HIGH-SCHOOL

CHCA clinches 1st trip to Division III volleyball state tourney with win over Versailles

Mark Schmetzer

For the Enquirer

CHCA Eagles and their fans celebrate the school’s first girls volleyball regional championship on Saturday, Nov. 2

KETTERING – Ainsley Droege celebrated so hard, she sprained her right ankle.

She wasn’t feeling much pain.

The Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy senior and co-captain had good reason to party. She and her Eagle teammates had just clinched the program’s first-ever trip to the Division III volleyball state tournament, knocking off two-time defending state champion Versailles, 17-25, 35-33, 25-20, 25-12, in Saturday’s regional final at Kettering Fairmont High School’s C.M. Trent Arena.

“This is unbelievable, honestly,” said Droege, sitting on the bench with CHCA’s only other senior, Jessica Schaad, the niece of coach Lisa Schaad. The right side of her lower ankle already was swelling and she was awaiting a tape job. “My freshman year, I never could have imagined this could happen.”

“It’s surreal – absolutely surreal,” Lisa Schaad said. “I’m shaking.”

The Eagles (21-6), who were tied for No. 17 in the final state volleyball coaches’ association Division III statewide poll, have won six straight matches and eight of their last nine with the only loss to Division II-power Bishop Fenwick. They are scheduled to face the winner of Saturday’s regional final between top-ranked Ottawa-Glandorf and No.2 Liberty-Benton at 2 p.m. Thursday at Wright State University’s Ervin J. Nutter Center.

Schaad led the Eagles with four aces. Junior outside hitter-middle blocker and co-captain Annie Lockett finished with a team-high .318 hitting percentage and six solo blocks. Junior libero Katelyn Grimes sparked the defense with 20 digs, while sophomore setter Carmen Soloria piled up 28 assists.

Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy Eagles pose with the program’s first volleyball regional championship trophy after a win against Versailles on Saturday, Nov. 2.

CHCA, with a 2-1 game lead, raced to a 10-0 lead in the Game 4 behind the serving of outside hitter Rylie Wichmann against Versailles, which finished the season with a tie for the poll’s 12th slot.

“That’s my baby girl serving,” Todd Wichmann proudly tweeted.

“We served well and didn’t make as many mistakes, and they were making more mistakes,” Lisa Schaad said about the Game 4 eruption.

Versailles (15-13) ended the first game with an 11-2 run. Senior middle blocker Lindsey Winner, on her way to reaching four figures in career kills, scored eight of the points, including the clincher with her sixth kill of the stretch.

The Eagles lost a 22-16 lead in Game 2 before fighting off two game points to pull out a 35-33 match-tying win. Lockett came up with a kill to tie the score and a block to place CHCA at game point, converted by Jessica Schaad when her serve was returned out.

“We talked all week about taking everything one point at a time, one day at a time,” Lisa Schaad. “We talked about controllables, what you can control.”

CHCA took a 2-1 lead with a 25-20 Game 3 win. The Eagles took the lead 13-12 and held it through the end of the game, closed out when Soloria’s serve was returned into the stands.