Girls district volleyball: Medina season ends with another loss to Mentor

PARMA — The third time was not the charm for the Medina volleyball team Thursday night, as the Bees fell to Mentor 25-11, 25-15, 29-27 in the Division I, Northeast 4 District final hosted by Normandy.It was the third time this season that seventh-seeded Medina (12-11) lost to the top-seeded Cardinals (19-5) after being swept in Greater Cleveland Conference matchups as well.After losing the first two sets in quick fashion, the Bees were not prepared for their season to be over that easily and fought until the very end, taking Mentor as far as they could before the Cardinals (19-5) scored the final two points to win the match."I just think we've worked so hard to get to this point, and we really wanted this," senior Bridget Campbell said of why the Bees played better in the final set. "It just didn't go our way."Medina took a 21-17 lead in the third on the strength of the arm of freshman Kate Schellenberger, who had three straight aces to take the score to 21-17."I just really wanted to help the team out," she said. "I wanted to keep pushing. I wanted to get to the (next) set, and I really wanted to do it for the team and for the seniors, because they've all been so welcoming."Campbell had three of her team-high seven kills in the third, including points that kept the Bees' lead."I was just doing it for my team," she said. "I wanted to get us to that fourth set. It didn't go our way, but I wanted to do everything I could to get there."With each point in the third, the Medina fans grew louder, trying to urge their players to keep going. The players felt the energy, which helped extend the set."The crowd's energy, the parents are always here, supporting us," Schellenberger said. "No matter what, no matter how far away the games are, they're always here."Ranked No. 7 in the state by the Ohio High School Volleyball Coaches Association, Mentor will take on No. 6 Perrysburg in the regional semifinals at Barberton on Wednesday. Perrysburg defeated Brunswick 25-17, 25-10, 25-10 earlier in the night.When the Cardinals take the court, they will have new fans, as their GCC foes will be cheering them on from afar despite Medina losing nine of 10 sets to the Cardinals this season."Mentor is going to do great," Campbell said. "We'll be cheering them on for the GCC." As for the Bees, the underclassmen will take what they learned from seniors Leah McKinley, Kiera Szuter, Olivia Fedor, Madelyn Petrulis, Elaina Sabol and Campbell and use that going forward."I will take all the seniors, all their wisdom and all their positivity," Schellenberger said. "The seniors have all been so welcoming and all the girls are amazing, and such a great bond that we've all built together."Contact Ryan Isley at sports@medina-gazette.com.