Gilmour spikers outlast Chagrin in district

By Patrick Thornton
The Chagrin Valley Times

A lot of times title games fail to deliver.

But the Division III district volleyball title contest was a match that many people won't soon forget. Every point counted in this five-game thriller. Gilmour jumped to an early 1-0 lead after winning the first game, 25-18.

But then Chagrin settled in and won the next two games, 25-19 and 25-22. It looked like Chagrin was going to pull off its third straight game and take home the district title before Gilmour came storming back.

Midway through the fourth game, Gilmour head coach Jeff Grzybowski became angry with his players. They were falling apart, letting balls drop and were fighting on the court about whose fault each lost point was. He called a timeout and let them know that's not how a team acts.

"I basically told them to stick together out there and hang together as a team," he said.

The team relaxed and began to play together again. The Lancers came back and won the fourth game, 25-22. The Tigers jumped to an early 7-1 lead in the fifth and final game, before the Lancers came back again.

The two teams began trading points back and forth, and the score was eventually tied, 14-14. Chagrin grabbed the 15th point, usually enough to win the fifth game, but a team must win by two points. The Lancers dug down deep and scored three straight unanswered points to shock the Tigers.

"It was a very emotional, very tense, very hard fought on both sides," Chagrin Falls head coach Dan Kerul said. "I can speak for my team that they gave every ounce of energy."

Grzybowski never lost faith in his team, even after things looked bleak in the fourth game. The team had come back several times early in the year, but those matches were nothing like this.

"I've been involved in sports since fifth grade," Grzybowski said. "And I don't think I ever been a part of a comeback like that."

Gilmour's reward for the thrilling finish will be playing one of the top teams in the state, Columbiana Crestview. They are ranked No. 6 in the AP poll and come into the game with a 23-2 record. Grzybowski thinks his team, however, should have a good shot at winning the game.

Grzybowski said Crestview is a similar team to the 24-2 Lancers, a scrappy team that never quits. Neither team is particularly prolific on offense, but both play strong defense.

"We might even have an advantage with our hitting," Grzybowski said.

Chagrin goes home this year with an improved record at 16-9 but a shorter postseason run. The team won the district title last season. The future should be bright, however, for the Tigers with only two starters being lost to graduation.

This is Grzybowski's first season as head coach, but he doesn't think the success is unexpected. A year ago he was officiating, and he thought to himself after officiating a Gilmour match, "There is a lot of talent out here."

It turns out he was right. Four of the players on Gilmour's roster played on Junior Olympic teams that made nationals. The team is also young and should have a bright future ahead of it, regardless of how well it does this season.

Kerul is in just his second season as a coach. The two young coaches with their young teams may be seeing each other again at the district tournament the next few years for a few more epic battles.

Until then, however, the Lancers will keep on fighting and never giving up.