High school volleyball: Medina beats Strongsville to clinch share of GCC crown

MEDINA — A celebration that was 15 years in the making played out Wednesday for the Medina volleyball team. Kira Holland hammered 22 kills and Makenzie Schellenberger had 34 assists, eight kills and four aces, leading the Bees to a 27-29, 25-19, 25-14, 25-13 victory over Strongsville that earned them a share of the Greater Cleveland Conference championship. Aubrey Miranda fired 12 kills, Emily Piehler posted seven kills and six blocks and Anslie Krogh had nine kills as Medina (18-3, 9-1) captured its first league title since 2007. The Bees and archrival Brunswick split their season series and the crown. "It's awesome because we feel like we've finally cemented our legacy," Krogh said. "Knowing it was such a team effort makes it even better. We were all focused on winning, but wanted to have fun and the fourth set was definitely one to remember." The Mustangs (8-13, 3-7) certainly didn't make it easy for Medina, rallying from a 17-12 deficit in the opener and taking a 5-1 lead in the fourth behind strong performances from setter Kate McIntyre and outside hitter Anna Painter. Once the Bees got rolling, though, there was no stopping them. They wrapped up the final set on a 24-8 run with seniors Holland and Krogh, and juniors Piehler and Miranda combining for all 13 of their kills. Seniors Schellenberger and Shannon Petrulis built momentum — and revved up the crowd — with their serving, while middle hitter Piehler showcased her unique skillset with two aces and a pair of blocks. "I was literally shaking and I had chills on that last point when (Miranda) went up for the (title-clinching) kill," Piehler said. "Everyone stepped up their play after a rough first set, and our defense was so strong. "With nine seniors, you want to support them any way you can. I was just happy to fill my role on this team." Medina junior Maddy Kessler shared team-high honors with six rejections and senior Claire Kolesar had 16 assists. Reigning GCC MVP Schellenberger added eight digs, moving into 10th place in county history with 1,055 over her four-year career. Holland also celebrated an individual milestone in the second set, surpassing 900 kills, then another in the fourth by hopping over Brunswick's Ally Badowski for ninth place all-time in the county with 912. Putting more icing on the Bees' cake, they are now the second-winningest team ever at the school. The 2007 Northeast Ohio Conference River Division champions had 21 victories in 25 matches. "This was a great night for the girls and for the program," said Medina coach Jason Schellenberger, who piloted the 2007 squad. "We want them to take tomorrow off, take the time to smell the roses because they've earned it." The Bees' lone other league title was a Southwestern Conference co-championship in 1981, leaving plenty of room on the gym wall to add 2022 to the artistic honey-comb dedicated to volleyball. "It's a great feeling, knowing that our number is going up there," Makenzie Schellenberger said, pointing at the display. "This is something that we worked for all summer and have been focusing on every day at practice. "I'm really glad we could have this moment together here at home." Sophomore Painter paced Strongsville with 12 kills and junior McIntyre had 15 assists. Sophomore Brooke Balogh led all players with eight of the Mustangs' 18 total blocks and junior Madison Rishel chipped in nine kills. Contact Brian Dulik at brisports@hotmail.com. Follow him @BrianDulik on Twitter.