CLAYTON — New division, same result. For the fifth straight year, Gilmour is heading to the state championship match following a four-set win over Toledo St. Ursula, 25-17, 21-25, 25-9, 25-22, in a Division III state semifinal Nov. 7 at Clayton Northmont High School. The Lancers (23-4) will play for the state title at 3 p.m. Nov. 8 at Wright State University. “Now it’s getting to the point where nobody wants to be the first team to not make it,” Gilmour coach Dan Coughlin said. “With this group, this is now 4-4 to the state finals. Part of their drive was they didn’t want to not make it through their high school careers. We’re fortunate to be able to do that. There’s not many schools that can say that.” PHOTOS: Gilmour vs. Toledo St. Ursula volleyball, Nov. 7, 2024 Sophomore middle hitter Kyla Williams led the Gilmour attack with 19 kills, followed by 15 from senior Aubrey Anders. Marlie Davis had nine, while Kayla Channell and D'Aira Whitner both had seven. Ella Jackson tied it all together with 46 assists. "They make it easy for me because all of the hitters are so good," Jackson said. "I could throw the ball up and I trust every single one of them to get a kill." The opening set was tight until Gilmour picked it up late. Holding a 16-15 lead, the Lancers closed it out with a 9-2 run. Williams had back-to-back kills to get it started and the lead stretched to five with an ace from Mi-Na Diggs. Leading, 20-17, Gilmour scored five unanswered to win it. However, St. Ursula (15-12) didn't go away quietly. Gilmour swept both regular-season meetings, but the Arrows picked the right time to finally win a set over the Lancers. After another back-and-forth frame, St. Ursula made a run down the stretch this time. Tied, 18-18, Mia Hasty came up big with a block and an ace. She also answered a Gilmour kill with one of her own. Molly Malone finished it off with a kill. Through two sets, the Lancers piled up 12 service errors. Once they limited them, the momentum swung completely in their favor. They know how to flip the switch when necessary. It showed with a decisive 25-9 win in set three. "This group is interesting," Coughlin said. "When they put it all together and put that fear aside, they play extremely well. Everything was clicking in set three. When push comes to shove, they know how to turn it on." St. Ursula reset and came back swinging in the fourth. Both Malone and Kayden Campbell had five sets in the frame for the Arrows. Once again, when they needed to, the Lancers answered the bell. Tied at 17-17, Anders and Whitner both had blocks to build a two-point lead. Whitner came back with another kill to extend it to three. The junior also put down back-to-back aces to put Gilmour within one of winning it. St. Ursula responded with three in a row, but Williams put down the winning kill to keep the state title match appearance streak alive. There's no place like home. "We're all super excited, especially because there's 11 of us seniors," Channell said. "This is our last time, we had to make it again. Not going would've been really hard for all of us. I know we worked so hard this season, so it's all paying off and we get to go back to where our home is." The score Gilmour 3, Toledo St. Ursula 1