Karleigh Hutchins of Shawnee sends a ball across the net against St. Ursula on Thursday night in Norwalk.
Chris Howell | The Lima News
NORWALK — On Thursday night in the Division III Regional Semifinal at Norwalk High School, Shawnee met its match.
The hard-hitting Indians ran into Toledo St. Ursula, a team that hits even harder and plays even bigger at the net, and after winning the first set 25-17, Shawnee dropped the next three 22-25, 20-25 and 25-20.
Shawnee looked dominant in the opening set with a lead that grew into double figures, but St. Ursuala figured something out in the late moments on a strong serving sequence from Emma Jones which seemed to right the ship.
From that point on, it was all downhill for the Arrows.
“They got in their system a lot more after the first set and they were able to get the ball to their big guns,” Shawnee coach Brooke Hutchin said of St. Ursula. “Tonight we weren’t super quick with our middles in terms of blocking, so their hitters were able to see the court well. I think we missed some opportunities but I think they’re an awesome team, very well-coached.”
St. Ursula flexed its muscles on the front line for the rest of the night, showcasing Jones on the right side, Molly Malone in the middle and Mia Hasty on the outside.
That trio, along with setter Ellie Panczyszyn, put together a number of clean scoring opportunities on offense, while getting some important block touches on Karleigh Hutchins and Gianna Upshaw, Shawnee’s top two hitters.
“It becomes a little bit frustrating when you’re used to putting the ball down and they’re slowing it down or picking it up,” Brooke Hutchins said. “Volleyball is a chess game. We make moves, they counter and we try to counter when they make moves. At the right times, they executed a little bit better than we did.”
Karleigh Hutchins finished the night with 27 kills and 22 digs. Gianna Upshaw added 10 kills and Sydney Burris contributed 44 assists.
Shawnee forced 14 ties in the second set, the final one at 20-20 before an ace from Devin Dzienny and a pair of kills from Malone led St. Ursula to five of the final seven points.
The Arrows scored the first four points of the third set and never trailed before grabbing the win.
The final set was tied at 18 before Malone recorded a solo block and a kill on consecutive possessions to create some separation.
Hutchins said that at times, her young team played like a young team in the loss.
“We have a lot of young players in the lineup so they’re getting a crazy amount of good experience, but at times, that immaturity kind of comes out,” she said. “When you’re playing against a seasoned team, it shows.”
After making a run to the Regional Semifinals in 2023, Shawnee’s postseason ends at the same point this year with a final record of 19-7.
“I think a lot of people underestimated us this season as a public school,” Hutchins said. “We lost some really nice seniors but we tried to focus more on our mindset, controlling things like our attitude and effort.
“I think we’re building a really cool culture in Shawnee volleyball. We have a lot of girls that play travel schedules who work nonstop in the offseason. I feel like what we’ve done is a testament to their commitment.”
Reach Chris Howell at 567-242-0468 or on Twitter/X at @Lima_Howell
