Huron’s Sara Sage had six decisive kills in the final set to help lead UCLA to its first NCAA women’s volleyball title in 20 years on Saturday, defeating Illinois, 25-23, 23-25, 26-24, 25-16.

Junior outside hitter Rachael Kidder’s 20 kills and freshman Zoe Nightingale’s inspired play at the net made the difference for the Bruins, who have won four women’s volleyball NCAA titles overall. Kidder was selected most valuable player of the Final Four; Nightingale, teammate Lauren Van Orden and USC’s Alex Jupiter were named to the all-Final Four team.

The win gives UCLA 108 NCAA championships in all sports, more than any other school. The Bruins’ previous NCAA women’s volleyball titles were in 1984, 1990 and ‘91.

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Huron's Samantha Wechter is making it official on Friday at Huron High School.

Wechter will signing her letter of intent to continue her volleyball career at Seton Hill University, a Division II school in Greensburg, Pennsylvania.

Wechter was part of the state championship Tigers that won a state title in 2009.

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Amherst graduate Deme Morales has played in 12 matches and 26 sets for Wisconsin, in just her freshman year.

She finished with seven kills and 10 digs against Furman (Aug. 27). She had her first service ace vs. Duke and had her first block against Western Carolina.

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Huron’s Taylor Slauterback had 10 kills, helping lead the Malone University volleyball team to a NCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association) East Region Championship on Saturday afternoon at Mt. Vernon Nazarene University after posting victories over Robert Wesleyan (NY) College and Geneva (PA) College.

The Pioneers, seeded first among the six-team tournament field, opened the day with a 25-21, 25-19, 25-20 semifinal-round triumph over second-seeded Roberts Wesleyan. Malone then came out on top of a back-and-forth championship game with third-seeded Geneva, pulling out the win in five sets by scores of 15-25, 25-19, 25-16, 23-25, and 15-8.

By securing the NCCAA East Region Title, Malone earned an automatic bid to the 2011 NCCAA National Tournament which is slated to be held December 1-3 in Kissimmee, Florida. The Pioneers, now 25-9 overall, captured their only other East Region Championship in 2000.

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Huron’s Sara Sage continues to thrive in her senior season at UCLA as her and the No. 6 nationally-ranked Bruins swept Utah on Saturday at the John Wooden Center. Set scores were 25-12, 25-14, 27-25.

Sage, who had right shoulder surgery in April, and has had three knee surgeries, has battled with injuries. However, in 31 sets played this season, Sage has 45 kills.

The Bruins improve to 18-3 overall and 11-2 in Pac-12 play, and hit a season-best .411 for the match.

The Bruins travel to the Bay Area to face a pair of Top 10 teams next weekend, facing California on Friday and Stanford on Saturday.

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EATON TWP. — Two talented Midview athletes signed their letters of intent on Wednesday as softball player Sydney Mencke and volleyball player Kelsey Dombrowski chose Wheeling Jesuit and Slippery Rock, respectively.

Dombrowski came to Midview after starting her high school career at Columbia. She said she was nervous at first about the move but was quickly welcomed into the Middie family, where she helped her team advance to the district semifinals in the Division I state tournament and finish second in the West Shore Conference.

"I thought being the new girl would be difficult at first, but the people here have been awesome," Dombrowski said.

Playing college volleyball was always a hope for Dombrowski, and Wednesday she was excited to make it a reality.

"It’s really exciting. I’m so blessed to be able to do this," she said. "I never thought I’d get this far."

Slippery Rock made an early impression, and even when she made other visits, the comparisons always went back to the school in Western Pennsylvania.

"The moment I stepped on campus and from then on, looking at all the other colleges, it pretty much just went back to Slippery Rock," Dombrowski said.

Being moderately close to home didn’t hurt, either.

"It’s the prefect distance," Dombrowksi said. "It’s not too far but it’s not close enough to where you can come home every weekend."

Mencke and the Middies are in the middle of another West Shore Conference title run on the softball field. Her decision was finalized some time over the winter but making it official took some pressure off nonetheless.

"During the fall I was so nervous about picking my college," Mencke said. "It was a lot of relief."

Mencke said she started to think college was a possibility when she had a good freshman season.

"We did so well since I was a freshman so that was when I started to hope so at least," Mencke said of playing in college.

And softball coach Mike Ives among others helped steer her in the right direction throughout her four years at Midview.

"It’s very exciting for me, all my life I’ve wanted to play in college so it is nice to have that opportunity," Mencke said.

Making her choice wasn’t difficult for Mencke, as Wheeling Jesuit just felt right.

"When I visited there I was very at home," she said. "I was very comfortable with the coach."

