FAIRBORN, Ohio — The Roger Bacon High School girls volleyball team won the Division IV state championship Saturday afternoon at Wright State University’s Nutter Center.
Roger Bacon defeated Alliance Marlington 25-22, 25-20, 25-18 to capture the program’s fourth state championship in program history.
Roger Bacon also won state championships in 2005, 2004 and 2001 as a Division II program those three seasons.
Roger Bacon coach Alyssa Flading, a 2005 graduate, becomes the first coach at Roger Bacon to win state as both a player and a coach, according to Roger Bacon athletic director Steve Rossi. Flading was a member of the 2004 state championship team, too.
It was a special journey this season for Roger Bacon (25-4), which was ranked No. 3 in the season’s final Ohio High School Volleyball Coaches Association Division IV state poll.
Roger Bacon defeated No. 7 Vincent Warren 25-20, 25-22, 25-9 in a state semifinal to advance to Saturday’s state final. Marlington was ranked No. 4 in the final poll.
Roger Bacon became the second Greater Cincinnati girls volleyball team to win a state championship Saturday. St. Ursula won the Division II state championship with a victory over Whitehouse Anthony Wayne earlier in the day.
Roger Bacon was led by several players on Saturday including Raegan Waller and Etellina Jackson – each of whom had 11 kills. Ally Hughes had 30 assists. Elizabeth Strouble had 13 digs. Ava Otto had six service aces.
This week marked the 50th annual Ohio High School Athletic Association girls volleyball state tournament.
The OHSAA had three divisions in girls volleyball from 1975-89 and four divisions from 1990-2023. Last February, the OHSAA announced that several sports would add divisions, including girls volleyball, which expanded to seven divisions.
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