Patriots advance (10/24/2008)

FORT WAYNE - The host Archers had hopes of forcing a fifth game. They disappeared once Sarah Westgerdes got back on the front row.

The Jay County High School senior sparked an 11-3 run to end the fourth game and the match in a 25-13, 25-20, 17-25, 25-22 victory over Fort Wayne South Side.

"It just shows you what confidence can do, and lack of confidence," said JCHS coach Fred Medler. "We got to a point halfway through the second game and we just totally broke apart confidence-wise. ... It just snowballed from there on us.

"We would have liked to get it done in three, but I'm proud of them for the way they stuck together and regrouped."

The Patriots advance to play Huntington North in the sectional semifinal round at South Side Saturday at 11 a.m. The Vikings advance to the semifinal round with a 25-22, 25-22, 25-21 victory over Marion Thursday.

The other semifinal match will pit Homestead against Fort Wayne North Side. The semifinal winners will return to South Side for the championship match Saturday at 6 p.m.

Jay County has not played Huntington North this year, but lost to Marion at both the Jay County and Marion invitationals.

"They're a very good defensive team," said Medler, noting that he also saw the Vikings at the Noblesville Invitational. "They play the ball really well. You have a hard time finding the floor.

"They have two big middle blockers who hit around the block ... basically hit smart shots around the block.

"They're a good athletic team that plays really well."

After JCHS (16-18) failed to finish Thursday's match in three games, the Archers (3-23) used a 10-3 run to grab a 19-14 advantage in the fourth. But Westgerdes wouldn't allow that run to continue.

Following a Patriot timeout, Westgerdes slammed down a kill and then added a tip during a three-point service run from Laura Castillo.

South Side picked up back-to-back points to push its lead to 21-18, but scored just once more the rest of the way.

After a kill from Lindsey Current got the ball back for Jay County, Westgerdes got another tip. When the Archers' reception of Ashley Langenkamp's serve on the next point went too long and back over the net, Westgerdes was there to put it away and tie the game at 21.

The Patriots pushed ahead despite a South Side timeout, and Westgerdes made it 24-22 with her final kill of the match. Castillo followed with an ace to end it.

"Sarah Westgerdes all night long," said Medler. "They couldn't stop her.

"And that's kind of been the syndrome the last few weeks. They haven't been able to stop Sarah ..."

Westgerdes racked up 19 kills in the match, six more than any Archer. She had nearly half of the Patriots' kills (41), and almost three times as many as anyone else on the team (Current - seven).

Jay County controlled the opening game, building a 12-4 lead and cruising to the victory. Westgerdes and Current had kills sandwiched around an attack error by Qunia Woods in the final three points.

The Patriots again looked in control of game two as they pushed ahead 17-11. But then South Side came alive.

The Archers put together a 7-0 run to grab the lead, only to have JCHS pull together behind Westgerdes and Chelsea Grady. Westgerdes had consecutive blocks to put the Patriots up 20-18, and Grady added back-to-back aces. Another kill and a block from Westgerdes pushed the lead to 24-18, and Jay County eventually took the game on a service error by Ashley Stalling.

"I think the mentality changed," said South Side coach Erika Prasuhn. "I think what our problem is is we always have to warm up in the first game. The second game was all right. The third game, they talked to each other more, they communicated more ..."

The communication showed up especially in the second half of the third game as the Archers put together a 13-3 run. Stalling and Jarvisha Jackson each had two kills during the rally, and South Side took advantage of five Jay County errors.

Medler said his team's struggles to pass or set accurately put the Archers in advantageous positions.

"They were getting a lot of opportunities to put the ball right to their setter ... and then (Jackson and Stalling) got really good swings at the ball," he said. "And when they didn't, we were setting back waiting for them to hit it really hard and then they would tip or roll shot or slip it off our block and we wouldn't react to it really well."

South Side took the third game behind Stalling (13 kills, 13 digs, five blocks, four aces) and Jackson (nine kills, six blocks) and had a 19-14 lead in the fourth before Westgerdes brought the Patriots back.

Rebecca Shappell put up 15 assists for the Archers, Ashley Pickett had 13 digs and four aces and Samantha Tapp and Heidi Orr each added 13 digs.

Grady led the JCHS defense with 19 digs. Kristi Morningstar had 11 points, including three aces, and Langenkamp and Liz Walker each scored seven points.[[In-content Ad]]