A win on Saturday did not just give teams a regional championship to put in the trophy case, but put each winner into the state tournament. A loss on Saturday punched a ticket to watching the battle for state from home.
Eight Cincinnati teams were still competing, but only four came out on top.
Division II - West
The No. 1 seed in the west, Fenwick had a familiar foe standing in its way for a regional championship. The Falcons won the Greater Catholic League Coed partly because of wins over Alter.
A third win over Alter would put Fenwick into the state tournament with a chance at its first state championship since 2013.
In the regional final played at Centerville. Alter gave Fenwick a bigger battle than it did in either regular season meeting. Instead of beating Alter in three sets, it took four on Saturday.
The Falcons won the four sets 25-16, 25-19, 17-25, 25-19. The victory sent Fenwick to the state semifinals on Saturday, June 5, at Pickerington Central.
Division II - South
The first of three regional finals to be played at Princeton on Saturday, a top-two battle between No. 1 Badin and No. 2 La Salle broke out.
Despite both teams playing for the same regional championship, the game was slightly more personal for the Rams: La Salle had been the team to eliminate Badin from the last two postseason tournaments.
La Salle was one set from eliminating Badin again, but the Rams took the final two sets and won in five, 25-23, 18-25, 24-26, 25-14, 15-9.
"We knew coming in it was going to be a battle," Badin head coach Anitra Brockman said. "It wasn't going to be a cakewalk and we struggled initially in the beginning and had to find our way, but it's an amazing feeling. I got emotional in the locker room with the boys because it's the first time we've ever gone to the state final four."
Badin and Fenwick split regular season meetings and a third match will send one to the state finals. The two lockup again at 5 p.m. on June 5.
Division I - West
After sailing to a three-set over Wayne in the regional semifinal, Lakota East drew a match, as the fifth seed, against No. 1 Beavercreek.
Beavercreek dispatched the Thunderhawks almost as easily as they sent Wayne packing. Beavercreek claimed the regional from Lakota East in three sets, 25-13, 25-16, 25-22.
Beavercreek's reward for reaching state? Just the winner of Saturday's marquee matchup between St. Xavier and Elder.
Division I - South #1
In the second of Princeton's regional finals and the first of two Division I showdowns, No.1 Moeller met No. 4 Walnut Hills, a newer, but sill powerful challenger on the court.
Standing head-to-head against Moeller, the Eagles from Walnut Hills went on a strong run in the middle of the first set, cushioning the score enough to win 25-21 to go up 1-0.
Moeller, the program with more state titles than any other boys volleyball team in Ohio, was undeterred and responded with a 25-11 win in set two. The final two sets were closer, but Moeller still took both 25-23 and 25-21.
"It's a remarkable feeling, " Moeller head coach Lee Meyer said after winning his first regional as a head coach. "I thought our guys, despite starting off slow in game one, came out and settled into their own culture and composure and started to rally behind one another.
"To beat a very tough Walnut Hills team in four, especially after dropping the first set, is a remarkable win for our guys."
The loss ended Walnut Hills' season at 18-4, losing just twice to Moeller and once each to St. Xavier and Elder. When the region is typically won by two of those three every year, Walnut Hills' surge to top ranking and competitive volleyball was a welcome sign for the program and the region.
"It's probably one of the best seasons a public school team from the south region has ever had," Walnut Hills head coach Zac Ober said. "We end the year ranked top five in the state. It stinks to end our season this way, but its great to show that with the time and the effort, any school can come and play volleyball at a high level."
Moeller will be the kickoff to the state tournament, meeting Centerville at 10 a.m. on June 5. The Crusaders beat Centerville twice in the regular season, the first in a five-set game that concluded with a 15-2 final set win, and the second a three-set win at Centerville on May 11.
Division I - South #2
Walnut Hills and Moeller were strong teams who played a strong game, but the final game of the night was a true heavyweight bout between GCL South opponents St. Xavier and Elder.
In five physical, back-and-forth sets, the Panthers and the Bombers traded blows with Elder landing the final punch, winning 27-25, 21-25, 29-27, 13-25, 15-11.
St. Xavier seemed to have set one all wrapped up. The Bombers had set-point with a 24-20 lead, but Elder snapped off five-straight points to take a 25-24 lead. St. Xavier tied the match at 25-25, but Elder took the final two points and the opening set.
The Panthers almost played comeback again in set two, cutting a 19-13 deficit to a 21-20 deficit, before St. Xavier ran away to take it 25-21.
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Elder had a thing with comebacks on Saturday. After set one and two, Elder had to come from behind to win both the third and the deciding fifth set.
"Another great GCL contest," Elder head coach Sean Tierney said. "Both teams were battling. It wasn't the prettiest volleyball sometimes. It came down to rebounding after that fourth set and even rebounding in that fifth set. We were down 10-7 and this team just didn't quit. Ultimately I'm very proud of how they grinded it out and they believed in each other and snared victory from the jaws of defeat."
Elder will see Beavercreek at 11:45 a.m. on Saturday. The Panthers saw Beavercreek twice and won both, most recently a 25-16, 25-20, 25-14 decision on April 27.
If Elder and Moeller both reach the state finals, it will be an all-GCL South final for the second tournament in a row. Elder and Moeller have met in the state final four times, splitting with two title apiece.
"To fight your way out of the south region is an accomplishment in itself," Tierney said. "Especially this year I think the south region was particularly strong in the state. To get back to state is a goal we have every year, but as we talked about in the post-match locker room, our goals aren't accomplished yet."
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