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| Panthers handle pressure in season opener for sweep |
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| Sports | |||
| Written by Gene Morris | |||
| Friday, 04 September 2009 08:00 | |||
CARBONDALE, Kan. — It did not take long for a test of heart, will and sheer determination to find the Paola High School volleyball team. Paola was struck head on with adversity in matches against Santa Fe Trail on the Chargers’ home court Tuesday and had another battle with the two-time defending Class 2A state champion St. Marys Bears.Faced not only with state-ranked competition, but also a series of tightly called carry violations and untimely service errors, the Panthers found a way to get it done and pulled off two thrilling three-game victories. The Panthers and the Chargers went toe to toe in the season opener, but the Paola girls won out 30-28, 25-27 and 25-17. Paola dusted off the defending state champions 25-21, 20-25 and 26-24. “Awesome job,” Paola coach Michelle Abshire said. “Those are great teams right there. You showed you had the heart to fight. You did not give up.” Even when pushed to long three-game sets in each match, the Panthers were mentally tough, Abshire said. “We did a good job of staying calm, not giving in and fighting for it,” she said. Santa Fe Trail sported a varsity roster with two juniors and seven seniors. St. Marys stepped onto the court as confident as any team the Panthers will face, looking for a third consecutive Class 2A state title. Abshire said the squads were a great test for a young Paola team. “We were really aggressive with our serves, and that took Santa Fe Trail and St. Marys off their games,” she said. Allison Wood drilled an ace to push Paola to a 13-7 lead in the first game against Santa Fe Trail. Kelli Cullor forced the Chargers to use a time out after stuffing a block at net to make it 15-7. Kills by Hillary Watrous and Briana Mueller highlighted Paola’s run to 22-18. Kayla Offutt broke a 26-26 tie with a kill, and Paola went on to win 30-28. Two carry calls over a three-point stretch slowed Paola down in the middle of the second game. An ace by Cullor put Paola on the verge of ending it quickly, leading 23-22. Santa Fe Trail rallied and the Panthers fell in another tight one, 25-27. Paola went ahead 19-16 in the third game, the first three-point lead of the game, and went on to serve out the set for a 25-17 victory with a key kill by Wood and a block on the game-winner from Cullor. A pair of aces from Cullor allowed Paola to build a 14-10 lead in the first game against St. Marys. It was 24-16, game point, after a kill by Watrous. The Bears closed to 24-21 before the Panthers put the game away, 25-21. Calls for carrying the ball cost Paola points in the second game. St. Marys pulled out to a 23-19 lead, and Paola fell 20-25. Watrous had some key kills in the third game. Mueller and Offutt lowered the boom throughout the game and sealed the match with kills at 25-24 and 26-24.
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