Kilbourne, Thomas, Worthington Christian fall 2021 wraps

WORTHINGTON CHRISTIAN CROSS COUNTRY

•MSL-Ohio standings: Boys — Bexley (28), Grandview (79), Buckeye Valley (83), Worthington Christian (97), Columbus Academy (104), Whitehall (175), Wellington (177); Girls — Bexley (20), Academy (58), Grandview (69), Columbus School for Girls (75), Buckeye Valley (133), Worthington Christian (140)

•Seniors lost: Boys — William Muskopf, Sam O’Roark, Leon Ren, Jonathan Sanders, Synjin Sharp, Chad Smith and Sam Spires; Girls — Mia Godorhazy and Morgan Lawrence

•Key returnees: Boys — Joe Spires and Dylan Wooten; Girls — Shemaiah Konster, Anjali Paul, Zoe Ward and Annie White

•Postseason: Boys — Sixth (140) at district behind champion Centerburg (41); Girls — Eighth (168) at district behind champion Grandview (46)

•Recap: Ward, a junior, finished fourth (20:23.7) in the Division III, district 2 meet Oct. 23 at Hilliard Darby and fourth (20:40.7) in the regional Oct. 30 at Pickerington North to qualify for state for the first time. She placed 64th (20:10.9) at state Nov. 6 at Fortress Obetz.

White, a sophomore, was the team’s No. 2 runner at district. Konster, a sophomore, and Paul, a freshman, also are eligible to return.

The boys team is eligible to return Wooten, a freshman who was 24th (18:36.1) at the district 2 meet, but five of its other competitors at that meet — O’Roark, Sanders, Sharp, Smith and Sam Spires — will be lost to graduation. Joe Spires, a sophomore and the team’s No. 6 runner at district, ran 19:24.42 at the MSL-Ohio meet Oct. 16 to finish a team-best 17th.

•Quotable: “(The season) actually came together really well. I worked through it and made it (to state). I really like the competition. (Fortress Obetz) is a great course and it was really nice to be on a scale like this with all the people supporting me. It means so much to get here. I really need to push myself out of my comfort zone. I’m decent at pacing but I’m not good at fast pacing and pushing myself, which is why I had a difficult time getting to my time goals this year.” — Ward

—Jarrod Ulrey

THOMAS CROSS COUNTRY

•OCC-Cardinal standings: Boys – Dublin Jerome (24), Olentangy (70), Thomas (77), Olentangy Berlin (88), Marysville (93), Hilliard Darby (146); Girls – Jerome (54), Thomas (66), Marysville (67), Berlin (74), Darby (88), Olentangy (162)

•Seniors lost: Boys – Hayden Carrier, Joshua Hickman, Liam Johnson, Aaron Lees, Noah Long, Henry Markwardt, Garrett Robinson Doggett, Michael Ryan-Hart, Thomas Sinclair, Shohaan Singh, Benjamin Smith and Connor Whalen; Girls – Ishana Baldaro, Leila Boussedra, Riley Chase, Ella Fledderjohann, Michelina Guerra, Hadley Kulina and Kennedy Macerollo

•Key returnees: Boys – Mulu Ferguson, Owen Hedberg, David Horton, Ethan Morgan and Dean Poppy; Girls – Macy Darling, Megan Kemp, Caroline Murphy, Alaina Smullen, Rosalie Smullen and Annalie Steele

•Postseason: Boys – Sixth (138) at district behind champion Hilliard Davidson (28), ninth (223) at regional behind champion Davidson (73); Girls – Fourth (118) at district behind champion Dublin Coffman (46); 14th (308) at regional behind champion Coffman (82)

•Recap: Freshman Alaina Smullen led the girls team at the Division I regional meet, placing 37th (21:39.7) of 131 runners.

Senior Boussedra ran for Thomas for the first time during the regular season, proving to be an adept addition, topping out at 18:27.3 to finish fourth at Dublin Jerome’s Celtic Clash on Sept. 25. She sat out in the postseason to help the field hockey team make a run to the state title game.

Thomas also loses seniors Guerra and Fledderjohann along with Boussedra.

Juniors Steele and Rosalie Smullen, freshman Darling and sophomore Whalen give the Cardinals plenty of experience for next year.

The boys team’s season came to end with a ninth-place finish out of 16 teams at regional.

Smith, a senior, led the Cardinals by placing 30th (17:50.5) of 122 runners. Thomas also loses Robinson Doggett.

Juniors Hedberg and Horton, freshmen Ferguson and Poppy and sophomore Morgan are eligible to return.