Mencke is 9-2 so far this season as the Middies try to build off last season’s regional appearance.

courtesy of Colin Wilson

Keystone’s Jessica Schaffer, a senior outside hitter, was named to the American Volleyball Coaches of America (AVCA) Division III Northeast Region team and earned honorable mention All-American accolades, while playing volleyball for the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT).

It is the second time she has received these honors in her illustrious career, doing so in 2007.

Schaffer had a great final season for the Tigers, leading RIT with 548 kills (3.89 per game) and placing second with 409 digs. The 548 kills are sixth best in a season at RIT. A model of consistency, Schaffer recorded at least 10 kills in 32 of RIT’s 38 matches this season, and recorded 23 double-doubles. She recorded a season-best 20 kills on three separate occasions.

Schaffer finishes her RIT career second all-time in program history with 260 service aces, third with 1,923 digs, and third with 1,833 kills. She holds school records with at least 10 digs (113) and double-digit kills (99) in a match. Career-highs include 30 kills in a match, 30 digs, and 11 service aces.

In 2010, Schaffer earned All-Empire 8 honors for the third time in her career. She was a second team selection in 2006 and earned first team honors in 2007. In addition, she was the 2007 New York State Player of the Year and was an honorable mention AVCA All-American.

In 2007, Schaffer slammed 629 kills and recorded 616 digs, both third best in one season at RIT.

Schaffer was a two-time Empire 8 Rookie of the Week, and five-time Player of the Week. In addition, Schaffer was a three-time RACA Athlete of the Week. She was a three-time tournament MVP and earned All-Tournament Team honors eight times in her illustrious career.

This season, RIT finished 22-16 and advanced to the Empire 8 semifinals. In four years, Schaffer helped lead the Tigers to a 109-50 record, four trips to the Empire 8 Tournament, and a berth in the 2007 NCAA Tournament.

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Amherst’s Lauren Percival, a sophomore setter on the Mount Vernon Nazarene University volleyball team, was selected on the NCCAA All-American Second Team for her outstanding play this season.

Percival dished 1,823 assists this year to go along with 48 aces, 56 blocks, 108 kills, and 643 digs. She also posted a .960 serving percentage.

MVNU finished the season with a 43-6 overall record and a perfect 10-0 American Mideast Conference mark. The Lady Cougars went 2-2 in pool play at the NCCAA National Tournament.

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Huron graduate Sara Sage totaled 11 kills, while sophomore teammate Rachael Kidder led the team with 22 kills and Dicey McGraw had 18, but the No. 9 UCLA Bruins fell to No. 6 Texas in four sets on Saturday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Set scores were 23-25, 25-20, 18-25, 24-26.

A Kidder kill, a Texas attack error and a Sage kill cut a Bruins’ deficit to 19-18 in the fourth game. After a Texas sideout, UCLA scored three in a row on back-to-back kills by Sage and one from McGraw to take a 21-20 edge. The Longhorns posted the next two, but a McGraw kill and an Aquino/Van Orden combo block put the Bruins up 23-22. Texas then scored two straight to earn a match point at 24-23. A McGraw kill tied the score at 24, but the Longhorns notched the final two points to post a 26-24 victory. McGraw had seven kills in the fourth, while Kidder and Sage added five apiece. The Bruins were out-hit .306 to .286.

The Bruins’ season concludes with a record of 22-9.

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Amherst’s Lauren Percival, a sophomore setter at Mount Vernon Nazarene University, was selected on the AMC First Team, along with being named as the AMC Setter of the Year, becoming the first player in school history to earn that award.

Percival ranks third in the NAIA with 1,662 assists. She has also posted 95 kills, 47 aces, 49 blocks, and 590 digs along with a .957 serving percentage.

MVNU will be the No. 2 seed at the upcoming National Christian College Athletic Association Tournament in Kissimmee, Fla.

The Lady Cougars, who are the defending NCCAA national runner-up, will begin pool play with a noon match against No. 10 seed Southeastern University and a 6:30 p.m. contest against Trinity Christian College on Thursday. Then, the team will play King College at 10 a.m. and Campbellsville University at 4 p.m. on Friday. The semifinals and finals will be held on Saturday.

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Amherst’s Lauren Percival, a sophomore, was named to the NCCAA East Region Team, while playing volleyball at Mount Vernon Nazarene University.

The former Amherst standout leads the Lady Cougars with 1,538 assists and 45 aces. She has also compiled 42 blocks and 90 blocks and is second on the team with 556 digs.

Percival was one of four members of the Mount Vernon team, along with their coach that were honored when the National Christian College Athletic Association East Region awards were announced recently following a vote by the region coaches.

