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Wallace girls down Southwest for RPAC title
Southwest High School's volleyball team might have seen Makayla Gardner in their sleep Tuesday night.
Gardner haunted the Roughriders during the Republican Valley Activities Conference volleyball tournament championship finals Tuesday, Oct. 19, at the Southwest High School gym in Bartley. Gardner, a 6-2 hitter, led Wallace to a four-set win over Southwest to claim the 2010 RPAC tourney title.
Southwest lost the first two sets by scores of 25-12 and 25-16. The Riders came back for a 25-17 win in the third set, but Wallace jumped ahead early and cruised to a 25-14 win in the fourth and deciding game.
Gardner had 14 kills, 4 blocks and 7 ace serves against the Riders Tuesday.
"She really blitzed us. We dug a hole for ourselves; we couldn't pass her serves," said Southwest head coach Dennis Troester.
Tipping it in
In addition to Gardner's strong hitting, the Wildcats also excelled all match long at tipping the ball to an open spot in the Southwest defense.
"Their tipping, we knew going into the match that was going to happen," Troester said. "We changed our defense, went to a rotating defense, which we haven't played the entire year, so we had some young kids that didn't get rotated. We still got burned with tips, and we didn't get rotated where we were supposed to be at times.
"We knew if we stayed in our perimeter (defense) they would pick us apart, and they still picked us apart, as far as that goes."
The Riders also hurt their chances with 22 misses serves.
"That's something totally unorthodox for us," Troester said. "We've been a pretty good serving team all year. We just totally went in the tank tonight."
Match summary
In the opening game, Southwest trailed 11-9 before Gardner went on a serving spree, serving nine straight points to take control.
In the second set, Wallace scored three straight points, including a kill and tip shot by Gardner, to build a seven-point cushion. Candace Malleck finally broke the string with a kill to pull Southwest within 16-10. The Riders would get no closer the rest of the set.
In the third game, Southwest took control with an ace serve by Laura Ruggles and two kills by Malleck for a 16-12 lead. Allie McConville's kill boosted the hosts to a 21-13 lead. Wallace cut the gap to 23-17, but Malleck ended the set with a kill and block for the final two points.
Southwest stayed close early in the fourth set, but Shanice Harris scored two straight points for Wallace for a 14-8 lead. Malleck's kill got Southwest within 20-13, then Gardner scored consecutive points on a kill and ace serve.
Wallace scored its final two points when Southwest block attempts fell to the Roughriders side of the floor.
Malleck led Southwest with 19 kills. Allie McConville added 19 kills and 4 blocks.
Sound fundamentals
Coach Troester said the Class D-2 ranked Wildcats (20-0) are a fundamentally solid team.
"We've played some other teams that probably offensively are better hitters," he said. "The tipping game, and fundamentals, they are so fundamentally sound, they don't make a lot of errors. They are waiting for you to make the error, and that's what happened. They just make you keep playing the ball, and hit the heck out of the ball when it comes back -- that's just the style they play, and that's been that coach's history, that's what they do.
"Nothing hits the floor, and that's the key for them. We knew the ball was going to be coming back at us, and you've just got to try and play through that, and not get frustrated with it. Then when it keeps coming back, you try to swing harder, and we hit some balls out of bounds.
"Our cut shots just weren't there tonight. We hit the ball out of bounds a couple two, three feet. We've just got to learn from it. This games over with, we're got to come back."
Southwest, 23-3, will meet host Dundy County-Stratton and Medicine Valley next Tuesday in a tune-up for sub-district tournament play at Hershey Nov. 1-2.
Southwest advanced to the finals with a 21-25, 25-19, 25-21, 25-18 win over Bertrand Tuesday afternoon in a semifinal contest.
Malleck hit 20 kills for the Riders. McConville had 11 kills, and Lauren Ruggles added 9 kills, 3 blocks and 2 ace serves.
DCS girls settle for 4th
Dundy County-Stratton finished fourth in the RPAC tournament.
The Tigers dropped a 25-23, 28-26, 15-25, 27-25 decision to Bertrand in the third-place final. DCS lost to Wallace, 25-19, 25-18, 25-21, in the other semifinal earlier Tuesday.
In the third-place final, DCS led in each set but couldn't hold off Bertrand.
"We just lost focus tonight," said DCS head coach Stephanie Williams. "I don't know whether the girls were tired or, I could probably give you a hundred different excuses. We just didn't execute."
Coach Williams said her team has to get tougher mentally, and the Tigers have to shake off Tuesday's losses with Southwest and Medicine Valley coming up Tuesday, then subdistrict play at Hershey a week later.
"We played competitive ball, and I think our biggest deal right now is mental," Williams said. "Physically we can play with anybody. Mentally we don't believe in that."
DCS dropped to 19-8 on the season.
Brittany Shillington had 26 kills against Bertrand, and Whitney Wilson added 14 kills and 2 ace serves. In the semifinals against Wallace, Shillington led the Tigers with 12 kills and 2 blocks. Jordyn Hansen added 6 kills.
REPUBLICAN VALLEY ACTIVITIES CONFERENCE (RPAC)
2010 VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT
Tuesday, Oct. 19 Results
At Southwest High School gym
Semifinals
Southwest def. Bertrand, 21-25, 25-19, 25-21, 25-18.
Wallace def. Dundy County-Stratton, 25-19, 25-18, 25-21.
Third Place
Bertrand def. Dundy County-Stratton, 25-23, 28-26, 15-25, 27-25.
Championship
Wallace def. Southwest, 25-12, 25-16, 17-25, 25-14.