FAIRBORN — Lake Catholic came into the Division V state championship having not dropped a set all postseason. A slow start to the first set didn’t deter the Cougars against Bishop Fenwick, but a second-set loss presented a new hurdle. Then Ahnna Bergant and Ava Budrys-Rini shifted it into another gear. Bergant had eight kills in the third and fourth sets combined and Budrys-Rini had three blocks to earn a 3-1 victory and the inaugural D-V state title. Lake Catholic started slowly in the first set, falling behind, 4-0, and it was forced to use a timeout. Out of the break, the Cougars went on a 9-2 run to take the lead and, in turn, force a Bishop Fenwick timeout. PHOTOS: Lake Catholic vs. Bishop Fenwick volleyball, Nov. 8, 2024 But as the set wore on, Lake again fell behind. The Falcons led, 15-14, but again the Cougars started a run that propelled them to a 25-18 set victory. Both points had similarities but the players knew they had to find a workaround. "We said about 100 times, we need to play our game," Lake Catholic's Julia Oster said. "Coach always says that the only people that can beat us are ourselves. We knew we weren't playing to our best, and we needed to shake the nerves out." Ava Budrys-Rini added: "No matter how many times you play on this court, there's always going to be nerves. Every time you just need to shake them out and play your game." Lake Catholic finished the first set on a 5-2 run for the opening point. The second set had an uncharacteristic showing from Lake Catholic. Double hits, attacks sailing long and serves into the net allowed Fenwick to build up the lead. Despite the Cougars' best efforts, they couldn't rally and dropped their first set of the postseason, 25-18. Coach Tess Connolly said the team had to return to its brand of volleyball and stay in system itself. "We like to get teams out of system and control the tempo," Connolly said. "I think in the second set, we got ahead of ourselves. We needed to be a little more grounded and control what we can control. Identify in that area first and then go from there." The third set was a return to the Cougars' usual form, led by the charge from Ahnna Bergant. In that frame, the sophomore had four kills and four blocks to push the lead out of reach early in the set. Natalya Bergant knew that the lights weren't going to be too bright for her sister. She was ready for the moment. "I'm so proud of her," Natalya Bergant said. "I kept telling Ava (Starr) to keep setting her and that she was on fire. I can't say how proud of her I am." While the younger Bergant got her time to shine, the rest of the "Killer B's" also impacted the game. Ava Budrys-Rini finished with 12 kills, and three and a half blocks. Avery Budrys-Rini had 10 kills and 19 digs to complement Julia Oster in the back row with 12. Natalya Bergant had 11 kills and three aces. In the senior class's time at Lake Catholic, they've added three state title banners and re-established the culture for the Cougars. "I think that every girl from varsity down to the freshman team wants to win a state championship," Ava Budrys-Rini said. "I've been coming to Lake Catholic games for forever and I looked up to them. I just hope that we set a good example for them and they continue the legacy." Oster added: "It's extra special to me because that first state title was by my sister and now there's three more. We wanted to prove to everyone that we're still an amazing team. There was some doubt on us this year and it shows how hard we worked." Connolly said finding ways to replicate what the four did, as well as the impact of Julia Oster in the back row, will be a challenge for her second year as coach. The returning players, headlined by Ahnna Bergant and Ava Starr, set a good foundation for them to build on. "I'm going to miss these five seniors immensely," Connolly said. "The lower classmen and upper classmen all look up to them. Before I've been asked if I enjoy any of the wins and I've always thought about what's the next game during the season. I'm going to take some time to enjoy our work and start preparing for next season in a couple of months. The future of the program has some big shoes to fill but I'm excited to see how they do it." Fenwick was led by Morgan Miering with 19 kills and 12 digs. Lyla Schmitt had nine kills as well for the Falcons. Lake Catholic's Ahnna Bergant prepares to hit against Bishop Fenwick on Nov. 8. (Brian Fisher - For The News-Herald)