–Michael Rich

KILBOURNE BOYS GOLF

•OCC-Capital standings: Delaware (23-1), Dublin Scioto (19-5), Big Walnut (15-9), Kilbourne (12-12), Westerville North (10-14), Canal Winchester (5-19), Westerville South (0-24)

•Senior lost: Logan Bush

•Key returnees: Simon Abbott, Owen Cotterman, Jack Dougherty and Aidan Gallogly

•Postseason: Tied for ninth (334) at sectional behind champion St. Charles (294).

•Recap: Looking to next year, Kilbourne coach Gavin Meeks hopes his golfers come back a little more consistent than they were this season.

Kilbourne showed the top end of the spectrum with a 318 at the Upper Arlington Golden Bear Invitational on Sept. 13. Cotterman, a junior, shot a 70 to finish third of 58 golfers behind medalist Zach Burton (68) of Hilliard Davidson.

The Wolves were in the middle of the pack in the OCC-Capital at 12-12 as Cotterman was first-team all-league with a 79 average.

Cotterman finished his season with a 76 in a Division I sectional Oct. 5 at Darby Creek. He was a part of a four-player playoff for the final district-qualifying spot, but lost out to Marion Harding’s Jacob Beaschler, who won on the third hole.

Kilbourne loses only one senior in Bush, who averaged 86.25 in league play to earn third-team all-league honors.

Also eligible to return are Abbott and Dougherty – both juniors – and Gallogy, a sophomore. Abbott averaged an 86 to earn third-team all-league honors and Dougherty was honorable mention with an 87.5 average.

•Quotable: “We just needed to have some consistency. Our range of scores per player needs to be tighter than where it was. Owen Cotterman had a great start to the season, but he plateaued and couldn’t break 80 for a few rounds. But then he got it together and put up some good scores at the end of the season. Simon Abbott is turning out to be a phenomenal golfer after only playing for about a year and a half.” – Meeks

­–Michael Rich

WORTHINGTON CHRISTIAN GIRLS GOLF

•MSL-Ohio standings: Columbus Academy (15-1), Columbus School for Girls (13-3), Bexley (8-8), Worthington Christian (4-12), Buckeye Valley (0-16)

•Seniors lost: None

•Key returnees: Sophie Burns, Mandy Custer, Lily Morgan, Trina So and Emma Unger

•Postseason: Sixth (391) at district behind champion Lakewood (341)

•Recap: Despite losing three-time district qualifier Rena So to graduation and with no juniors or seniors in the lineup, the Warriors improved their sectional score compared to a season ago by 32 strokes. Trina So and Burns were freshmen who shot 86 and 94, respectively, at the Division II sectional Sept. 29 at Mill Creek as Worthington Christian finished nine strokes short of advancing to district. Morgan, who shot 98 at the sectional, and Unger were sophomores, and Custer was another freshman in the lineup.

—Jarrod Ulrey

KILBOURNE GIRLS GOLF

•OCC-Cardinal standings: Dublin Jerome (28-0), Hilliard Darby (22-6), Delaware (21-7), Olentangy Berlin (17-11), Thomas (11-17), Kilbourne (9-19), Dublin Scioto (4-24), Hilliard Bradley (0-28)

•Senior lost: Presley Zwayer

•Key returnees: E.J. Adams, Cora Bystrek, Gabby Elkins, Maya Hutchinson, Addie Krohn and Sophia Mosser

•Postseason: 10th (526) at sectional behind champion Olentangy Liberty (337)

•Recap: The Wolves finally had some depth with 10 players on the roster this season. But coach Jon Baird hopes the team takes the next step this offseason.

Kilbourne loses just one senior in Zwayer, who averaged a 100.33 in OCC-Cardinal play to earn third-team all-league honors. She also led the Wolves with a 103 in a Division I sectional Oct. 5 at Royal American on Oct. 5.

Hutchinson is the only eligible returnee to have participated in all four league rounds and the sectional.

