1. BBHHS volleyball team makes history as state champions
Posted:December 19,2016
by Mark Sellards
The volleyball slammed from the opponent’s hand, crossing the net and hitting out of
bounds. In one stroke, the seasons of two volleyball teams ended. The final play sent
the Brecksville-Broadview Heights Bees and their fans into a joyous celebration, while
the Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame Cougars were left to face their first defeat in the state
finals in three years. The state championship was the first ever for the BBHHS volleyball
team, the culmination of a season in which making a strong showing at state was
always the goal.
Road to states
Scores of other Division I teams in Ohio aimed for state all year, yet it was the Bees
who held the championship trophy after all the digs, blocks and spikes ceased. The girls
were 28-1 overall for the season and won all 42 sets played in their conference. The
team’s coach, Rob Cline, said they were driven from the start.
The seeds of determination were planted last season after a loss to Jackson Massillon
in five sets in the regional finals. During that match, Cline said the team began to realize
it could compete with other elite teams.
“Road to states” was the team’s motto this year, evidenced by the “RTS” letters they
wore on their shirts. Cline said instead of simply focusing on wins and losses, he
challenged the team to stay sharp and aim for higher accomplishments.
“[For] every set, we have these goals,” he said, referring to a list of objectives the
players were encouraged to reach during games. Ultimately, he said, the girls were
“competing against themselves and our own goals.”
With that determination, the Bees fought through the regular season, their only misstep
being a 2-0 loss to Walsh Jesuit in early October. The team sailed through the district
tourney, beating Maple Heights and Solon in straight sets.
In the regional semis, the Bees avenged the loss to Walsh with a 3-1 win. This placed
them on the doorstep of the state tournament, but again the Polar Bears of Jackson

2. High School stood in their way in the regional finals. The Bees turned away Jackson in
three sets, and the team reached its goal of qualifying for the state tournament.
State championship
Two wins separated the Bees from the championship. Cline said the goal of winning
state was a daunting one.
“It seems like an impossible task,” he said. But he didn’t want the team to be satisfied
being regional champ. He remembered thinking, “Let’s not just be happy getting
here. Let’s win this thing.”
The team dispatched St. Joseph Academy three sets to none, setting up the final match
with Mount Notre Dame, three-time defending state champion.
The fourth set of the championship will probably live in the memories of Bees’ fans for a
long time. After winning the first two sets 25-21, the Bees lost the third set 25-14. The
momentum appeared to turn in Mount Notre Dame’s favor. In these moments, some
coaches give epic speeches to help spur their team to victory, but Cline didn’t need to
do that. As they had all season, the team harnessed its drive to rally.
“They brought that energy,” Cline said. “[That’s] all on them. They got themselves
motivated.”
The Cougars came out strong and took a 24-22 lead. The Bees worked the score to 25-
25 then took the lead for good, with senior Abby Barth’s huge block punctuating the
moment. A final spike attempt by the former state champions went wide. Cline said that
as the volleyball hit the ground, there was huge sigh of relief.
After a season of preparing each week for the next opponent, the team had made it to
the end of the line.
Cline, who was named Division I Coach of the Year, said even though hard work and
talent factored into the championship, some success resulted from favorable
circumstances. For one, the team was fortunate not to have experienced many injuries.
He added that the his players offered a mix of skills.
Key players
Cline described junior Shannon Williams, an all-state first team setter, as the “hardest
working kid we’ve had.” Williams had 50 assists during the championship match and 20
digs.
An outside hitter, Junior Emma Tupa was named to the all-state third team and declared
Offensive Player of the Year. In the final game, Tupa had 12 kills and 7 digs.

3. Cline described sophomore Joanna Chang, the other outside hitter, as “rock solid, big
scorer and all business.” She registered 23 kills and 12 digs in the finals.
Barth helped balance the attack in the finals with 16 kills, 12 digs and three block
assists, including a monster block in the closing minutes of the match.
Cline said senior Kristina Merker, who played the libero position in the back row, was
probably the strongest athlete on the team, though she may have been the smallest in
stature. Merker had 18 digs and 4 assists during the match.
Cline said junior Amber King was the best blocker on the team, and her presence alone
was intimidating enough to force errors by opposing teams. She had one solo block and
three block assists in the final game, along with six kills in only 11 attacks.
Sophomore Marisa Rachek played all four sets in the finals, garnering a kill and a block
assist. She also brought an intangible attribute to the team, said Cline; she was the
comic relief, always smiling and happy, even in stressful times.
Freshman Macayla Mancuso was sidelined most of the year with an arm injury, and
when the final match started, her name was not on the scoring chart.
Still, when blocking began to break down in the third set, Cline put Mancuso in, and she
gave the lagging team a much-needed boost, recording four block assists. The team
climbed back into the match to win the crucial fourth set.
That victory enabled the Bees to make school history.