Fenwick wins Ohio volleyball title, Madeira takes soccer crown

The Bishop Fenwick (Franklin) volleyball team won the Division III state title and the Madeira (Cincinnati) girls' soccer team won the Division II state title on Saturday.

Fenwick (28-1) defeated Gates Mills Gilmour Academy 25-19, 20-25, 27-25, 25-16 to win the school's first state volleyball title at Wright State University's Nutter Center. Senior Ally Beck had 23 kills and junior Casey Volz had 10 kills to help the Falcons.

Madeira defeated Hathaway Brown 2-1 in overtime to win the Division II state girls soccer title at Columbus Crew Stadium. Madeira senior Katie Landgrebe scored in the 89th minute to lift the Amazons. It was Madeira's first state girls' soccer title. Goalkeeper Caitlyn McCullough made eight saves to help lead Madeira past league rival Indian Hill 1-0 in the state semifinal.

THIS WEEK
Bowling season begins: Boys' and girls' bowling teams start on Friday as bowling is the first winter sport to officially begin in Ohio. Mason and St. Xavier are expected to be among the top boys' teams, while Seton should have a strong team on the girls' side.



EARLY SIGNING PERIOD CONTINUES
Madison Senior (Middletown) senior forward Ally Malott – considered to be among the state's top players in the 2011 class – will sign her National Letter of Intent with the University of Dayton at 2:45 p.m. Wednesday at Madison. Malott helped lead Madison to a 27-1 record and a Division III state runner-up finish last season.

RANDOM THOUGHTS
The St. Ursula Academy (Cincinnati) field hockey team became the first Cincinnati area team to win a state title in the sport on Nov. 6. The Bulldogs return 14 of their 18 players for next season. …The 12-team Snowflake Invitational is one of the first significant Cincinnati-area high school gymnastics meets on the schedule Dec. 18 at Turpin High School. Lakota East, Lakota West and Mason are all top programs each season and will participate in the meet. …The site for the 2011, '12 and '13 state bowling tournament will be Wayne Webb's Columbus Bowl, according to the Ohio High School Athletic Association.

(Information from the Cincinnati Enquirer, The Community Press, Dayton Daily News and Ohio High School Athletic Association was used in this report).