•Quotable: “Now we just need to take that next step and get better. That means getting in shape in the offseason, getting some type of coaching (or) lessons to get ready for next year. We’re only losing one person and that’s Presley Zwayer, who was just a great role model for the girls.” – Baird

­–Michael Rich

THOMAS GIRLS GOLF

•OCC-Cardinal standings: Dublin Jerome (28-0), Hilliard Darby (22-6), Delaware (21-7), Olentangy Berlin (17-11), Thomas (11-17), Kilbourne (9-19), Dublin Scioto (4-24), Hilliard Bradley (0-28)

•Seniors lost: Kerry Burnham, Gloria Chan, Devyn Miller, Grace Pflaum, Anna Poklar, Claudia Scott, Michaela Sershen and Olivia Taylor

•Key returnee: Jordan Cross

•Postseason: 10th (447) at sectional behind champion Dublin Jerome (304)

•Recap: It wasn’t that long ago that Thomas could field only a junior varsity team because of low participation numbers – 2019, in fact. That’s not the case anymore. Coach Rod Hopkins has the numbers with a roster of 20 this season.

The Cardinals lose a core group of seniors that helped build the program in Burnham, Miller, Pflaum and Scott, who averaged a 93.33 to earn third-team all-league honors.

But Hopkins isn’t concerned about filling out a roster next year with freshman Cross playing a full year of varsity. Sophomores Piper Lowe, Anna Tinnerello and Siena McAlister and freshman Gwyn Scott should be key contributors next season.

•Quotable: “Between tournament play and match play, we pulled off 19 wins, which was significantly than six we had last year – definitely a huge, huge step in the right direction. Just as whole, the senior class has really done a lot from sophomore year on. They’ve solidified us maintaining a golf program.” – Hopkins

­–Michael Rich

KILBOURNE FIELD HOCKEY

•Record: 9-9 overall

•COFHL-East: Watterson (8-0), New Albany (7-1), Columbus Academy (6-2), Kilbourne (5-3), Bexley and Granville (both 3-5), Columbus School for Girls and Hartley (both 2-6), Lancaster (0-8)

•Seniors lost: Grace Fronczak, Olivia James, Brynlee Pinschenat, Katie Reardon, Emily Roesch, Lauren Scott, Camille Shiffer, Anaïs Sturges and Tina Yang

•Key returnees: Tess Crozier, Abby Miller, Addie Parmi, Ava Perry, Brynley Rung and Ava Todd

•Postseason: Def. Hartley 2-0; lost to Upper Arlington 4-0 in regional quarterfinal

•Recap: The Wolves set a slew of records this season, led by Scott, a senior forward who had 18 goals this season, giving her 47 for her career – both program records. Scott was second-team all-league.

Along with Scott, Kilbourne loses Fronczak (forward), a Michigan State signee, and Pinschenat (midfielder), who were both first-team all-league. Fronczak had 11 goals and eight assists and Pinschenat had five goals and six assists this season.

Eligible to return are junior Rung (7 assists), a midfielder, and sophomore defenders Perry (10 saves) and Crozier (9 saves). Perry set the program record for defensive saves this season. Miller, a junior goalie, had 93 saves.

•Quotable: “Overall, we were expecting to get a little further in the tournament and a little more successful win-loss record. But we had some really great highs this season and some lows as well. With seven sophomores on varsity, we have a team that can develop into something really wonderful in the future for Kilbourne field hockey. Our seven seniors that were starters are going to be tremendously missed.” – coach Alexandra Street

­–Michael Rich

WORTHINGTON CHRISTIAN BOYS SOCCER

•Record: 11-8-2 overall

•MSL-Ohio standings: Bexley (5-0-1), Wellington (5-1), Grandview (4-2), Worthington Christian (2-2-2), Columbus Academy and Whitehall (both 1-4-1), Buckeye Valley (0-5-1)

•Seniors lost: Cam Broadfoot, Caleb Denorme, Eli Hoskinson, Kael Oosterbaan, Caleb Stults, Grant Woodfin and Matthew Yoder

•Key returnees: Ben Jendee Sammy Owusu-Sarfo, Luke Stimpson and Jaedon Thomas

•Postseason: Def. Cristo Rey 9-1; def. Liberty Union 8-0; def. Fairbanks 4-0; def. Cincinnati Mariemont 3-2 (OT); lost to Cincinnati Madeira 3-0 in Division III regional final

•Recap: Worthington Christian made it back to the regional tournament after last winning a district title in 2017. It then beat Mariemont 3-2 in overtime in a semifinal Nov. 3 at Trotwood-Madison before falling to Madeira 3-0 in the final Nov. 6 at Bellbrook.

The senior class featured Woodfin, Hoskinson and Stults on defense, Broadfoot at forward and Oosterbaan and Yoder at midfielder. Denorme was the goalie.

Owusu-Sarfo, a sophomore, emerged as one of the team’s top forwards. Stimpson is a junior and Jendee a sophomore who are eligible to return at midfielder, and Thomas is eligible to return at defender.