The Lady Cougars are currently 40-3 overall (10-0 in the American Mideast Conference) after taking down West Chester University, 3-2 in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Quarterfinal match.

With the win, the Lady Eagles advance to today's semifinal where they will meet Edinboro, who took down defending PSAC champ California (Pa.) 3-1.

Kutztown and Clarion will meet in today's other semifinal match. The PSAC Championship match is set for Saturday at 2 p.m. Both semifinal matches and Saturday’s title contest will be played at Clarion, the No. 1 seed from the Western Division.

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Pictured --- Left: Palmer; Right: Karpinski

Avon Lake’s Beth Karpinski, a senior, and Allie Palmer, a sophomore, are part of Case Western Reserve University history.

The pair from Avon Lake are part of the first ever volleyball team to get an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament. The tournament begins Friday (Nov. 12) at Frostburg State University (MD) with the Spartans playing against SUNY-Cortland in the opening round.

The Spartans were 24-10 during the regular season and earned the program’s highest UAA Championship finish (fourth) since 2000. Case won 11-straight matches in September and played eight top-25 opponents throughout the season.

Karpinski played in 30 matches (104 sets) and has 215 kills, 19 assists and 34 serving aces. Palmer has played in 30 matches (104 sets) and has 220 kills and 35 assists.

The Case Western Reserve-Cortland winner will face the winner of the Frostburg State vs. Pitt-Bradford match in the regional semifinals on Saturday. Regional finals are set for Sunday with the regional champion advancing to the Elite 8 at Washington University in St. Louis on Nov. 19-21.

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Story and photos courtesy of Kareem Elgazzar

Lorain High's Shanique Ogle signed her letter of intent to play both basketball and track at Bowling Green State University on Wednesday at Lorain High School. Ogle averaged 18.3 points and 12.6 rebounds per game as a junior last season.

"It’s overwhelming to finally know I made this decision," Ogle said. "I have so much on my back right now, and now, I can just play for me and get bettter for BG."

As a track athlete, Ogle qualified for the state tournament as a sophomore and a junior in the shot put competition. She earned sixth place in shot put at the state tournament this past spring.

"When I go, I expect to be a part of their winning tradition," Ogle said.

The Bowling Green Falcons have won the Mid-American Conference six consecutive times entering this season led by Curt Miller. They finished 27-7 last season with a conference record of 14-2 in 2009-’10 and have played in four NCAA Tournaments since 2004 including a Sweet 16 run in 2007.

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courtesy of ZACHARY DZURICK

AMHERST — It’s not everyday a 5-foot, 7-inch athlete plays middle hitter.

It is even rarer for that 5-7 middle to attract the attention of a Big Ten school. On Wednesday, Amherst senior Deme Morales officially signed her letter of intent to attend the University of Wisconsin on a volleyball scholarship.

Morales will play for Pete Waite, who has a 256-100 record in 11 years at Wisconsin, including nine 20-plus win seasons an appearance in NCAA title game. Morales is expected to be a defensive specialist for the Badgers. She was known for her powerful hitting at Amherst but was very well-rounded.

"In my opinion she is the greatest Amherst player to ever wear the uniform," head coach Laurie Cogan said. "She is a complete volleyball player. There is not a skill she has not mastered. She could in my opinion play any position. If a school needed her to run an offense I believe she could be a setter.

"She is going to Wisconsin as a defensive specialist, it will be interesting to see when she graduates from Wisconsin she comes out as. I believe at some point her skill at the net will see her take some swings at the net at the Big Ten level. I think she will excel as a defensive specialist and before she leaves there she will be one of the better ones in the Big Ten."

Morales was a four-year starter and during that time Amherst was 89-16. Morales was a part of two Southwestern Conference championships and made three regional appearances. She was a two-time SWC MVP and two-time First Team All-Ohio. As a sophomore she was second team All-Ohio.

This season, Morales had 453 kills including 44 in the district final against Olmsted Falls which was one short of a state record. She had 241 digs, 82 aces and 43 blocks.
Morales never played volleyball before her sophomore year. Cogan said she was self-made.

"No player has ever worked harder in my program," Cogan said.

Cogan got a little emotional during the signing.

"I am so honored to have had the opportunity to coach her," Cogan said. "Those type of players you only think go to parochial systems. They typically leave their high school she stayed here.

"It is not about where you go to play. It is about who you are and the dedication you have to your program. You can excel in public you don’t have to go to a parochial school to go tot he Big Ten. You just have to be good at what you do. Deme is very good at what she does.

"She has a big place in my heart. I will miss her dearly."

Morales was heartfelt about her time at Amherst.

"I don’t think it can get any better than this," Morales said.

