Tell this Highland volleyball team that it can't and the Hornets will say watch us roll
NORWALK − Highland had one of the most successful volleyball teams in school history last season.
One of the most because the 2022 version is making a run for that moniker.
This team had to live with the onus of being a three-time Suburban League American Conference champion – the Hornets are now four-time champs.
It continued Thursday when they knocked off reigning regional champion Amherst 25-19, 25-18, 21-25, 25-20 in a Division I, Region 2 semifinal.
The Hornets came in as the first district champions the school has had since 1990.
If they beat Perrysburg (20-6) on Saturday, they’ll join the 1981 state championship team as the only other Highland team to reach the state semifinals.
Awesome Alayna:'I don't ever want to turn her off,' Tessena's intense play has Highland volleyball rolling
Highland's magical season has only gotten stronger
“I knew it was coming,” Highland’s Megan Scavuzzo said. “I think we had a good core returning. I knew the players filling in were going to be very strong. We’ve worked really hard. We conditioned all throughout the season so we’re ready for those long games. We really put in the work this year.”
Things didn’t start out well for the Hornets, who dropped a season opener to Medina in three sets.
But titles aren’t won in the first match of the year and Highland got stronger.
Hornets coach Laura Merk thinks it was around Sept. 8 when a five-set win over Revere showed her team what of what it was made.
The ride Highland has taken won't be forgotten
What has followed might be talked about in the halls of Highland for quite a while.
The Hornets beat conference champions Brunswick, Wooster and Olmsted Falls just to get out of their district.
“It’s been a heck of a ride,” Merk said. “It’s been amazing. We had some rocky starts at the beginning. Medina was a good team. We were fresh and young and had an injury and then we knew we had Brunswick, which was solid. That five-set win gave them some confidence and then, five or six matches in, they started hitting their stride and we knew we were in the running for a lot of things and could go far.
“It’s been special. Every team I’ve been a part of has wanted things. These girls have wanted it and had confidence in themselves. They know every one of our coaches are going to fight for them as much as we can. We’re going to drill that confidence in them. We tell them they’re allowed to take risks. If they make an error that is aggressive, I couldn’t care less.”
That attitude has stuck with Northern Colorado recruit Alayna Tessena at outside hitter. It transferred to libero Corrinne Mutch, setter Scavuzzo and outside hitters Izzy Shank and Calee Angus.
Defensive specialist Sydney Smith has bought in as has have varsity rookies Maya Piechowiak, Ashley Shefferly and Kate Weber.
The Hornets go through Tessena, who had 21 kills against Amherst, but the cohesion is palpable.
“We’ve been confident in each other,” Tessena said. “We’re all great friends and have great connections with each other. We’re just having the time of our lives. We’ve been working so hard. You can tell it’s clicking for sure.”
If it clicks one more time, Highland will erase a 41-year old ghost and head to Wright State University for a state semifinal.
But first, it’s a match against Perrysburg.
“We had a goal to make it as far as we can,” Mutch said. “We knew we were going to do everything in our power to meet that goal. We have to push from the beginning of every set to do the best we can.”
Contact Brad Bournival at bbournival@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @bbournival.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Highland volleyball one win away from first state semifinal in 41 years
