HURON NOTES: Several Tigers learned volleyball fundamentals in CYO

Seven Huron seniors will finish their high school volleyball careers this weekend at the state finals, which means there will be plenty of tears — win or lose. The close-knit Tigers have been reminiscing for weeks about volleyball, a sport many have played since the fourth grade. "All the time. We're always looking back at pictures," senior outside hitter Alizia Lagando said. "We actually bring it up a lot now. Like seventh and eighth grade and how we won SBCs. "I remember talking after eighth grade about maybe going to state. A lot of teams can say that at a younger age. We were all excited, and to be where we are right now is unreal." Many of the Tigers got their start in CYO. Lagando, Makenna Schafer, Georgi Moody, Sophie Lee and Sofia Stefano all played on the same team. It was a good team, of course, winning a championship in the fourth grade. "We took a picture at (2018) districts the same way we did when we won a CYO tournament," Lagando said. The photo included Lagando, Schafer, Lee and Moody. Heather Lagando and Greg Moody — both 1991 Huron High School graduates — coached their girls in CYO. "You could tell right off the bat that the girls loved volleyball," Heather said. "We were all about fundamentals. These girls have worked so hard and have been so diligent about being good teammates since the fourth grade." There were so many girls in the current senior class that wanted to play for St. Peter Catholic Church that they were split into two teams. "We had a lot of athletic girls," Heather said. "Even the ones who didn't go on with volleyball went on to do great things (in other sports)." Crash landing Early in Set 3 during last week's regional final, Huron's Makenna Schafer crashed into the scorer's table and passed the volleyball back into Huron's court with her back to the action. It was part of a long volley that ended on a Claire Solberg block that tied the set 2-2. The Tigers went on to win 27-25, fending off a set point, so Schafer's hustle turned out to be important. "It was kind of a blur," Schafer said when asked this week about the play. "I remember the ball going to the scorer's table and I sprinted over there. I knew I was going to run into it, but I saw the ball and had to get it anyway because I could save the point. "I kind of flung my arms over the people sitting at the table, hit it up in the air said 'sorry' and ran back into the play." Yes, Schafer apologized for the collision. "I felt like I had to apologize because I moved the whole table. I felt it move like five inches," she said. "It was worth the chase." Students are back Huron's ticket allotment for last week's regional tournament was big enough that a couple dozen students were able to attend. The Tigers were happy to see their classmates cheering them on at Lake High School. "I think if they weren't there giving us energy it would've taken us more time to get adjusted to the court," senior setter Georgi Moody said. "Their energy definitely helped us." Moody expects to see some Huron students in the bleachers this weekend. Tourney history Huron is making its eighth state finals trip, all under Don Wood. The Tigers made the final four in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2009 and 2014. They won state titles in 1999, 2002, 2009 and 2014. Wood took over the program in 1993. Prior to his arrival, Jim Wooster had built the Tigers into a state-level program. In 1991, Huron lost to eventual state champion Archbold in a regional final.