Thu, Nov 26 2009
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Published October 27, 2009 03:06 am - This is a special night for three area teams who are participating in district semifinal volleyball matches. It’s important for a variety reasons. Back to work Geneva, SS. John and Paul, Riverside will try to navigate district waters this week KARL PEARSON Star Beacon This is a special night for three area teams who are participating in district semifinal volleyball matches. It’s important for a variety reasons.
For second-seeded Geneva, which will face fifth-seeded West Geauga at 6 at Jefferson High School’s Falcon Gymnasium, it will be an opportunity to make the most of its second straight appearance in the Division II district tournament. It’s the first time in coach Annah Haeseler’s seven seasons as the head coach at her alma mater the Eagles have played in consecutive district tournaments. The Eagles would like to at least go a step farther than they did last year and reach Thursday’s district championship match at 6:30 p.m. against the winner of today’s second match between first-seeded Lake Catholic and fourth-seeded Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin. Geneva (16-7) has not been to the district finals of tournament play since 2001, when the venerable Stan Bielech was the head coach and Haeseler was his assistant. A Geneva team has not been to the regional tournament since Bielech’s 1986 team, featuring Vicky Armstrong, made it. The 1985 Eagles advanced the farthest of any Geneva team in tournament play, losing in the regional championship match. For second-seeded SS. John and Paul (16-8), its match in the Division IV tournament against top-seeded Newbury at 5:30 at Badger High School is an opportunity on several levels. In their first year under the direction of coach Brandy Orlando, the Heralds have returned to the district level, which they had been accustomed for so many years until the Black Knights ended that streak, knocking off SJP in five games in the sectional finals at Grand Valley High School. Today’s match will also be the rubber match of this year’s three-game series between the two schools. Each has won once. Until last year, SJP had been to at least the district finals every year since 2000, when Stephanie Kubec took over. Last year’s loss ended the Heralds’ seven-year streak of reaching the regional tournament. The winner of today’s match will play the winner of the other semifinal between third-seeded Windham and fifth-seeded Kirtland in the district championship match Thursday at 6:30 p.m. This is truly the year of opportunity for Riverside (21-3), which is the top seed in the Division I tournament at Euclid High School and set a school record for victories with its sectional championship win over Madison. The Beavers will meet fourth-seeded Mentor at 7 p.m. in today’s semifinal. Over the years, the fourth-seeded Cardinals have inflicted plenty of pain on the Beavers, including during coach Stacy Sepelak’s nine-year tenure at Riverside. From 2001-03, the Beavers made it to the district finals, but lost each time to Mentor. Again last year, they tangled in the district championship match, and again Mentor won, which ran its string of district championships to 21 straight. But this year could well be different. Riverside has put together perhaps its best team ever and Mentor is going through a transitional phase after the retirement of legendary coach Rich Woodman. Sepelak wants her team to focus on Mentor. There would be one more obstacle after that, as the winner of the other semifinal match between second-seeded Mayfield and third-seeded South would loom for the district title Thursday at 6 p.m. The Beavers are quite a bit more familiar with the Rebels, who they defeated for their second straight PAC championship, while the Wildcats are a bit more of a mystery. Division II Haeseler believes the Eagles will be facing a team that is nearly their mirror image in the Wolverines (11-10). She feels her team will have to concentrate on doing what it does best. 
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