Tigers dominate early, spoil Prairie City homecoming with win

Published 5:00 pm Tuesday, October 16, 2007

PRAIRIE CITY – The Dayville/Monument volleyball team marched into Prairie City Oct. 11 and spoiled the Panthers’ homecoming with a 3-1 win.

“We had a very good day,” said Tiger Head Coach Joanne Flower. “We were mixing things up and keeping them (Prairie City) out of their offense.”

The Tigers moved to 6-2 in the High Desert League with the win while the Panthers dropped to 3-4.

Dayville/Monument made a statement early with a 25-6 victory in the first game behind solid serving and passing, Flower said.

“We really worked together as a team and defended the floor well,” said Tiger senior Elizabeth Inscore. “Our passing was solid and that’s something we’ve been trying to work on.”

The loss baffled Prairie City Head Coach Sheila Hoberg, who offered no explanation for the Panthers’ inconsistancies.

“I just can’t figure out why we can’t always play the way we did in the third game,” said Hoberg, whose team took game 3, 25-16. “But Dayville/Monument is a great team and they seem to be better every time we play them. I don’t see any holes in their game.”

It looked like the Tigers were going to run away in the second game after jumping out to an early 12-4, but the Panthers fought back behind kills by freshman Katie Cary and 100-percent serving efforts by Caitlin Patten and Sherree Wright.

Multiple Tiger miscues and serving woes allowed the Panthers to take a 17-16, prompting Flower to call a timeout.

A few plays later, with the score knotted at 19-19, Tiger senior Jessica Flower regained the lead for Dayville/Monument with a kill between Panthers Caroline Stark and Skylar Fast. Flower added another kill two points afterward to make it 24-22, and Tiger senior Denise Woosley ended the game on a brilliantly placed return over the Panther defense.

“I think we got too pumped up in this game and there was a lot of pressure on us to win,” said Panther junior McKenzie Portugal. “We went out there with the attitude that we were going to win but it didn’t happen.”

“We were trying to mix it up a little in that game,” said Joanne Flower, who played some of her less experienced players. “We were a little less focused because of that, but we need to be able to respond better to lineup changes.”

Down 2-0, the Panthers looked muched sharper in the third game and recorded a 25-15 win.

“They (the Panthers) controlled the ball and are a quick team,” said Inscore. “I don’t think we were communicating as well as we should have been.”

The Panthers took advantage of Tiger misfires and the serving of Fast to jump out to a quick 7-2 lead. Dayville/Monument trailed the entire game.

Tiger senior Amanda King helped lead a 3-0 run after Flower called a timeout, but miscues continued to haunt Dayville/Monument, and Prairie City stretched the lead to 14-8.

In the end, returns by Fast and a two-ace, six-serve stint for Portugal lifted the Panthers to their first win of the match, cutting the deficit to 2-1.

“I went out there with a positive attitude knowing I needed to make something happen for us,” said Portugal of her serving performance. “I pretty much knew there couldn’t be a letdown in that game.”

Flower was disappointed with the Tigers’ performance, considering all off her starters were on the court.

“I was discouraged with the letdown,” said Flower. “I knew we’d bounce back and win the match, but we quit talking out there as a team and we came back after the second game a lot less-focused.”

The Tigers showed no sign of a hangover from the third game, scorching out to a 9-1 lead from where they led the whole way in the 25-17 win.

Two kills by King and aces by Woosley and Inscore led the Tiger offensive attack, which was finally haulted on a kill by Carie.

Another kill by King and a tip by Woosley made it 13-4 after a Panther timeout, and the Tigers soured to a 19-9 lead after exchanging five consecutive points.

“They (the Tigers) are a great defensive team,” said Hoberg. “They have Tiffanie Hunt who is a great player and she just sat back and waited for our tips, and since we seem to be primarily a tipping team, that didn’t go too well for us.”

However the Panthers went on a 4-0 run fueled mostly by Tiger miscues and a tip by Cary, and the got within six, down 20-14.

But Tiger senior Shyanne Winters blasted a kill off Portugal on the next possession and after two Panther faults, Dayville/Monument ran away with the win.

“I like the fact that we’re improving with every game,” said Flower. “Prairie City is a young, inexperienced team, but they’re pretty quick. Good things will come in time for them and games like these are challenges they’ll overcome as they continue to grow.”

Next up, the Tigers take on Mt. Bachelor at 4 p.m., on Oct., and then head to Crane on Oct. 19 to face the Mustangs at 2 p.m.

The Panthers are scheduled to play at Adrian on Oct. 19, at 4 p.m.