Local Pictures
Classified Ads
Obituaries
Sports
Forms
 Announce Births
 Engagements
 Weddings
Email Us
Buy A Copy
Schools
Communities
Local Links

click here to
SUBSCRIBE
to
The Daily
Standard
Newspaper

 

[ PREVIOUS STORIES ]

09-03-03: Momentum carries Cards

By ROBB HEMMELGARN
Standard Correspondent

ST. MARYS — Following a busy weekend of volleyball action in which the St. Marys Roughriders witnessed their record slip to 2-3 overall, the Blue and Gold were eager to get back on the winning side of things as they hosted the neighboring New Bremen Cardinals last night at Cook Gymnasium.
For one game it looked as if the home team would make easy work of the Cardinals, but in an instant, the tide changed, and the Cardinals stormed back to take games two and three, pushing their overall record to 4-2 with the 4-15, 15-0, 15-9 win.
“Momentum played a big part in tonight’s game,” explained Cardinal coach Lisa Thobe. “In the first game, we had absolutely none of it and in the second game, things started to go our way, and the momentum built more and more as the match progressed.”
In the opening game, the Roughriders ran off the first seven points behind the serving of juniors Maggie Hegemier, Krista Sanford, and senior Krissy Haines. The Cardinals ended their scoring drought when junior Emily Hurlburt deflected the ball from her bump into the net to make the score 7-1 in favor of the Blue and Gold.
The two teams traded points to give St. Marys a six-point lead, 8-2, but then a five-point run by the home team seemingly put the game out of reach. Trailing by 11 points, New Bremen’s Kristen Luedeke served two quick points, but that’s all the closer the visitors would get as Krissy Haines served the next two Roughrider points for the 15-4 win.
“We don’t win first games very often and tonight we came ready to play. We went out and did everything we needed to do and were moving on all cylinders. Then after that, who knows?,” commented St. Marys coach Monica Vanderhorst.
In game two, the teams traded a pair of sideouts before New Bremen scored the first point and after that, the outcome was never in doubt.
Senior Kacie Schmiesing and junior Abby Cisco combined for the first four points of the game and from there, the game was in the control of Casey Hamilton, the Cardinals‚ senior defensive specialist. Hamilton used a combination of powerful service and Roughrider return miscues to reel off the visitors’ next 11 points for the 15-0 shutout win.
“Over the summer and at the beginning of the season, Casey wasn’t real confident with her serve, but lately she has really started to come on, and tonight she had an excellent game from behind the line,” complimented Thobe. “It’s very good for her to have a game like tonight since she’s a senior and has struggled with serving up to this point.”
With momentum clearly on the side of the Red and Gold going into the final game, St. Marys showed they would not go down without a fight as they served up the early 2-0 lead.
The Cardinals tied the contest at two points apiece, and a short time later took the lead in the contest they would eventually wind up winning.
Scoring the next five points gave New Bremen the 7-2 lead and five points was all the closer their opponent would get the remainder of the match. The Cardinals went on to post the six-point victory, 15-9, sending the Roughriders back to their locker rooms with a 2-4 record.
“Following that first game, we started to play not to lose instead of playing to win, and once a team starts to do that, bad things happen,” remarked Vanderhorst. “We didn’t stay aggressive at the end of the game, and we committed a lot of mental mistakes. Until we start to correct those things, we won’t be playing to the potential I believe we have.”
New Bremen will return home on Thursday to face the Coldwater Cavaliers while St. Marys will host the Wapakoneta Redskins in league action.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE DAILY STANDARD

Phone: (419)586-2371,   Fax: (419)586-6271
All content copyright 2003
The Standard Printing Company
P.O. Box 140, Celina, OH 45822