—Jarrod Ulrey

THOMAS GIRLS SOCCER

•Record: 3-13-2 overall

•OCC-Cardinal standings: Olentangy (5-0), Dublin Jerome and Olentangy Berlin (both 3-1-1), Marysville (2-3) Hilliard Darby (1-4), Thomas(0-5)

•Seniors lost: Olivia Ankrom, Molly Bruck, Anna Couch, Dani Curtiss, Abby Demaree, Morgan Jackson, Kiley Jesuele, Autumn Novak, Mykela Slater, Sloane Temple and Ella Wince

•Key returnees: Reagan Bell, Katelyn Breedlove, Eleanor DiMartini, Reese Laakso, Zoe Limbach, Nicole Quinn, Sara Waller and Maia Wolf

•Postseason: Lost to Westerville North 3-0 in first round of Division I district tournament

•Recap: The Cardinals started 2-0-1 but struggled the rest of the way. Thomas scored 10 of its 20 goals this season in the first three games.

Still, Kelley Zebrowski, who wrapped up her first season as coach, believes her team showed a lot of resilience.

She’ll spend the offseason working on the fundamentals – first touches, speed of play and strength.

Juniors DiMartini (midfielder), Limbach (forward) and Waller (goalie), sophomores Breedlove (defender), Laakso (forward), Quinn (forward) and Wolf (defender/midfielder) and freshman Bell (midfielder) were all in the starting lineup by the end of the season.

DeMartini was first-team all-league, Breedlove was second-team all-league, Bell was special mention and Quinn was honorable mention.

•Quotable: “We showed a lot of growth that wasn’t seen in our record, necessarily. We have very talented players and very athletic girls. It’s just adjusting the mindset that we can compete and we can be a dangerous. The girls have to believe in themselves first.” – Zebrowski

­–Michael Rich

KILBOURNE GIRLS SOCCER

•Record: 12-3-4 overall

•OCC-Capital standings: Delaware (6-1), Dublin Scioto (5-1-1), Westerville North (4-2-1), Canal Winchester (3-2-2), Big Walnut (3-3-1), Kilbourne (2-2-3), Westerville South (1-6), Franklin Heights (0-7)

•Seniors lost: Katie Buterbaugh, Ashley Chappell, Abby Halm, Mycah Hill, Molly Humphrey, Tia Jarvis, Ashten Morris, Kailey Rayner, Maria Ricciardi, Grace Runyon, Julia Sheets, Celeste Sloma and Maggie Stewart

•Key returnees: Aubrey Bally, Natalie Held, Mara McGlone, Megan Miller, Kate Passella and C.J. Smith

•Postseason: Def. Marysville 1-0; def. Canal Winchester 1-0 (SO); lost to New Albany 1-0 in Division I district semifinal

•Recap: Kilbourne had stretches of 5-0-1 to start the season and 7-0-2 late in the season before falling to New Albany 1-0 in a Division I district semifinal.

The biggest loss will be goalie Sloma, who was second-team all-state and first-team all-district and all-league. The Wolves also have to replace midfielder Halm (2 goals), who was honorable mention all-league and forward Humphrey, who scored eight goals.

Sophomore defender Miller (second-team all-league), junior forward McGlone (special mention all-league, 15 goals) and freshman forward Held (5 goals) lead the expected returnees.

•Quotable: “Celeste Sloma had the game of her life (against New Albany). Twenty minutes into the second half, they snuck one in on a poorly marked runner. We had opportunities, but we couldn’t put one away. We were almost there. My kids this year were resilient and driven. They really battled every day to get better.” – coach Meghann Moore

­–Michael Rich

WORTHINGTON CHRISTIAN GIRLS TENNIS

•Record: 7-12 overall

•MSL-Ohio standings: Wellington (7-0), Columbus Academy (6-1), Columbus School for Girls (5-2), Bexley, Buckeye Valley and Worthington Christian (all 3-4), Grandview (1-6), Whitehall (0-7)

•Seniors lost: Audrey Mousa, Lily Rettstatt and Rebekah Shively

•Key returnees: Meghan Mayotte, Brianna Nowery, Ella Rouse and Brooke Stone

•Recap: Mayotte, a junior, was runner-up in the Division II sectional at CSG and then reached a semifinal at district.

The doubles team of Nowery, a junior, and Shively, a senior, was unseeded but finished fourth at sectional and then lost in the first round at district.

Mousa, a senior, and Rouse, a sophomore, both reached quarterfinals in singles at sectional, while the doubles team of Rettstatt, a senior, and Stone, a sophomore, lost in the second round.

