1:00 AM Wednesday 4 September 2013 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Unlimited Permission to Reprint in whole on in part Coach Michael G. Mathis “Memorial Wins the Battle of Elkhart” Elkhart, Indiana – Elkhart Central had the big punch but 3 mile away rival ran away with lunch in a 5 hour thriller for the storied rivals just 3 miles away. The 5 gamer took 1 hour and 54 minutes Tuesday night, with home team Memorial emerging the winner 25-8, 22-25, 23-25, 25-17, 15-5… ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ It looked like an early night as Memorial dominated play in the 1st game [set – I can’t get used to this term] with the Crimson Chargers running off skeins of 6,8 and 5 in a row. The first run of 6 was evenly split, 3 Charger true points (back to back aces by junior Jamie Broderick and a tip to the Blazers left front) and 3 Blazer errors…. Score Memorial up 8-6… A single kill by Purdue recruit and Coach’s daughter Azariah Stahl was met by 8 service points in a row by the Chargers (MA tip to 4 zone; 4 Blazer HEs; a couple setting miscues; C PE; M RS BL). Score M 16-3… A brief respite by an M net error, was answered by 2 B unforced errors… Senior Jenai White finds the court with a well placed roll shots, but sophomore Darrian Mowery picks up back to back Ks followed by another C HE and a C PE… Score Memorial 22-5… Both teams split the next 3 points, but M’s 3 points brought a close to game including 2 kills by M senior Chelsea Bettis… Memorial 25-8… ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Game 2 featured a resurgent Central on leads of 3-1 and 5-2 with Central’s all world player Azariah “Superwoman” Stahl picking up 3 kills… C’s White scored on a tip while an M tip was out.... C up by 4 7-3… C SE; M solo block; M SE; Dynamic M junior Tailor Schultheis runs a one foot takeoff slide behind the setter for a right side kill; but sleeping giant Stahl was beginning to awake with a free ball to the server’s corner and 2 Ks, one from the middle and one from the left… Score C up 12-8… The next 6 were dead even: Memorial (Bettis MA K; Jill Brown tip; Schultheis another slide K) and Central (Block; White K; Central scramble point)… Now, it was M’s turn for 2: Schultheis records her 3rd slide kill followed by a M scramble play point… Now, C’s turn for 2: Stahl MA K; M HE… Score: Central 17-13. 4 of 5 next points go to Memorial: Mowery with a wrist away cut shot out of the MA position; Keeping the ball in front of her in order to see both the block and the ball, Sophomore Mowery gets another K by turning her wrist down to hit the come back shot to right back. Pretty cool for just a sophomore… The run ends with a phenomenal dig by M Claire Welter on another rocket by Stahl, scramble and point to Memorial… Central leading by a digit at 18-17…. Time to put the hammer down: 5 in a row for Central with setter Taylor Shreiner at the service line: C Stahl K; M PE; M HE; Stahl hitting hard down the left line; Another Stahl Kill. Score: Central 23-17… With Central’s superstar Stahl moving to the back row, it was Memorial’s turn – 4 in a row: 2 Bettis kills out of the middle; C PE and HE on the same play; 7 C MA error. M reaches 22 with another Bettis MA K, but a M HE and Stahl pipe (middle back) kill. Blazers: 25-22 in 30 minutes… --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Game 3 was the most evenly contested of all games featuring ties at 1, 5 and 9… 2 M HEs gave the Blazers a 16-12 edge… A C SE was followed by the play of the night: With M serving, a C pass to the setter brought a medium height set to Stahl who lived up to her superwoman name by hitting the ball on the Memorial 5 foot line… Memorial refuses to fold: Bettis picks up a kill and Stahl is blocked for the 1st time on the night… Still it is Central 18-15… A C BE is followed by another Stahl monster kill, but a C NE hands the ball back to M; Momentary, as Stahl picks up another back row pipe kill; M Schultheis loves the 1 foot slide approach for another K; Mowery powers a K from the RS to make it C 21-19… M SE: C SE; Stahl Pipe K; M Mowery MA K; M SE; C SE; Stahl moves to the front row and picks up another K to make it C 24-22… C SE: C Stahl K as it walks the tape and falls in bounds… Score: C 25-23 in 23 minutes… Central up 2 games to 1 in this best 3 of 5 match. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Game 4 was advantage Memorial 25-17 in 23 minutes. With the score tied at 14 and Central’s star Stahl stuck in the back row, M surged for 6 unanswered: M K on Schultheis back 2; MK Brown on back 2; 3 C HEs in a row; another M K Brown. Score Memorial 20-14… C struggles but hangs on with a line tip touched by M; Two more by M: M MA K – Mowery; C HE; a M HE makes it Memorial 22-16… M K by Roskos is followed a M RS K by Mowery for an insurmountable M 24-16 lead… C K – Stahl is followed by the turning point in the evenly fought contest: While trying to triple block a M attack, C leader Stahl steps on the right ankle of her teammate and goes down as game point is scored. Memorial 25-17… ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- With Superwoman Stahl benched by an injury for most of Game 5, it was a 12 minute affair: Reentering the lineup, and playing hurt with her team down 7-5, Stahl gave her all, but Memorial scored the final 8 points in a 15-5 Elkhart Memorial match win…. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Coach Jacquie Rost commented: “I am really pleased with the intensity which we came out with”. Coach Rost continued that her team played up and down in the 2nd and 3rd games. “I know that any team cannot stop Stahl, but you need to defend easier shots.” Coach Stahl added: “We were a bundle of nerves in the first game…played focused in the next 2…credit Memorial who played like a team...” -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Courtside Analysis suggested that Memorial had a far more balanced attack which is born out by the statistics. However, there is no denying uncommon talent as veteran Memorial Coach Rost pointed out, stopping Azariah “Superwoman” Stahl was all but an impossible task… However, Memorial did stop Central with a healthy Stahl in 2 of the first 4 games… According to Miss Stahl, the unfortunate ankle sprain which rendered her ineffective in the 5th and deciding game would not hamper her in Thursday’s home varsity match against mighty Penn at 7 p.m. EST Stats Memorial (4-4) Central (8-1) Kills Mowery 18 Stahl 33 Bettis 15 Delks 3 Schulteis 7 Digs Welter (Lib) 21 Delks 15 Mills (setter) 21 Stahl 13 Roskos 16 Szucs 13 Robison 12 Assists Mills 53 Shreiner 41 Aces Broderick 3 Shreiner 1 Brown 2 Stahl 1 Blocks Welter 3 Assisted White 2 Bettis 1 Assisted Mowery 1 Solo + 1 Assisted
Posted on: Wed, 04 Sep 2013 06:25:17 +0000
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