nataly Bergant had 11, while Avery Budrys-Rini and Ahnna Bergant had 10 each.

Layla Kaster also had three blocks. Anything that made it past a formidable front row was cleaned up by Julia Oster and Avery Budrys-Rini, as they combined for 23 digs.

Now the Cougars set up a 1-on-2 matchup in the regional semifinal against Ashland Crestview on Oct. 31 in Barberton. The Rebels swept South Range in their district final and are 25-0 on the season.

• South and Highland traded sets back and forth in the D-III district final, but were unable to break the trend in the fifth set. The Hornets took the 3-2 victory and advanced to the regional round.

While their season came to an end, it was a good overall performance for the Rebels. They defeated Kenston, who avenged their only conference loss and took the WRC.

With the return of players like Maisie Nawrocki and Milli Ellis, South will have another chance to reach the regional round for the first time since 2012.