—Jarrod Ulrey

THOMAS GIRLS TENNIS

•Record: 1-10 overall

•OCC-Cardinal standings: Dublin Jerome, Olentangy and Olentangy Berlin (all 4-1), Marysville (2-3) Hilliard Darby (1-4), Thomas (0-5)

•Senior lost: Yashna Rana

•Key returnees: Gabby Decker, Natalie Diebert, Kayla Lu, Neela Ramachandran, Judy Ray and Meggie Ray

•Recap: It was a season of change for Thomas as Lisa Miller took over for Andy Sinclair, who coached the program for five seasons.

The Cardinals got a win each in doubles play in Division I sectional on Oct. 8 at Hilliard Darby. Juniors Judy and Meggie Ray got by Westland’s Jackie Lopez Reyes and Lisa Nguyen before falling to third-seeded Ellis Mizer and Isabella Roth of Upper Arlington, and freshmen Ramachandran and Diebert got by Whetstone’s Scarlett Fried and Izzy Park before falling to Upper Arlington’s Ava Richard and Anna Leach, who were seeded second.

Thomas, which scored its only victory of the season in the finale, will lose Rana to graduation.

The Cardinals defeated Whetstone 4-1 on Oct. 1 with Rana and Diebert and the Rays each picking up victories in doubles play. Decker, a junior, and sophomore Braleena Pickens each got wins in singles action.

•Quotable: “This was a season of change and transformation preparing us for the hope of higher performance into the future with exceptional new mental and physical tennis skills and training strategies. Transcending the past takes time, and now we have players fully committed to the excellence of the Thomas Worthington tennis program.” – coach Lisa Miller

–Michael Rich

KILBOURNE GIRLS TENNIS

•Record: 9-9 overall

•OCC-Capital standings: Big Walnut (7-0), Dublin Scioto (6-1), Kilbourne (5-2), Delaware (4-3), Westerville South (3-4), Westerville North (2-5), Canal Winchester (1-6), Franklin Heights (0-7)

•Seniors lost: Melanie Allen, Evelyn Bomsta, Lia Gimbel, Abby Jones, Abbie Needleman and Ellie Needleman

•Key returnees: Libby Alderman, Rachel Baughman, Carolyn Barcikowski, Zara Haque, Lilly Hershey and Kacy Kohler

•Recap: Sophomore Alderman and junior Hershey survived a roughly 2.5-hour first-round match in the Division I district tournament Oct. 14 against Upper Arlington’s Ellis Mizer and Isabella Roth, winning 7-6, 4-6, 6-1.

But the tank was low in the second-round match against Dublin Jerome’s Lydia Foster and Adayla Coakley. Alderman and Hershey fell 7-5, 6-2, coming a win short of qualifying for state.

Alderman qualified for state in singles play as a freshman. But elbow and leg injuries hampered her most of the season, as she was 9-1 in doubles play and 2-1 in singles.

The Wolves lose seniors Bomsta and Needleman, both four-year letterwinners. But they expect to return a lot of experience in juniors Barcikowski, Hacque and Kohler and sophomore Baughman.

•Quotable: “I just really think (Alderman and Hershey) were tired (after the first-round match at district) and didn’t play like they could. (Alderman’s) physical health wasn’t that good this year. (Hershey) probably improved as much I’ve seen in that month-long span where they played doubles together. (Bomsta and Needleman) are definitely going to leave a space to fill for next year.”

–Michael Rich

WORTHINGTON CHRISTIAN GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

•Record: 15-10 overall

•MSL-Ohio standings: Bexley (12-0), Grandview (8-4), Worthington Christian (9-3), Buckeye Valley (6-5), Columbus Academy (4-8), Columbus School for Girls (1-10), Whitehall (1-11)

•Seniors lost: Sydney Diedrich, Anna Schwartz and Ellie Wolfe

•Key returnees: Eva Albert, Olivia Fenstermaker, Grace Leneghan, Courtney Staggs, Abby Urbancic and Phoebe Williams

•Postseason: Def. Columbus Academy 25-23, 25-18, 25-18; def. Liberty Union 25-20, 25-20, 25-17; lost to Johnstown 25-18, 23-25, 20-25, 25-17, 15-6 in Division III district semifinal

•Recap: The Warriors lost four of their first six but closed the regular season with wins in four of their last five matches. They then took fourth-seeded Johnstown to five sets as the sixth seed before having their season end in a district semifinal.

