Girls district volleyball: Wadsworth cruises to win over Cuyahoga Falls

WADSWORTH — Cuyahoga Falls was a mere speed bump as the Wadsworth volleyball team started driving down the road to regionals. Senior middle hitter Lilly McComas fired nine kills and four aces and sophomore libero Ellie Wolf scored 19 service points with eight aces as the Grizzlies swept the Black Tigers 25-6, 25-8, 25-9 in a Division II, Northeast 8 District semifinal Monday. Wadsworth (22-1), which is ranked No. 4 in the OHSVCA state poll, had eight players with multiple kills while moving into sole possession of the fifth-longest winning streak in Medina County history at 15. "In games like this, we try to embrace the fun and just enjoy being on the court together," said McComas, who also made a pair of blocks. "But we also incorporate different plays and ways to get into our offense, so we're not predictable. "There are a lot of weapons on this team and we're going to need them all as we go deeper in the tournament." Outside hitter Lauren Decker led all players with 10 kills and fellow All-Ohio senior Rowan Kelly stuffed the stat sheet with 25 assists, eight kills and four aces for the Suburban League National Conference champion Grizzlies. The only question as the third set wound down was if McComas, Decker and Kelly would each have more kills than Cuyahoga Falls (4-19). The Black Tigers wound up with nine, five of them from Caitriona Pestello. Wadsworth also received four kills apiece from sophomores Quinn Macko and Natalie Maddox, three by sophomore Averie Shell and two each from junior Kameron Chapman and sophomore Julia Maddox. "I really enjoyed watching Natalie and Julia because they're very special to me," McComas said. "We're very similar people and we just get each other, so being able to play with them tonight meant a lot." Wolf and Shell added four assists apiece, and senior defensive specialist Riley Ishee and Decker each had two as Kelly spent part of the match at outside hitter. Decker played most of the first set at defensive specialist, while McComas swung between the middle and right side throughout the contest as coach Allyson Wines extensively used all 12 players on her roster. "No matter the level of competition, it's important to get everyone comfortable playing at the varsity level," Wines said. "All of these girls share the court every day in practice and deserve the chance to play." Wolf and defensive specialists Emily Snyder and Addy Snyder were the only Grizzlies who exclusively stayed in their usual roles, which was a callback to the 2024 tournament. Then-senior All-Gazette libero Maddie Blackburn suffered a season-ending injury in the regional championship, forcing all three into critical spots on a moments notice. "I like how everyone who got in was hyped, no matter what the score was," said Wolf, whose first varsity start came in the 2024 state semifinals. "It's really fun playing with different people and experiencing new things with everyone on the court." The Grizzlies amassed 21 aces while holding the Black Tigers without one. Wolf delivered four apiece in the first set, three in the second and one in the third. She fell one short of the school postseason record of nine aces by exchange student Nicole Persone, who also scored a school tournament-best 20 points against Parma at the 2018 Brunswick D-I Sectional. "I feel a lot more confident now than I did at the start of the year," Wolf said. "And my teammates' confidence in me makes me feel even stronger." Next up for Wadsworth is Green, which beat North Ridgeville in the first half of the evening doubleheader. Their district final will take place Wednesday at Maple Heights. The winner advances to the Streetsboro Regional on Oct. 30. Contact Brian Dulik at sports@medina-gazette.com. Follow him @BrianDulik on X.