Girls volleyball: Ashley Conwill, Cora Wolny power Medina Christian comeback against Brooklyn

MONTVILLE TWP. — For the past 11 months, the Medina Christian volleyball team has been counting down the days until its rematch with Brooklyn. The clock reached zero Thursday, and payback was even sweeter than the Knights could have imagined. Middle hitter Ashley Conwill delivered a career-high 12 kills and three blocks, and fellow senior Cora Wolny collected seven aces, five assists and dozens of heady plays in the back row, rallying Medina Christian to a 23-25, 14-25, 25-23, 25-14, 15-13 non-league win over the Hurricanes. "We've been waiting for this," beaming libero Wolny said. "I'm really proud of all of us. Everyone has been mentally preparing for this match, reminding ourselves to stay up and not get discouraged, and it made a difference. "It was definitely a fun night." The contest played out in nearly identical fashion to their Oct. 16, 2024 meeting. In the initial home OHSAA tournament match in school history, the Knights won the first two sets before losing three straight. The fifth also was decided by two points. Medina Christian (5-2) flipped the script this time, however, as it broke a 13-13 tie in the finale with an Ava Sems kill off a touch at the net and Hailey Mendrea's match-winning kill from Ava Abramczyk. "Our seven returning girls circled this match because they wanted it bad," Knights coach Adam Vigneault said. "They remember how much it hurt to have our season end the way it did against Brooklyn last year. The fight they showed tonight was awesome." Conwill elevated her game to a different level and was far and away the most efficient hitter in the two-plus hour battle. She said the bond forged by the five seniors and seven returning players was key. Thanks to that undeniable cohesion, Medina Christian is 5-1 in five-setters over the last two years (5-0 in the regular season). "We've all been playing together for so long, we have a strong connection that we can call on," Conwill said. "And after the second set, Coach Adam reminded everyone what happened last year. Everyone remembered, but it got us fired up again." Junior Ann Sems also was pivotal in the comeback with six kills, three assists and a pair of aces after being shifted to a hybrid setter role at the start of the third. Wolny, Sems and Mendrea worked exceptionally well together in the back row, fueling a more efficient offense in the final three sets. Junior setter Ava Abramczyk led all players with 31 assists and had three aces. "We had never run a traditional 6-2 before, but it was time to go to it after we lost the first two sets," Vigneault said. "The entire team made the adjustment and ran it beautifully." Freshman outside hitter Mendrea had 13 kills, junior middle hitter Addie Wolf and senior outside Ava Sems had eight apiece and freshman Ally Glau racked up seven kills, nine assists and five aces. "Both freshmen have had a huge impact on our program already," Conwill said. Junior middle hitter Niema Davis had 10 kills and three blocks for the Hurricanes (0-10), who managed just 33 earned points on 24 kills and nine aces. Medina Christian dictated the tempo from start to finish with 54 kills, 19 aces and 67 unforced errors. Those numbers added up to a thrilling victory and a postgame celebration that saw its student section rush on the court to congratulate the players. "I did a lot of cheering and, of course, a lot of praying while we were playing," Wolny said. "We will remember this one for a while." Contact Brian Dulik at sports@medina-gazette.com.