Jay crumbles after first (09/08/04)

PORTLAND — Jay County was flying high after the first game. But the air came out of the balloon in a hurry.

The Patriot volleyball team plummeted after a great finish to the first game Tuesday, losing to the Liberty Christian Lions 15-25, 25-16, 25-14, 25-18.

“We had a tournament on Saturday and didn’t do very well,” said Liberty Christian coach Jet Zeigler. “We really needed this win. We found what we lost on Saturday.”

Jay County (4-8) completely lost its edge after finishing the first game with a 15-6 run.

It looked sharp — Kelly Sautbine started the run with a pair of aces, and Shannon O’Dell finished it with one of her team-high seven kills — during the run and primed for a victory. But, after a similar run by the Lions in the second game, the home team never recovered.

Liberty Christian (10-4) trailed 8-6 in game two before running off five straight points. The Patriots managed a pair, but then the Lions posted nine more in a row with Janelle Hobson serving

Jay County never led again at any point in the match, allowing a 14-4 run to end the third game before dropping the fourth for the defeat.

“It’s just a pride thing,” said Patriot coach Fred Medler. “We’ve got an old enough squad that they have to understand that ... They just have to put the pieces together.”

Senior Ashlee Zeigler led the Lions with 11 kills, including back-to-back kills to end the match. She also had 21 digs and three aces.

Jacque Retter notched eight kills, six digs, 17 blocks and three aces, and Kristen Laverty finished with 18 digs, 17 assists and three aces.

“She is very court smart,” said Jet Zeigler of Ashlee Zeigler, whose second-to-last kill was a devastating shot from the back row. “She knows where to hit the ball and when to hit it. She’s got a lot of experience. They count on her a lot when it gets tough.”

Erica Clark finished with 18 assists and seven points for Jay County. Ashley Overla matched O’Dell with seven kills, and Sautbine scored 12 points.

Leah Gasparovic had 17 digs, Janae Roush added 10 and Jamie Walker and Theresa Reinhart each had five kills.

The Patriots (4-8) host Monroe Central Thursday at 6 p.m.

Junior varsity

Jay County’s junior varsity team also had its struggles in a 25-15, 25-18 loss to Liberty Christian.

Stephanie Wellman finished with three assists and two kills. Brittany O’Dell also had two kills.

Jessica Muhlenkamp had seven digs, and Sarah Mescher and Shelby Rines finished with two points apiece.[[In-content Ad]]