Volleyball: O-G falls to Bishop Fenwick in the state final

FAIRBORN – Bishop Fenwick is a volleyball program that Ottawa-Glandorf coach Maddie Hauenstein is quite familiar with.

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In 2024, in Ottawa-Glandorf’s first-ever appearance at the state volleyball tournament, the Titans were defeated by Bishop Fenwick in straight sets in the Division V state semifinals. That was the first season Hauenstein was the head coach at O-G.

At Friday’s Division IV state championship game at the Nutter Center on the campus of Wright State University, O-G faced Bishop Fenwick once again.

This time, the Titans forced a fourth set before falling to Bishop Fenwick – 25-19, 20-25, 20-25, 21-25. Each set was competitive, with the score knotted 15 times on the night.

O-G ended its season with an overall record of 24-4, while Bishop Fenwick ended its campaign with a 27-2 mark. This was Bishop Fenwick’s eighth appearance at the volleyball state tournament and its third state title.

“It’s going to be hard to talk,” an emotional Hauenstein said after Friday’s loss. “I’m just so proud of them. I honestly don’t have a ton of words, but I do know that this group of girls did not give up on any task at hand, all season long. So, we have a lot to be proud of. Bishop Fenwick is good. They’re a really good program. They know what they are doing. I’m very proud of the fight that we had against such a solid team.”

In Thursday’s Division IV state semifinal, O-G knocked off state-power Mentor Lake Catholic in a hard-fought five-set match. Then, less than 24 hours later the Titans took to the court at the Nutter Center for the state title match with Bishop Fenwick.

“I think it was hard for all of us,” Hauenstein said about the quick turnaround. “We’ve been used to having some time in between games to just be able to gather ourselves – whether it’s happy emotions or sad emotions. There are a lot of emotions involved. I think the turnaround is hard to handle.”

In Friday’s loss to Bishop Fenwick, Grace Kahle led O-G with 13 kills. Madison McKee recorded 11 kills and five blocks, while Allison Kuhlman had 10 kills. Alivia Bellman registered 36 assists, and Brie Fuka had 21 digs for O-G.

Morgan Meiring led Bishop Fenwick with 22 kills, while teammate Mia Schmitt had 12 kills on the night.

Hauenstein credited Bishop Fenwick on the adjustments it made throughout Friday’s match.

“They made some adjustments. I thought we came out OK, and we didn’t give up until the end. They’re a fast team. They don’t give a lot of space to regroup,” she said.

Gracie Lammers, Grace Kahle, Ella White and Madison McKee are the four O-G seniors that played their last high school volleyball match on Friday.

“Obviously, it hurts so bad,” White said. “It would hurt anyways, because it was our (seniors) last time together. They (Bishop Fenwick) didn’t take anything else. They didn’t take our love or our fight. I’m proud of the team we are, and I wouldn’t give it up for the world.”

Kahle added, “We’ve had so much positive support from our community, and we have so much pride in our school.”

Hauenstein reflected on her first three years of being the head coach and watching this current senior class progress.

“It’s hard for me to put it into words, but we started together. I don’t know what it would be like to be part of O-G volleyball without them. They created such a solid foundation – that is going to trickle down from here on out,” Hauenstein said.

McKee added, “The community is the main thing. It doesn’t matter what sport it is. It doesn’t matter the time of the year. They are always there.”

Bishop Fenwick 3, Ottawa-Glandorf 1

Kills: (OG) – Grace Kahle 13; (BF) – Morgan Meiring 22 Digs: (OG) – Brie Fuka 21; (BF) – Emerson Moser 26 Assists: (OG) – Alivia Bellman 36; (BF) – Abby Keller 55 Blocks: (OG) – Madison McKee 5; (BF) – Andrea Ptaszkiewicz 1 Aces: (OG) – Gracie Lammers 2; (BF) – Caroline Schaefer 1 Featured Local Savings