Hurts so good: L-B sweeps its way into state final

FAIRBORN -- Liberty-Benton's hitters can be so dominant, it can almost be painful to watch.At least it was for L-B coach Julie Todd Friday in the Division III state semifinal against Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy.The match itself went almost exactly how Todd wanted: Liberty-Benton overwhelmed CHCA 25-20, 25-17, 25-21 to reach today's final.But for Todd, the match still hurt.The L-B coach told the media after the match she has been dealing with back pain the last two weeks. "It finally got better," Todd said.Or at least, her back had gotten better until the second set, when Liberty-Benton star Izzy Granger sent a kill crashing to the Nutter Center floor."It was the hardest, best hit I've seen all year," Todd said. "And I just jumped up and down and went nuts.And then?"I hurt (my back) again," she said. "It was worth it, though."Liberty-Benton's players and fans certainly agree.Granger had 10 kills and 13 digs Friday, while Karis Willow erupted for 16 kills and 16 digs. Avery Zuercher added eight kills.Make no mistake, Todd said her attackers have caused damage, sometimes to their own teammates. Injuries, broken glasses, and more have occurred during practice."You've got to be careful when you're on the other side of the net, for sure," Todd said."Not many people scare me," Granger said. "But Karis does."Willow and Granger were dominant at times Friday, but L-B didn't really take control until later in sets. In Game 1, L-B led CHCA just 16-15 before finishing the match with a 9-5 spurt. In Game 2, CHCA and Liberty-Benton were tied at 15 before L-B went on an 8-2 run.And in Game 3, a slow start by Liberty-Benton -- Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy grabbed a 9-5 advantage -- caused Todd to call a timeout.That's something the L-B coach rarely does"I don't like to call a timeout. I don't want to," Todd said. "I like them to earn the momentum back themselves, and it's such a high when the other team calls timeout."In the third set, a couple of kills by Zuercher brought L-B back, then an ace by Claire Spiess tied the game at 10. Things turned for good when Granger lined back-to-back kills, and Chelsea May added another to put Liberty-Benton up 18-15.L-B cruised from there."I think the last 10 points of almost any game that you play is the most intense, because you're getting closer to the end of the set, and everyone is fighting harder," Willow said. "I mean, you're fighting hard the whole time, but the last 10 are what ends the game."L-B libero Kelsey Conkright, who had eight digs, said there was another key to her team's late-set dominance."Toward the end of the sets, we did a really good job of keeping our serves in," she said. "That's one thing in volleyball you can 100 percent control yourself. If you can keep your serves in those last 10 points, that really makes a difference."Also making a difference was setter Sydney Elseser, who dished 33 assists."I just know, if I give the ball to any of the hitters, they'll take care of it," Elseser said.Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy -- which has made three consecutive state appearances -- ended its season at 22-6.Freshman Allie Barrick had a team-best seven kills for CHCA, while Carmen Soloria registered 15 assists."Liberty-Benton did what they are supposed to do," Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy coach Lisa Schaad said. "They're big, they're physical, and we didn't have an answer for that today."No team has had an answer for Liberty-Benton so far, as it improved to 29-0. The last team between L-B and its second title in three years is Independence, which defeated Frankfort Adena in Thursday's other D-III semifinal.It will be a rematch of the 2019 final, which Liberty-Benton won in five games. Just like L-B, the Blue Devils enter Saturday undefeated. They are 28-0.The match starts at 3 p.m.Todd talked about the final match prior to Independence's win Friday."I think as long as we keep attacking the ball and get them out of system, no matter who we play, that's our game plan: to be able to keep swinging hard and attacking the ball."If L-B can do that, another state title could await.And there's nothing painful about that.