VANDALIA — On paper, the outcome seemed like a forgone conclusion.
Thursday night's regional volleyball semifinal matchup between Badin and Fenwick had a David vs. Goliath feel to it. Fenwick entered 26-0 after running through the Greater Catholic League-Coed and looked like the clear-cut favorite to win its second Division II state championship in three seasons.
Badin entered an obvious underdog after going just 4-6 in league play to finish fourth overall and had never beat Fenwick in program history.
More:Here is the Cincinnati Enquirer's high school sports postseason coverage, Nov. 1-7
But the postseason is made for big moments where the unexpected comes to fruition and certain teams are able to rise to the occasion. Such was the scenario Thursday at Butler High School when Badin broke up Fenwick's perfect season with a 25-22, 25-16, 16-25, 24-26, 15-10 victory.
Badin (17-9) advances to the regional championship game for the first time in program history.
"It was complete insanity. There were tears of happiness," Badin head coach Anitra Brockman said after emerging from the locker room. "We had never beaten Fenwick in volleyball history and we've never been to the regional finals, so we've had a lot to celebrate in these last three or four games; it's so exciting. I'm so proud of these girls."
For Badin, the days of practice leading up to Thursday's postseason tilt echoed a 'Why not us?' mentality.
Badin had gone the five-set distance at Fenwick back in August (a match they held a 2-1 lead in) and dropped a competitive four-set affair at home in October.
Badin rode the underdog label to a fast start. The score was tied in the majority of the first set, although there were seven lead changes, those advantages were minimal. Badin saved a final surge for when it needed it most, scoring the final four points of the set, thanks to a trio of Fenwick errors to win it, 25-22.
In its most impressive single set, Badin jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second and never looked back. Lauren Christie's kill made it 8-2, then an ace from freshman Luci Heid made it 12-4 just moments later. Fenwick cut the deficit to as little as four at 13-9, but the Rams quickly ballooned their lead to as many as nine, finishing the Falcons on one of Sarah Newberry's many blocks at the net.
More:Roger Bacon reaches 4th straight regional final after sweeping Wyoming
Teams that are undefeated this deep into the season don't go away quietly, and Fenwick showed that in the third set. Badin's gameplan on the night was trying to slow down Fenwick standout Kate Hafer.
Hafer, ranked the No. 9 player in Ohio coming into the season by statewide media, wouldn't let her prep career end quietly. The GCL-Coed's kills leader helped the Falcons recover from an early hole along with fellow senior outside hitter Julia Grandstaff, who had a big night. After trailing 9-5, Fenwick went on a 20-7 run to take the set going away, 25-16.
Throughout the night, Badin had to overcome the ebbs and flows of the sudden momentum changes that come with every volleyball game. Taming the nerves during those times is even harder when you're not used to the big stage and your opponent is.
Green-and-white faithful were on their feet in the fourth set when Badin took a seemingly commanding 24-21 lead after an ace from Shelby Mulcare. But Fenwick somehow staved off elimination by surviving three match points, tying the set at 24-24 before notching the final two points on an attack error and a Hafer drop shot.
"They (Fenwick) woke up. They got us. Their serving was more aggressive," Brockman said. "We could tell the girls were a little rattled. They had never been here before whereas Fenwick has. I felt like the pressure was on us at that point. Once we got to the fifth set, I told them to erase everything that had happened before."
With momentum wearing red and white, the two teams battled to an 8-8 tie in the fifth and final set, but Mulcare, a sophomore came through again with two precisely-placed serves to anchor a 3-0 burst to make it 11-8. One of Hegemann's kills made it 14-10 before another Newberry block at the net sealed the upset and the Rams stormed the court.
"Every single one of those girls did their part," Brockman said. "Our confidence never wavered. They did not want to give up. The two times we played during the regular season, we gave up. Tonight, they were determined from the minute we left Badin until the minute the game ended."
Badin moves on to play Roger Bacon in the regional final Saturday at Butler High School. The Spartans handled Wyoming in straight sets Thursday night in its regional final. Badin will have to overcome another team it lost to in the regular season when it meets Roger Bacon with a Final Four berth on the line. The Spartans topped the Rams in straight sets on Oct. 7, though the final point tally was 79-70.
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