High school volleyball: Highland beats Tallmadge to clinch outright Suburban League American Conference title

GRANGER TWP. — Julia Shaw took a deep breath and surveyed the scene inside the Highland gymnasium. The junior outside hitter had earned the right to bask in the moment. "It just doesn't feel real," she said while breaking into a broad smile. "I mean, I know it is, but to be part of it and see everyone celebrating something that we've worked for since the end of last season, it's amazing. This was a total team effort." Shaw hammered a match-high 17 kills and established career bests with 22 service points and eight aces, helping the Hornets clinch the Suburban League American Conference championship with a 25-21, 22-25, 25-18, 25-9 victory over Tallmadge on Thursday. Highland (18-2, 10-1) captured its first outright league crown since 1990 — one year after sharing the title with Revere — and extended its winning streak to a school rally-scoring record 11 matches. It was the Hornets' seventh SL championship. Sophomore outside hitter Alayna Tessena collected 11 kills, 14 points and three aces, junior outside hitter Maddie Miller had four of her nine kills in the final set and junior middle blocker Lauren Fox had eight kills and a match-high tying six rejections for Highland. The Hornets also avenged their lone conference loss, which occurred at Tallmadge (13-4, 7-3) in a five-setter on Sept. 15. "The team came here tonight on a mission," Highland coach Tarynn Minegar-Rhodes said. "Their No. 1 goal this year was to win the conference and to win it alone, and they accomplished that. "I'm hard on them sometimes in practice, but I always make it clear that they impress me. Every single one of them is capable of being a momentum-changer when they step onto the court." The team's unsung heroes lived up to that billing, as varsity rookies Peyton Chapman and Kathryn Siliko ran the offense brilliantly, keeping the Blue Devils guessing with the direction of their sets and serve placement. Chapman dished out 17 assists with eight digs and two aces, while junior Siliko had 14 helpers, 13 points and three aces. The evening was extra special for Chapman, a senior who missed the 2019 season with a right shoulder injury. "It was really tough not being able to play last year, but it gave me the opportunity to see how Coach T completely changed the culture in our program," she said. "We're all really good friends off the court, and that's one of the reasons why we've been so successful. "It just felt like we were out there playing volleyball tonight. There wasn't overwhelming pressure going for the league title or anything, just us having fun together." Middle hitter Mia Hurst fired 11 kills and six blocks for the Blue Devils, who could have shared first place in the conference by winning their final three SL matches. Fellow junior Ellie Kirker had 26 assists and five kills, while Emma Eyre and Zoe Rensel each had nine kills. There were only six lead changes and 16 ties in the match, which featured dramatic comebacks in the first two sets. In the opener, Highland scored the final eight points to rally from a 21-17 hole, with Siliko serving seven of them. Tallmadge erased a 22-20 deficit in the second thanks to a pair of block/kills from Hurst. Tessena rattled off six straight points in the third after Simona Kozul put the Hornets ahead for good with back-to-back aces, setting the stage for Miller to end the set with an off-speed kill. In the fourth, Tessena staked the Hornets a 5-0 lead before Shaw uncorked 13 straight points with four aces to finish the match. Two Blue Devils timeouts couldn't derail her, prompting coach Jim Maloof to clear his bench during the long run. "I knew that as long as I got my serve over, we would keep the momentum going," Shaw said. Highland senior Abby Kerr chipped in five kills, junior libero Grace Smith made a team-high 12 digs and senior defensive specialist Bella Romano had eight digs and a demoralizing dig/kill late in the first. The Hornets wrap up the regular season at home with a showdown Tuesday against Greater Cleveland Conference leader Brunswick and a league match against Kent Roosevelt the next night. They need two victories to reach 20 for the first time this century. "(Chapman) and (Siliko) know they have a star-studded ensemble at the net, and that combination has worked well for us all season," Minegar-Rhodes said. "Our back row is very strong, as well, so I'm excited to see how we compare to Brunswick and beyond." Contact Brian Dulik at brisports@hotmail.com. Follow him @BrianDulik on Twitter.