Norton takes undefeated record into OHSAA volleyball district tournament

Norton seniors Lillian Flohr, Ava Bethel, Jenna Ford, Alivia Goff and Haley Sanderson are accustomed to winning when they step onto a volleyball court.So are juniors Natalie Martell, Khloe Kline, Brooklyn Bowman and Ashlyn Pfeiffer.And so is Norton coach Leslie Flohr, who also is Lillian’s mother.That feeling of triumph has become a reality as Norton has won 83 volleyball matches since 2023. The Panthers (23-0) enter a Division IV, Northeast 2 district semifinal against St. Vincent-St. Mary (14-9) on Monday, Oct. 26, as the only undefeated team in Greater Akron in 2026.“Our team never gives up a fight,” said Lillian Flohr, who is 5-foot-9 and leads Norton in assists (690) and blocks (41), and also has 173 digs, 92 kills and 48 service aces in 69 sets. “We love showing up to practice and giving it our all. We're super competitive with each other, and that's what makes us better.”No. 3 seed Norton will host No. 14 STVM at around 7 p.m. after the 5 p.m. match featuring No. 12 Chesterland West Geauga and No. 15 Cleveland Heights Beaumont.“We have a great group of strong seniors and also juniors,” said Sanderson, who is 5-foot and has a team-high 261 digs and 255 service receptions. “Our team is basically all seniors and juniors, so I just think our chemistry is good. We all have been playing together for a long time.“… I just think that we need to not take anything for granted and always play our hardest and just live for the next game.”Norton won a Division IV district championship in 2024 when Flohr, Bethel, Ford, Goff and Sanderson were sophomores.The Panthers were seeded No. 2 in the Division IV Northeast District in 2025, but were unable to compete for a district title because of a scheduling error that resulted in the team playing 23 regular season matches — one too many, according to OHSAA rules.It was an honest mistake, as Flohr scheduled a tri-match against GlenOak and Louisville, and interpreted it as counting as one match, not two, because the matches were on the same day.“Having our season cut short last year was heartbreaking,” Leslie Flohr said. “I think it just motivated them to rise to the challenge.”There were tears and frustration, but Norton has moved forward.“That was the heartbreaking part because these girls are good humans,” Leslie Flohr said. “It was hard to face the music and admit a human error. They were nothing but gracious and they said ‘It doesn’t matter, we are all back next year. So, we are going to do it next year, coach.’ It was as simple as that. We hugged and we parted ways, and met up in the spring again.”Next year is now and Norton has 23 wins. The Panthers posted a 16-0 record to win the Metro Athletic Conference championship for the second year in a row and third time in four seasons. “These girls have handled last year very well,” Norton athletic director Travis Dobbins said. “I think it was their driving force over the summer. When you can bring a core group back like that, I think they have put that behind them and this is a whole new season. … The competition in our league is tough. Our non-league schedule is tough.”The Panthers have won 19 of their matches three sets to none, including three times over Field, including in a sectional final Oct. 22, and twice against Streetsboro, Woodridge, Cuyahoga Falls, Kent Roosevelt and Cloverleaf.“We are all really good friends with each other and every day at practice, it's fun to play with each other,” Goff said. “This is our last season together, and we're just going to make it the best one. … I think we all have individual strengths and it all comes together really well and we just play really good as a team.”Norton beat Tallmadge twice, once in three sets and once in four sets. The Panthers also beat Smithville, Canton Central Catholic, Ravenna, Springfield and Chippewa in three sets, and Louisville, Mogadore and Marlington in four sets each.“I like that they explicitly trust each other,” said Leslie Flohr, who is a 83-14 overall and 55-3 in the MAC as Norton's coach. “I never have to ask them to communicate more because I know that they are going to listen to one another. "It's a joy this year to coach them because the chemistry is unreal. They've been together for four seasons, plus count the seventh and eighth grade years [and it’s six seasons]. It's been my favorite group ever to coach."Flohr, a fourth-grade language arts and social studies teacher at Norton, lauded her players for being “competitors” and “stoic.” This year’s five seniors, which includes Flohr’s daughter, also won MAC titles as seventh and eighth graders.“I couldn't say I'm more proud of my daughter,” Leslie Flohr said. “She's had to work for everything she has, and I just enjoy watching her play. So, I'm kind of more as a mom on the bench than a coach.”Ford, who is 5-foot-9, said she and her teammates have “a really well-rounded team and we play for each other instead of ourselves”Norton's leaders in kills are Bethel (227), Ford (172), Goff (152), Martell (150) and Kline (125). Kline has 176 digs, 147 service receptions and a team-high 50 aces. Martell has 203 service receptions, 173 digs and 36 aces. Bowman has 157 service receptions and Sanderson has 37 aces.“We have been playing together since seventh and eighth grade, and we have just had a core team where it has all been team play, so it's been pretty great,” said Bethel, who has 40 aces. "… We are always zoned in.”Akron Beacon Journal sports writer Michael Beaven can be reached by email at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Norton takes undefeated record into OHSAA volleyball district tournament