That team mentality has propelled the 27-0 Red Devils to the Division III semifinal match at the 51st Annual Ohio High School Athletic Association girls volleyball state tournament. Tippecanoe will face off against Archbishop Hoban at at 11 a.m. Friday at Wittenberg University. The state semifinals will be played at Wittenberg, Wright State University and Vandalia Butler High School with all seven championship matches being held at the Nutter Center.
The quest for a state trip is a year in the making as Tippecanoe fell to Ursuline Academy in the regional tournament last season. The Red Devils made the most of their rematch opportunity topping the Lions in four sets in the regional final Saturday.
Tippecanoe head coach Howard Garcia was quick to credit the Red Devils work ethic.
“It’s the unity of hard work among all of them,” he said. “It’s not one or two of them, all 12 of them have the same intensity and same desire. They go after it.”
That intensity will be critical against a Hoban team that is headed to the state tournament for a 10th time. The Knights have won multiple state titles, most recently in 2020.
“We have so much fight,” Clawson said. “Even when we’re down, we find a way.”
The Red Devils, however, haven’t been down very often as they have dropped only three sets all season – two coming in the regional tournament.
And while team is always the focus, the Red Devils have had individual success this season with three players being named all-state with Clawson on the first team and Abby Mader and Courtney Post earning third-team recognition. Clawson, an outside hitter, also set the school record for single season kills with 306 and counting. And libero Faith Siefring broke the Red Devils single season digs record with 449 to date.
“I think at the beginning of the season, we knew this team was special,” Clawson said. “Now everyone else knows too.”
Division VI: State appearances are becoming a habit for the Cardinals. New Bremen is making its seventh state trip in the past nine years, winning four titles during that time – most recently in 2023. After graduating six seniors, the young Cardinals went to work.
“These girls want to create their own legacy,” coach Diana Kramer said.
New Bremen, 25-2, will face Newark Catholic in the state semifinals Thursday at the Nutter Center. In other D-VI state semifinal play, St. Henry will play Independence.
Division VII: It’s a first for Russia volleyball. The 21-6 Raiders are making their first state volleyball appearance, facing Monroeville in the D-VII semifinals at Vandalia Butler on Thursday. Russia topped defending state champion Fort Loramie, 3-2, in the regional final to clinch its first-ever state berth.
51st Annual OHSAA Girls Volleyball State Tournament
When: Nov. 6-9
Where: Semifinals – Wright State University Nutter Center, Wittenberg University, Vandalia Butler High School. Finals – Nutter Center
Streaming: All 28 matches will be streamed live on the NFHS Network.
Tickets: Available at www.OHSAA.org/tickets.
Local competitors
Division III
Semifinals: No. 1 Archbishop Hoban (22-5) vs. No. 8 Tippecanoe (27-0), Friday, 11 a.m. at Wittenberg University; No. 2 Carroll Bloom-Carroll (26-1) vs. Chardon Notre Dame Cathedral Latin (17-9), Friday 1:30 p.m. at Wittenberg University
Championship: Saturday, 6 p.m. at Wright State University Nutter Center
Division VI
Semifinals: No. 1 New Bremen (25-2) vs. No. 3 Newark Catholic (25-0), Thursday, 4 p.m. at Wright State University, Nutter Center; Independence (20-6) vs. No. 2 St. Henry (22-5), Thursday, 6 p.m. at Wright State University, Nutter Center
Championship: Saturday, 2 p.m. at Wright State University, Nutter Center
Division VII
Semifinals: No. 5 Monroeville (24-2) vs. No. 3 Russia (21-6), Thursday, 6 p.m. at Vandalia Butler High School; Tuscarawas Central Catholic (22-5) vs. No. 1 Tiffin Calvert (27-0), Thursday 8 p.m. at Vandalia Butler High School
Championship: Saturday, 4 p.m. at Wright State University, Nutter Center
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