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Versailles senior Krista Puthoff puts down one of her seven kills
against Gilmour Academy. The team from
Gates Mill eliminate the Tigers
in three sets, ending the season for Versailles with a 26-2 record.
CNO
Photo by Chuck Runner, tigerballonline@netzero.com
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Versailles
defeated in state semifinals of volleyball
Tigers finish with 26-2 mark
By George Starks
FAIRBORN- For most teams, a fourth place finish in the state is an
accomplishment. At Versailles, it’s a huge disappointment.
Thursday, the Tigers made the trip to the Ervin J. Nutter Center and a
date with Gate Gilmour Academy.
It was just a year ago the Tigers outlasted the Lady Lancers for the
state title, sending the Cleveland area team home with the silver.
This year, the tables were turned on the Tigers as the Lancers took out
Versailles in three sets, 25-20, 25-19 and 25-22, ending the Versailles
season with a 26-2 record.
It was a rough start for both teams but according to Versailles coach,
Carla Frilling, it all started with the net play by the Lancers.
“They had a presence at the net that kind of intimidated us a little
bit,” said Frilling. “We didn’t expect them to be quite so strong in
their blocking. They did a great job in containment on the players that
they knew was going to score big points for us. They did a nice job
owning the net.”
Having beaten this team a year ago, Frilling said that win had nothing
to do with the present.
“That was last year and we tried to put that in the past,” said
Frilling. “We knew they were a different team and we are a different
team and we knew we had to play them this year and play to win.
Whatever happened last year, happened last year. We had a new set of
challenges.”
Right from the beginning, both teams had a case of the jitters but in
the case of the Lancers, getting over them seemed to be a bit easier.
Versailles and Gilmour stayed head to head with the Tigers holding two
point leads on several occasions.
Up 9-7 in the opening set, Versailles looked to be gaining some
momentum but it would be the last lead of the set for the Tigers.
Gilmour’s Megan Polak hit the Tigers for four service points, including
two aces, before Frilling called for a break in the action.
When play resumed, Versailles was able to break serve but Gilmour would
never lose control of the game, dropping a 25-20 loss on the Tigers.
The second set was all Lancers right from the jump.
After a game opening point by Janelle Mangen, the Lancers were able to
break serve and built a 10-6 advantage.
Trailing by as much as 15-9, Versailles never got it together as the
number one team in D-III soon found themselves in a 2-0 hole, falling
25-19.
Trailing 6-5 in the third, Versailles started to show some major signs
of life, building a 9-7 advantage.
With Versailles holding an 11-8 advantage, Gilmour coach Kelly Coughlin
called time in an effort to breat the Tiger momentum.
When play resumed, the ball was back in the hands of the Lancers after
breaking serve and Gilmour knew what had to be done and did it.
With Polak once again doing the duties, Gilmour took a 14-11 lead and
never looked back.
Gilmour would build a commanding 18-11 advantage as the Tigers would be
forced to scratch and claw their way back.
Versailles had closed to within a 24-21 count but it all came to an end
when junior Kristen Langston sailed her serve into the net, ending the
night for Versailles.
“I never relaxed the whole game until that ball went into the net,”
said Coughlin in a post game interview. “When that ball hit the net, I
was able to take a breath. I never expected the match to end that way.
This district is tough when it comes to volleyball. Versailles is one
of the best.”
Gilmour will square off against either the Huron Tigers or the Adena
Warriors today at the Nutters Center.
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