Girls district volleyball: Cloverleaf rallies to beat Westlake

CHARDON — There is no more intimidating deficit in volleyball than being down two sets to none in the tournament while playing far from home. On the flip side, there also isn't a better scenario to pull off a great comeback. Marlo Downing, Chloe Bene and Kenna Kohl combined for 51 kills — each setting career highs in the category — in rallying 18th-seeded Cloverleaf to a 25-27, 24-26, 25-21, 25-22, 15-8 victory over No. 24 Westlake in a Division III, Northeast 2 District quarterfinal at Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin on Thursday. It was the first postseason win since 2022 for the Colts (17-6), who now have the fifth-most victories in school history after pulling off their most significant tourney triumph in 16 years. "That was the funnest game we've ever played," a beaming Bene said. "Knowing it could be our last match kept coming into my head, but we didn't want it to end this way. "I feel really grateful to be part of this, and it makes me happy that all of our hitters really stepped up when we needed to." Senior middle hitter Bene was fantastic with 13 kills, three blocks, two aces and zero unforced errors. Freshman middle Kohl amassed 15 kills and a season-best 11 blocks, and seniors Raina Walters and Dixie Potter had seven kills apiece. There were 43 ties and 22 lead changes in the battle until Downing put Cloverleaf ahead for good at 5-4 in the fifth set. The sophomore outside hitter finished with 23 kills and 12 digs, continuing her development into a franchise player. "There was definitely a lot of pressure on us and a lot to take in when we got here, but it all clicked after the second set that we can win this," Downing said. "Raina was on fire and kept telling us she needed this match, and Chloe was amazing. All our hitters were." Downing's fifth set takeover included three kills and an ace in a six-point span that gave the Colts a commanding 9-5 advantage. Kohl then did the honors of putting down the Demons (7-13) with a block/kill to reach match point and a resounding spike from the middle to end it. "Watching these girls grow up as players and people has been so rewarding," Cloverleaf coach Rebecca Roupe said. "All the hours they've put in paid off at the most critical time. It was a very good night." Sophomore outside hitter Leah Navratil shared match-high honors with 23 kills for the Demons, who also received 10 kills from junior outside Gianna Della Vella and six kills and seven blocks from sophomore Lexi Cousin. Colts senior setter Madi Young amassed 49 assists, four aces and two blocks and senior libero Evie Barth made 21 digs. Potter also had four rejections and three aces. "Evie is the most competitive person I know," a laughing Bene said. Downing added, "She hates losing. That's obvious on her face." Cloverleaf totaled 16 aces with defensive specialists Lauren Cook and Tessa Bogucki having two each. Libero Emma Borman had five aces for Westlake. Contact Brian Dulik at sports@medina-gazette.com.