Published: October 29, 2009 11:00 pm      

Season concludes for Lady Rams

By JOHN ROARK

john.roark@register-news.com

MARION — Sure, the final record will indicate a 7-22 mark, and even a first-round exit for Mt. Vernon Township High School’s volleyball team.

But to first-year head coach Katelyn Kombrink, 2009 was more about getting to know the program than it was the 25-9, 25-14 sweep by top-seeded Waterloo at Thursday’s Marion Class 3A regional semifinals.

“They definitely had a height advantage,” Kombrink said of the Lady Bulldogs, who will meet Marion Saturday for the championship, “but I thought our girls were still attacking the ball. We knew they’d have a few kills.”

MVTHS picked up just a point at a time in the first game, and couldn’t get anything going against Waterloo’s front line of Maddie Dodd, Alex Wood and Alex Rohlfing.

And when outside hitter Ranae Wiegand served up six straight, the Bulldogs were ahead 9-3 and on their way to an easy win. Wood later had a 7-point run to make it 19-7.

Mt. Vernon’s Lauren Keeler helped the Lady Rams to a 5-2 lead in the second game, but when Waterloo’s Cassie Kaiping got a sideout, she served her team into the lead for good at 6-5.

The Bulldogs then pulled away, though the Rams did make a late move and did stave off elimination a few times before Dodd served the match’s final two points.

“I thought our girls did well,” Kombrink said. “I mean they were digging their balls up.”

Keeler served for nine points to lead MVTHS, Tessa England adding five, Laura Fleri two, Amy Dickerson two, Jacqueline Flood two, Mandy Pike two and Sarah Nociar one.

Kombrink said it took her time to figure out who was willing to work, and that the group she put on the court Thursday represented those who did work.

“Now I know who’s out there trying hard,” Kombrink said. “Hopefully they will become more consistent. Our girls were trying hard, so I can’t be upset with them. We’ve made a lot of progress and next year we’re going to keep improving.

“I am about hard work, hustling and having to work. I know what it’s gonna take to have a good team and we have the people to do it.

“Right now, we just don’t always play to our full potential, or we don’t always play as a team. That’s going to come in time, and I can’t expect everything to happen in one season because it’s not going to,” Kombrink added.



WOODLAWN ADVANCES TO REGIONAL FINALS

Woodlawn High School’s girls volleyball team won both matches Thursday night at the Marissa Class 1A regional.

First, Angie Cheatham’s Lady Cardinals got past Centralia’s Christ Our Rock Lutheran in three games, 25-17, 18-25, 25-9, then in the semifinals swept Odin by identical 25-18 scores.

Against Lutheran, Leah Sutton picked up 12 kills, Mallory Hapeman eight, Jonah Frick and Caitlin Buretta three each, and Kinzie Verhines managed to put up 15 assists.

In the semifinal match, Hapeman knocked down six kills, Sutton five, Buretta and Whitney Lowery two each. Verhines added six more assists to her count.

WHS, seeded second in the regional, meets top seed Patoka at 1 p.m. Saturday for the championship.