North bounces back, beats Storm

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

MORTONS GAP – One night after suffering a loss to Caldwell County, the Madisonville-North Hopkins volleyball team looked for a rebound Tuesday evening against Hopkins County Central and it showed in the force of their shots.

The Lady Maroons kept Central (2-18) on its toes as North (10-10) fired the ball across the net and eventually won in two sets, 25-12 and 25-15.

North coach Jon Parker said his team was highly motivated coming off Monday night’s loss.

Lady Maroon outside hitter Sara Lloyd did her part to keep Central off-balance while she accumulated eight aces.

Lloyd said the team’s power has been one of their greatest strengths this season.

“I think it shocks them a little bit,” she said, “so when we do fire it at them they’re like, ‘Whoa, what do we do?’”

Central fell behind quickly 11-4 and then Lloyd stepped up to serve.

North amassed six straight points with Lloyd serving and held a commanding 20-4 advantage.

The Lady Storm made a 7-4 run, but North closed out the game before any further damage could be done.

Despite the first-game loss, Central rebounded quite well in the second game and took advantage of some North mistakes.

Tied 2-2, North served the ball into the net and sent two straight hits long as Central climbed out to a 5-2 lead.

Later in the game, down 14-8, Central made another run, collecting three straight points, the last of which came after a long exchange of volleys.

“I think it brought our spirits up, being able to not let the ball hit down,” Central coach Mary Catherine Adamson said.

“Even though we got the point and lost the next one, it helped the team say, ‘Hey, OK, we can do it, we can get back into the game and score some points.’”

Neither team asserted itself down the stretch, but by already trailing North and simply exchanging point for point, Central lost 25-15.

Although Central came up short, Adamson said her girls did a good job of seeing the holes and aiming to areas where North could not cover.

After the match, Lloyd said her team made a few errors in the second game, but showed its composure as the game progressed.

“I think we all come together as a team when we know we make mistakes, so that helps out a lot,” she said.

Lloyd spearheaded the attack with her forceful touches, but Parker said she was still not at the top of her power hitting ability.

“Her serves tonight were about half as hard as she normally hits, so she pounds the ball,” he said. “I don’t even want to get in front of it at practice. In fact, I don’t want any part of it.”

While many players may try to use anger as motivation while hitting the ball, Lloyd said she thinks of teams she respects and tries to emulate their playing style.

Parker also said he was impressed by North’s “incredible passing.”

Facing hard hitters like North’s Lloyd and Lauren Purdy presents many challenges, Adamson said.

“You’re not sure if it’s going to go long or if it’s going to go short,” she said, “so it’s kind of hard to sometimes judge where you need to be when the hit is coming over.”

Parker said Purdy had a well-balanced game as she collected six kills, three aces and two blocks.

Lady Maroon sophomore Cydni Carney led the team with 15 assists and Taylor McCabe contributed with five kills.

As for Central, Adamson has chosen to focus on the positives during the team’s difficult season and keep track not just simple stats, but “good stats.”

Lady Storm setter Cassandra Haley collected nine good sets and junior Kara Willis had eight good passes on the night. Others with “quality plays” included ReAnna Hart with five good hits and one kill and Lauren Griffith with seven serves and one block.

While Hopkins County Central may not be having the successful season it hoped for, Parker said the Lady Storm played well, and it’s hard to hold the Lady Maroons down after a defeat.

“I’m a big fan of Central’s team,” Parker said. “They did a good job. They served well and did it as hard, just sometimes when you’re coming off a loss, it’s just hard for us not to want to win.”

Hopkins County Central next plays at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Hopkinsville High School, before hosting the Hopkins County Central Tournament this weekend. North plays at 5 p.m. on Thursday at home against McLean County.