Schwartz (middle hitter), who had 129 kills, and Diedrich (defensive specialist/right-side hitter), who had 92 digs, led the senior class.

Fenstermaker (outside hitter), a junior, led in kills with 306 and Williams, a junior, was second with 153. Leneghan (setter), a junior, finished with 320 assists and Urbancic (libero), a junior, was second in digs with 289 behind Fenstermaker (298). Albert (defensive specialist), a sophomore, Staggs (right-side hitter), a freshman, and freshman Grace Hartings (middle hitter) also were key contributors.

•Quotable: "I feel like our season went really well, despite some of the hardships we had to overcome. I feel great about all of the players coming back next season. We have a really strong junior class in particular that will be major contributors to our team's success next year as seniors." — coach Chelsea Meyers

—Jarrod Ulrey

THOMAS GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

•Record: 10-13 overall

•OCC-Cardinal standings: Olentangy (10-0), Dublin Jerome and Olentangy Berlin (both 7-3), Marysville and Thomas (both 3-7), Hilliard Darby (0-10)

•Seniors lost: Lily Beier, Peyton Hash and Megan Peer

•Key returnees: Avery Argy, Avery Hughes, Trinity Swearengen, Dru Temple and Becca Wight

•Postseason: Def. Westerville South 26-24, 25-18, 25-16; lost to Westerville Central 25-23, 25-20, 19-25, 14-25, 15-11 in second round of Division I district tournament

•Recap: Thomas found its footing late in the season before beating 26th-seeded Westerville South 26-24, 25-18, 25-16 in the first round of the Division I district tournament and taking 10th-seeded Westerville Central to five sets (25-23, 25-20, 19-25, 14-25, 15-11) in the second round. The victory over the Wildcats gave the Cardinals, who were seeded 23rd, their first tournament win since 2012.

Thomas has to replace seniors Beier (327 kills, 309 digs, 26 aces) and Peer (96 kills, 41 blocks, 38 aces). Beier led the team in kills and Peer led in blocks. Beier was first-team all-league.

But the Cardinals have juniors Temple (732 assists, 253 digs, 56 aces), Swearengen (325 digs, 40 aces) and Argy (33 blocks) and sophomore Wight (240 kills, 27 blocks) eligible to return. Temple was second-team all-league and Wight was honorable mention.

•Quotable: “We showed a lot of growth on and off the court. We played really well in the tournament. Our seniors were a huge part of our program this year. Lily led the team really well (as) a six-rotation player. (Temple) is over 1,500 assists in just two years on varsity. I’m excited to have her back next year. She’s going to be a really big part of our team.” – coach Ellen Hawkins

­–Michael Rich

KILBOURNE GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

•Record: 14-10 overall

•OCC-Capital standings: Big Walnut and Dublin Scioto (both 13-1), Delaware and Kilbourne (both 8-6), Westerville South (7-7), Westerville North (5-9), Canal Winchester (2-12), Franklin Heights (0-14)

•Seniors lost: Leah Beyke, Meghan Deitrick, Riley France, Ava Gilley, Margo Henderson, Josie Richardson and Zeynep Yildiz

•Key returnees: Maura Cummings, Sophia Keller and Nadia Woodrow

•Postseason: Def. Columbus West 25-10, 25-8, 25-21; lost to Olentangy 25-15, 25-13, 19-25, 25-17 in second round of Division I district tournament

•Recap: The Wolves found a way to compete despite injuries and illnesses coupled with being an inexperienced squad entering the year.

With multiple players out early in the season, Kilbourne started slow, but rebounded with six wins in seven matches late in the year.

Yildiz, who was first-team all-league as a senior, led the team with 232 kills and was second in digs with 270 and aces with 37. The Wolves also lose Gilley (309 assists, 34 aces) and France (20 blocks).

Eligible to return are juniors Woodrow (322 assists, 142 kills, 144 digs, 45 aces, 33 blocks), Keller (105 kills, 44 blocks, 26 aces) and Cummings (284 digs, 32 aces), a sophomore.

Woodrow was second-team all-league, Keller was special mention and Cummings was honorable mention.

•Quotable: “I think we could hang with anybody. We just had too many inconsistencies. We were down five varsity players for the first two weeks of the season. We could have rolled up the carpet and had a terrible season. But we finished 14-10 and (tied for) third in our conference. I’m very happy with the way that we played.” –coach Meladee Hopkins

­–Michael Rich

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@ThisWeekSports

This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Kilbourne, Thomas, Worthington Christian fall 2021 wraps