FAIRBORN — There’s one thing senior Jacsyn Hilliard is going to miss about being a Marlington High School volleyball player.
“Each other,” she said.
On a day when Hilliard’s final match didn’t go the way she hoped, she still looked at the big picture. Any player would have loved to be in her shoes this season. Any player would have loved to be on the floor with her and her teammates Saturday, even in defeat.
Marlington’s best season in program history ended with a 25-22, 25-20, 25-18 loss to Cincinnati Roger Bacon in the OHSAA Division IV state title match at Wright State’s Nutter Center. Hilliard and fellow seniors Layne Graffice and Claire Battershell also were part of the best season prior to this year. They helped the Dukes reach their first state tournament in 2023.
Graffice will miss the culture her and her teammates created at Marlington.
“People play (Junior Olympic) volleyball with the same girls for years and years,” Graffice said. “It’s truly nothing like what we have at Marlington.
“You’re playing with people you go to school with, people you’re with every day. It’s just a different level of connection outside of volleyball. It really does show on the court. We play together, and I’m definitely going to miss that.”
The three seniors helped Marlington make it back to state a year after the team graduated five seniors. The Dukes went into the final on a 25-match winning streak. Their only loss came in five sets to Copley.
Head coach Stephanie Tortola said Graffice, Hilliard and Battershell have impacted much of Marlington’s recent success.
“We’ve been three-time district champs and a two-time state representative, final four and final two,” Tortola said. “They have been nothing but instrumental in that.
“They’re also great role models, not only for our younger players, but adults even. They inspire so many people with great leadership, what kind of teammates they are and that they love one another. Everybody can see that when they watch the Marlington Dukes play.
“I’ve known the seniors since they were in fourth and fifth grade. It has been just a blessing for me to get to coach them and be part of their lives. … They have definitely left their mark on our program for sure.”
Graffice had 11 kills and 11 digs in her final match. Hilliard finished with 14 digs. Battershell added eight digs.
The Dukes (27-2) could never get a sustained run going to keep themselves in the match for good. They scored six straight points in the third set. to grab a 17-16 lead. Roger Bacon responded with a match-ending 9-1 run.
Raegan Waller and Etellina Jackson had 11 kills apiece, Elizabeth Strouble finished with 13 digs and Ally Hughes added 30 assists for the Badgers (24-4), who won their fourth state title.
“They were just able to get us out of system a little too much, maybe more than we were able to get them out of system,” Tortola said. “That was the difference.
“Roger Bacon is a very talented team in all aspects of the game, and so are we. They just performed a little bit better on the serve area. We were doing good, definitely later in the game. We just didn’t start as strong as we wanted to in each of the sets.”
Tortola said there was nothing for her players to hang their heads about. She said they did an amazing job of representing the game, their school and the community all season.
“For our final year, we really wanted to go out with a bang,” Graffice said. “It wasn’t the outcome we wanted.
“We didn’t want to get comfortable with just coming to state last year. Going one step farther means a lot.”
Here’s how the game unfolded through our live updates.
Roger Bacon beats Marlington to win state championship
Roger Bacon wins the third set 25-18 to complete a three-set sweep. Marlington’s best season ends one win shy of a state title.
Marlington bidding to stay alive in third set
The Dukes won’t go away. A 4-0 run has them within 16-15 in the third set.
Spartans take lead in possible title-clinching set
Marlilyn Hoffman’s kill puts Roger Bacon up 10-5 in the third set and forces a Marlington timeout. Up two sets, the Spartans are in a pretty good spot now.
Another Dukes timeout is taken after the Spartans grab a 16-11 lead.
Marlington’s back against the wall heading to third set
A 25-20 win puts Roger Bacon up two sets to none. No room for error now for Marlington.
Layne Graffice has nine kills and eight digs for the Dukes.
Spartans look to take command of match
Ava Otto’s ace gives Roger Bacon an 8-5 lead in the second set. Marlington takes a timeout.
First set win gives Roger Bacon early advantage
Roger Bacon wins the first set 25-22. A Raegan Waller kill gives the Spartans the early advantage in the match.
Roger Bacon grabs early lead in tight first set
A 6-1 run gives Roger Bacon a 14-11 lead and forces a Marlington timeout.
Layne Graffice has five kills for the Dukes.
How did Marlington, Roger Bacon volleyball reach the OHSAA state final?
Fourth-ranked Marlington beat Shelby 25-20, 23-25, 25-18, 25-12 on Thursday to reach its first state championship match
The Dukes took a commanding 16-3 in the first set. After Shelby won the second set, the Dukes dominated the final two sets for the victory.
Third-ranked Roger Bacon swept Vincent Warren 25-20, 25-22, 25-9 in its semifinal match on Thursday.
Marlington, Roger Bacon state volleyball tournament history
Roger Bacon is appearing in the state tournament for the ninth time. The Spartans won state titles in 2001, 2004 and 2005.
Marlington is playing in its second state tournament. The Dukes were Division II semifinalists last year.
Reach Mike at mike.popovich@cantonrep.com
On X: @mpopovichREP
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Marlington vs Roger Bacon OHSAA high school volleyball score, updates
