Girls Volleyball: Fenwick beats Kenton Ridge, one win away from return to state semifinals

The Falcons (20-6) will face Greater Catholic League Coed rival McNicholas at 2 p.m. Saturday at Lakota East for a spot in the state semifinals.

Fenwick came out firing in the opening set, building an early lead behind clean passing, strong serving and steady swings at the net. The Falcons won the first set 25-16.

“I thought we executed at a very high level in set one,” Falcons coach Tyler Conley said. “We really showed what we’ve been all postseason long in practice. We had our two best weeks of practice leading up to this match, and that gave me a lot of confidence coming in here that we could handle anything.”

Kenton Ridge (21-5) countered with adjustments after the first set, switching its middle and outside hitters to disrupt Fenwick’s rhythm. But the Falcons won the second set 25-22 before the Cougars took control of the third set 25-21.

Conley said that change threw the Falcons off briefly, but his players’ poise made the difference in the fourth set

“Our serving kind of fell off, and that’s why things got tight there,” Conley said. “But that’s a set that good teams are able to find a way to win, even when they’re getting pushed on.”

Conley challenged his team between sets to stay aggressive, rather than wait for things to happen.

“Our focus was we had to go get some points on serve,” Conley said. “Down the stretch it was dig, dig and kill. We did a great job in transition defensively, which has kind of been our thing. We believe we’re going to win the one-on-ones, and I think down the stretch that’s what we saw.”

The Falcons responded, taking the fourth set behind clutch digs, well-timed kills and steady leadership from their upperclassmen.

“That’s why they practice so hard,” Conley said. “Those are the ones they’re going to remember forever — the night we were at Lakota East until 10 o’clock, down in the fourth set, and we find a way to get it done. They’ve earned this.”

Junior outside hitter Morgan Meiring said the atmosphere was electric — and exactly what high school volleyball is supposed to feel like.

“It was definitely so much fun,” Meiring said. “We came in ready and prepared, but we definitely got pushed a lot tonight, which we haven’t seen as much in the postseason. It showed that we can handle it and rely on each other.

“They were playing really well, and I think we just needed to find a way to get on the same page. All ends weren’t connecting for a little bit, but once we did, everything started clicking again.”

Fenwick now turns its focus to McNicholas. The GCL Coed rivals split their regular-season meetings, and both have held top-two spots in the state coaches polls throughout the year.

“It comes down to execution,” Conley said. “When they came to our place, we executed at a high level. When we went to theirs, that was one of the best matches I’ve ever seen a team play. It’s going to come down to which team can handle the moment. Honestly, I kind of wish this was the state final.”

“We have a great city and a great conference. To be able to play a conference opponent for a chance to represent our city at state — we’re thankful for that. It doesn’t get better than this.”

Kenton Ridge coach R.J. Trainer praised his players after another deep postseason run, calling them “gritty kids who love to compete.”

“If you don’t know, our softball team went 32-0 last year, and we’ve got five softballers out there on the floor,” Trainer said. “They’re just athletes who play for each other. Our senior class is the winningest in program history — something like 85-12 the last four years. We didn’t run out of juice tonight. We just ran out of time.”

Trainer added that he expects the Cougars to remain strong next year with several key returners.

“We’ve got a lot coming back,” Trainer said. “We’ll be back here again.”

Fenwick eyes a return to the state finals. They fell to Lake Catholic in the state title game a season ago.

“This group has earned every bit of this,” Conley said. “They’ve worked, they’ve believed, and now they’ve got an opportunity to take that next step. That’s all you can ask for.”