"I had an opportunity to play with people who love it as much as I do. It doesn’t matter what anyone says. Even if you didn’t play, you are all a part of me now. All the coaches, all the trainers, all the teachers I will take it with me to Wisconsin."

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Southview graduate Gina Lurry has contributed to helping the Lock Haven University's volleyball team this season.

Lurry has played in 11 matches (26 sets) and has recorded 14 kills.

The Eagles are currently 20-9 overall and 13-6. They defeated West Chester University, 3-2 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Quarterfinal match on Tuesday (Nov. 9) and will advance to the next round.

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Marietta College’s volleyball team ended its season with a 25-16, 25-21, 25-17 loss to Ohio Northern last Saturday afternoon.

The Pioneers closed the season with an overall record of 9-20 and finished 1-8 in the Ohio Athletic Conference.

Brookside’s Amber Wiley, a defensive specialist, played in 25 matches, finishing with one kills, 124 digs, six assists and eight service points.

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Huron graduate Kirsta Solberg entered her fourth season at Indiana Tech where she has led the Lady Warriors to a 92-35 record her first three seasons.

The Lady Warriors are currently 29-5 overall (12-1 WHAC).

Last season, she led her team to a 34-11 overall record, including a 14-0 mark in the WHAC. She also led the team to its first WHAC Conference Tournament Championship in 2009 as well as back-to-back WHAC Conference Regular Season Championships in 2008 and 2009. The team qualified for its 2nd NAIA National Tournament Appearance since 2008, where they finished their best yet at the final site in 2009, landing in the top 12 of the country.

Solberg was named WHAC Coach of the Year and in 2007, she was named WHAC Coach of Character. Solberg also helped lead a successful team in the classroom as the Varsity squad has maintained a team GPA of a 3.45 as well as eight NAIA Academic All-Americans in the past three years.

At Huron, she helped lead her team to its first ever Division III State Volleyball Championship in 1999. She was also named 1st Team All-Ohio, District Player of the Year and was runner-up for Ohio Player of the Year.

Solberg then went on to play at Indiana University-Purdue University in Fort Wayne, Indiana where she received her Bachelor in Fine Arts for Visual Communication and Design while playing 4 years with the Mastodons.

While at IPFW, she took the role of captain and helped lead the team to the Division I Independent Tournament Championship in 2002 and Runner-ups in 2003. She was also named on the All-Independent team as well as the Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2004.

After her four years with IPFW, she continued her career playing professionally with Holte IF in Copenhagen, Denmark. There she was the first American in the league as well as helped lead her team to the Danish National Finals.

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Huron graduate Sara Schaub is in her second season as head coach at Montana State. Her team is currently 10-12 overall.

In just one season, Schaub has made improvements off the court, as the Bobcats won the athletic department’s A.L.L. award for the best overall performance in academics and service.

Previously, Schaub served one season at MSU Billings, where she guided the Yellowjackets to an 18-10 overall mark and a fifth place finish in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. MSU Billings ranked as high as ninth in the NCAA Division II Pacific Region.

Prior to Billings, she served five seasons as an assistant coach at Eastern Michigan, where she graduated from. During her tenure, she helped the Eagles to a 99-56 overall record, including a 2005 Mid-American Conference West Division title — a first in the school’s history.

Schaub was a four-year starter and two-year captain at Eastern Michigan, and was the first player in MAC history to average over 4.00 kills and 4.00 digs in a single season.
She finished her career second on EMU’s all-time kill chart (1,405) and third in digs (1,388).

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Amherst’s Lauren Percival, a member of the Mount Vernon Nazarene University women’s volleyball team, was named both the American Mideast Conference Player of the Week and the National Christian College Athletic Association Player of the Week for her performance last week.

Percival, a sophomore setter, led the Lady Cougars to a 2-0 week with a pair of AMC sweeps to extend the team’s winning streak to 10-straight matches. She averaged 11.67 assists, 5.67 digs, 1.00 kills, and 0.67 blocks for the week while posting a .400 attack percentage.

In a sweep of Ursuline College, Percival handed out 29 assists while matching her career high with three blocks and posting 21 digs. Percival, who was the NCCAA National Player of the Week for the second-straight week and the first setter to earn AMC Player of the Week honors this fall, finished the week with 41 assists in a sweep of Houghton (N.Y.) College — the most assists for her in a three-set match this year.
For the season, Percival has played in all 102 sets for MVNU and has posted 1,048 assists. She is tied for the team lead with 33 aces, ranks second on the team with 386 digs, and has registered 27 blocks and 61 kills.

The Lady Cougars, who received votes in the latest NAIA poll, are currently 27-2 overall and 5-0 in the AMC.

swalker@MorningJournal.com