|
Ashland earns berth in Class 4A state volleyball tournament The Grizzlies, the Southern Oregon Conference third-place team, defeated Midwestern League runner-up Sheldon 15-10, 15-10 in the state playoffs Friday. Ashland opens state tournament play at 10 a.m. next Friday at the University of Portland's Chiles Center against top-ranked and undefeated Gresham. The Grizzlies broke loose in the later stages of both games to post their third playoff victory this week. "It was amazing," Ashland coach Josh Rohlfing said. "Up until about 7 of both games, it was even, then we jumped out to a 10-7 lead." In the opener, the Irish tied the game at 10-all before Ashland ran off five unanswered points. In Game 2, Ashland led 10-9 then pulled away to a 14-9 margin. "The serve-receive set the tone for our offense," said Rohlfing. "It allowed us to get into our system and distribute the ball where we wanted to. It came down to us being able to execute because we had the passing to do it." Outside hitters Kacey Zundel and Tessa Maurer paced the Ashland defense with 17 digs each. "Zundel and Maurer were pretty solid along with Megan Beugli," said Rohlfing. "Every time we needed a big pass, it was there." Junior middle Marla Morin sparked the Grizzly front row with 14 kills and three blocks, while Zundel pounded 10 kills. Setter Molly Grossmann turned in another fine performance directing the Ashland attack. "Molly picked apart their defense," said Rohlfing. "She was like a brain surgeon out there." Grossmann was also 16-of-16 serving to pace an effective match by the Grizzlies at the line. "Our serving kept them off balance," said Rohlfing. "It contributed greatly to our defense. They were taking swings from 15 feet off the net sometimes."
SOUTH SALEM 15-15, NORTH MEDFORD 10-10 - At Salem, North Medford (12-11) fell one match short of qualifying for the Class 4A state tournament with the loss to the Valley League runner-up. North Medford, which finished fourth in the SOC, won two playoff matches before losing in straight sets to South Salem. |
|
Mail
Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc.
| Dow
Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy
| Contact
Us |
