Meadowbrook volleyball moves one win from return to OHSSA State tournament

CAMBRIDGE − It only took a 15-minute drive from Byesville for the Colts Nation to completely take over Cambridge High School’s Gene Ford Gymnasium on Thursday, Nov. 5 − and the Meadowbrook volleyball team gave their fans plenty to cheer about.

“When I came into the gym and saw our big Meadowbrook crowd here and the great atmosphere, I was excited,” Meadowbrook senior Kara Launder said. “I just wanted to show up and deliver just like they did for us.”

Launder did just that.

Regional battle of 1-loss powerhouses

In a high-stakes showdown featuring a battle of one-loss powerhouses, the Colts entered the night at 23-1, while Martins Ferry brought a matching 24-1 record into the contest. Behind a lights-out effort in the back row from Launder, Meadowbrook dispatched the Purple Riders in a convincing 3-0 sweep by scores of 25-22, 25-23, 25-11 to advance in the OHSAA Division V regional tournament and improve to 24-1 on the season.

Launder steps into the spotlight

Launder, one-third of the senior leadership core alongside Natalee Norman and Lyla Thompson that veteran head coach Kelly Zehnder has credited all season for their leadership and stellar play, provided an huge spark from the opening serve. Her all-out effort and quick reactions in the Meadowbrook back row kept the Purple Riders from finding any consistent rhythm.

Launder finished with 14 digs, including numerous diving highlight-reel saves on hard-driven attacks. Her relentless effort anchored a back line that refused to let the ball hit the floor, leaving her head coach marveling at her performance.

“Our blocking was good tonight; both Lily McManaway and Lyla Thompson did a great job blocking at the net, along with Presleigh Valentine,” Zender said, “but Kara Launder dug out it seemed like every single ball. Her defense tonight was just outstanding. She helped to take away their best two players, and that was key for us.”

Balanced attack leads Colts sweep

Launder had plenty of help from her teammates in powering their way into the Division V regional title match as Meadowbrook unleashed a complete offensive and defensive effort across the board.

Sophomore Addie Schultice turned in a dominant performance at the net with 20 points, 15 kills, three blocks and five digs, while freshman setter Bricelynn Vargeson directed the offense smoothly to finish with 36 assists and nine digs.

Senior Lyla Thompson chipped in with nine points. seven kills and two blocks, and classmate Natalee Norman provided essential back-row defense with 21 digs, four points and three kills. Freshman Lily McManaway added 10 points, five kills and four blocks, while junior Presleigh Valentine rounded out the Colts’ attack with eight points and eight kills.

Colts have eyes on the Final Four

Despite the emotional sweep, Launder and the Colts know their job is far from finished as they strive for back-to-back trips to the OHSAA Final Four with one more victory.

More: Meadowbrook volleyball captures 7th straight OHSAA district crown

More: Estadt, Kuklica headline big day for area runners at OHSAA Regional Meet

Meadowbrook now advances to the Division V regional championship game at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, right back at Cambridge High School. The Colts will now take on Frankfort Adena, which defeated Chillicothe Zane Trace 3-2 in Thursday’s other regional semifinal, with a trip to the OHSSA state tournament on the line.

“I’m excited for Saturday,” Launder said. “We have a goal of getting back to the Final Four and then winning a state championship this year. I think we can do it, and I feel like we are locked in and ready for the challenge.”

KSutton1@gannett.com; X: @KSuttonDJSports; Instagram: kevinsutton_dailyjeffsports

This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: Meadowbrook volleyball moves one win from return to OHSSA State tournament