“Definitely a tough loss, but hats off to a great Meadville team,” said Warren coach Mike Dolan, whose Dragons lost 14-25, 17-25, 22-25 after splitting with the Bulldogs in the regular season. “They kept us scrambling and out of system all night.

“We had some inspired play at times from our middles, Julie Getner, Attie Corey and Lilly Newton,” added Dolan. “On the pins, Lauren Fajbik took some nice swings as did Madelyn Nosel, who finished off a season in which she set the all-time single season kills record for the Dragons with an amazing 453 total.”

Nosel, a junior, again led Warren with 12 kills and added nine digs. One of four Warren seniors, Maddy Jones contributed 11 kills and 19 digs, but Jones and Nosel were facing Meadville senior and Marquette University commit Emma Parks across the net.

Trailing two games to none already, Warren had a furious back and forth with Meadville with Parks’ three straight kills keeping the Bulldogs ahead in a closer third game. Parks ended with 22 kills and 10 digs to lift Meadville to its second straight win over Warren, which ended its season at 15-3.

Photo by Mark Evans Warren junior Lilly Newton jumps for a spike.

“A few times after that first set we seemed to get on track, but we just couldn’t seem to keep the momentum,” said Dolan. “As always, we fought for each point all night, but too many times Meadville was the team that made the plays to finish off tough points.”

Warren swept Meadville at home on September 12, lost in four games at Meadville on October 8, and was swept on Tuesday in the final game for four seniors.

“I can’t say enough about how much the seniors, Maddy Jones, Lindsay Madigan, Sophie Walker, and Lily Walker, have meant to this team and program,” said Dolan. “Every one of them is dedicated and selfless. Lily battled all season and was such a positive teammate all year; her efforts enabled us to practice at a high level every night and gave us another solid defensive specialist in the back row. She did all that despite an injury that kept her out of a lot of the off-season. Sophie did a great job as a team leader and as a back-row specialist, serving great and passing great all season. Maddy was a model of consistency and one of the best outside hitters around. She finished off an awesome career with over 800 total kills. With Lindsay, we always had a chance to get a swing, as she chased down everything and put up terrific sets for our hitters. She’ll finish with well over 2,600 assists. It is especially the leadership of these four that will really be missed, but they left a huge legacy with back-to-back 15-3 seasons.”

On Thursday, Madigan had 25 assists, 13 digs and four kills.

The Dragons will have a number of varsity contributors returning.

“Paiden Johnson was a great contributor all year as a serving specialist,” said Dolan. “Malysia Sorensen put a stamp on the libero position and is already one of the best in the area as only a sophomore.”

Sorensen had 24 digs, and Corey, Newton, Getner and Fajbik combined for seven kills.

“I’d like to thank the Flannel Panel and the Warren community for their awesome support all year long and our coaching staff Sue Baldensperger, Samantha Nosel, and Grace Wortman for their hard work and dedication,” said Dolan.