Archive: Sports

Lansing High Bobcats showed their tenacity in coming from behind in two volleyball matches this week, once successfully and once falling short, bringing its season record to 1-2.

On September 2, first-year Lansing coach Brenda Powers returned to Moravia High School, her home court in 2009. Her squad met little resistance in the first set, winning 25-13, with aces contributing 11 points. Although Moravia picked up its defense in the second set and held Lansing to 6 aces, Lansing maintained a high-energy game and ceded only 9 points, 25-9. In the third set, Moravia made the most of changes in Lansing's line-up, gaining 5 points before Lansing's first. Lansing's dropped balls and offensive errors stretched the gap to 12 points, 8-20, before the team pulled together.

Lansing then scored 7 points to Moravia's two, 15-22, but again, errors cost Lansing 2 points, 15-24. A critical Lansing kill enabled sophomore Kelsey Thomas to step up to the service line at 16-24 in her second varsity match. Cool-headed Kelsey racked up point after point. Unfazed by a Moravia timeout, Thomas and teammates evened the score at 24-24, and then traded the lead twice before winning 28-26.

Thomas led in overall points, with 9 aces, 3 kills, and 2 assists. Breanna Brann tallied 7 aces, 5 assists; Carolyn Prybyl 6 kills, 3 aces; Tara Miller 4 kills, 3 aces; Hannah Armstrong, 6 assists, 1 kill; Nicole Washburn, 3 digs; Amber Howser 1 ace, 1 kill; Amber Ryan 1 ace, 1 kill; and Blair Wigsten 2 kills.

Facing Dryden 5 days later, Lansing gained a 7 point lead in the first set, 11-4, on Dryden errors, a Miller block, a Thomas kill, and 2 Wigsten aces. Then Dryden turned on the heat, with Lansing's Vanessa Corey bearing the brunt in the back row. Despite leading most of the game, Lansing was 2 points short at the end, 23-25. In the 2nd set, Lansing was slow to earn points. A block by Prybyl and Howser brought the score to 5-8, and Howser delivered the team's first kill, 8-14. Lansing struggled to cover the court, and the team just wasn't in synch. The set ended painfully when Lansing gave Dryden its last 2 points by watching serves fall within bounds, finishing 10-25.

To the Bobcats' credit, they got rolling early in the 3rd set, scoring on smart ball placement by Brann and Shanna Shaff, who traded her soccer cleats for knee pads this year. Howser, Shaff, and Armstrong racked multiple kills, buoyed by an ace by Amber Ryan and 2 aces by Brann. Thomas and Brann each delivered 6 service points. Then a Prybyl kill gave Lansing a 5-point lead, 23-18, which grew on Dryden errors to 25-19.

Both teams came out fighting in set 4. A half dozen Lansing players had kills off Armstrong and Brann sets, and blocks by Wigsten and Prybyl/Armstrong deterred Dryden's attack. Lansing held a 1- to 3-point lead much of the game, but Dryden tied it up at 14-14 and drew ahead by a point. A Wigsten kill, Miller ace, and 2 Armstrong kills tipped the scales back to Lansing, 19-16. Lansing's defense stood its ground, anchored by libero Nicole Washburn and aided by Miller, Prybyl, and Howser digs, while Lansing's heated attack prompted Dryden errors and another 25-19 finish.

In the last set, Dryden gained a quick 4-point lead on Lansing errors, including an Armstrong set to the opposing team. A lengthy and hotly contested volley was finally ended by a Miller block, 2-5. Brann's powerful serves produced 3 more aces, 1 before and 2 right after an ineffective Dryden time-out. Although Brann then set Armstrong for a cross-court kill, 7-6, Lansing's lead was short-lived. Poor passing and defensive errors plus a missed serve and attack error left Lansing with a 5-point deficit, 10-15. Armstrong aces and a Prybyl kill helped close the gap, 15-15, but then a service error was followed by 2 Dryden kills, 15-18. Lansing rallied back with a smart push by Armstrong and an excellent pass by Sally Stoyell that led to a Miller kill, 17-19. With Thomas serving, intense volleys prompted 2 Dryden errors, followed by a Thomas ace, then a Dryden kill, 20-20. Miller received a ball off a Dryden head, then crushed the next Dryden return, 21-20. However, the rest of the game belonged to Dryden's attack, with a final score of 21-25.

Lansing's 2-3 loss to Dryden might have been reversed by stronger passing and fewer attack errors. The rematch at Dryden should be another thriller.

Armstrong had 2 aces, double-digit kills (14) and assists; Brann 13 assists, 5 aces, 1 kill; Miller 7 kills, 2 blocks, 1 ace; Howser 7 kills, 1 block; Prybyl 3 kills, 3 blocks, 1 ace; Wigsten 2 aces, 1 kill, 1 block; Shaff, 3 kills; and Thomas 2 kills, 1 ace.

----
v6i35