The Fort falls short (09/07/07)

FORT RECOVERY - Just one more point would have forced a fifth and deciding game. But the Indians couldn't get the ball to the floor again.

The Fort Recovery High School volleyball team led 24-17 in their effort to force game five, but the Minster Wildcats came roaring back with eighth straight points to grab the lead and eventually finished off the match 25-20, 21-25, 25-18, 27-25.

"That was fun," said Minster coach Jennifer Craft, whose team improved to 2-4 and earned its first Midwest Athletic Conference win. "I think our senior, Lauren Ranly, who had those blocks, that's very unusual for her. She's a strong girl, but when she got those two big stuffs in a row all the momentum comes your way. And then everyone starts believing in themselves."

Fort Recovery (3-4, 0-2 MAC) was primed for a fifth game after two kills from Kinsey Wenning, an ace by Emily May and a kill from Anne Koesters pushed them within one point of a game-four victory. But everything crumbled as a seven-point lead slipped away.

Kills from Austi Weitzel and Erica Fullenkamp held off the Indians, and then Ranly took over. The Minster senior hammered a kill to make the score 24-20, then turned in consecutive stuff blocks against Koesters and Wenning.

A Tribe time-out did little to slow the Wildcat momentum, and Sarah Purpus completed an 8-0 run with a kill for a 25-24 lead. Sarah Braun found the middle of the court with a kill to even the score again, but Minster put the match away when an attack from Joanna Snyder sailed wide right.

"We made too many mistakes, too many mental errors," said Fort Recovery coach Diana Rammel.

But, she added, the match was still a positive in the overall scheme of the season.

"They were frustrated, but in the locker room after the match they weren't upset," Rammel said. "They felt better about themselves, and they felt like they played better.

"I'm on a new lineup again, and this was the best we've played. It's a good thing. It's a start."

The close of the match followed the pattern of the previous three-plus games. When the Indians were on, they stayed right with Minster. But when things went wrong, they went very wrong.

In the opening game Fort Recovery had a 12-10 lead after a Sarah Braun kill, but Minster responded with a 6-0 run. Again it was sparked by Ranly, who scored four straight points with two kills and two blocks, and Minster never trailed again in a 25-20 win.

The third game, in which the Indians had seven service errors, went awry quickly after Beth May started it with an ace. Three straight kills from Ranly, who finished with team highs of 13 kills and six blocks, kicked off a 10-1 run to put the Wildcats completely in control.

"When they knew they were in it, I don't think there was anything that was going to stop them," said Craft. "The believed in themselves. They wanted a lot of redemption ..."

"We started our season extremely strong with Greenville, and then Versailles and Anna, who are top in the league. This game got us just that little bit of confidence that we can win in the MAC."

Fullenkamp, a freshman, had a big effort to support Ranly, finishing with 17 assists and 10 kills. Kara Monnin totaled 19 digs, and Sarah Purpus and Erica Poeppelman each had eight kills.

Fort Recovery's strongest game was the second, in which it never trailed.

Wenning opened the game with a block and the Indians went up by as many as six points before Minster rallied for a tie at 19. An Emily May tip put the Tribe back ahead en route to the 25-21 victory.

Rammel said she saw better defense from her team than in its first six matches.

"We were going after balls that last week we would have let drop," she said after getting nine digs from Heather Schmackers, seven by Wenning and six apiece from Braun and Beth May. "We had been having some miscommunication. ... Tonight we made a lot of good defensive plays."

The match also debuted a new scheme up front, with the 5-foot, 4-inch Emily May in the middle.

"She gets her hands on everything," said Rammel. "In the first game alone she had four blocks. ... I think they realized, "OK, just because she's 5-foot-4 doesn't mean she can't block.' ... So then they started hitting around her."

Emily May paced the Indians with 11 points while Wenning had 11 kills and seven blocks. Braun finished with nine blocks and eight kills, Nicole Pottkotter had 19 assists and eight points and Kelsey Wuebker also scored eight points.

Junior varsity

Fort Recovery got off to a fast start and never lost control in a 25-13, 25-23 victory over the Wildcats.

Josie Guggenbiller paced the Indians, who stayed perfect at 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the MAC. She had team highs of nine assists and nine points, and also notched three kills.

Chelsey Leuthold finished with eight points and four kills. Alyssa Brackman had seven digs, Olivia Thien notched five kills and Holly Brunswick added two blocks.

Freshman

ST. HENRY, Ohio - The Indians dropped to 3-2 on the year with a 25-21, 25-11 loss to the St. Henry Redskins.

Shelby Brunswick had six points, two assists and two digs to lead Fort Recovery, and Nichole Kaiser added four points and two kills. Gena Wendel finished with four digs, and Kendra Brunswick added two digs.

Junior high

The St. Henry Redskins proved too much for Fort Recovery as it dropped the eighth grade match 25-10, 25-16 and the seventh grade match 25-17, 25-13.

Chelsea Pottkotter's four points and three assists were both team highs for the seventh graders (1-3). Janelle Schiweterman had two kills, and Elizabeth Wendel and Amy Link each chipped in two points.

Kylie Kahlig led the eighth grade Indians with four points and one block. Mikayla Westgerdes had six kills, Olivia Schwieterman put up four assists and Rashell Muhlenkamp added three digs.[[In-content Ad]]