October 9, 2008
Gilman volleyball still searching for consistency
The Gilman Lady Pirates showed what kind of volleyball they can play during game three of Tuesday’s match with Stanley-Boyd, but that wasn’t enough to win that game or the match in a 3-0 sweep by the Orioles.
After falling handily in the first two games, Gilman had a chance to extend the Western Cloverbelt Conference match to a fourth game. The Pirates built a 14-7 lead at one point in game three, fell behind and then fought back to tie the Orioles at 24-24 before allowing the two points that sealed Stanley-Boyd’s sweep.
With the loss, Gilman fell to 0-7 in conference play with one match remaining tonight, Thursday, at home against powerful Altoona.
Inconsistency certainly has plagued the Pirates all season long. Slow starts have too, and Tuesday was no exception. Gilman fell behind 9-4 in game one, got it back to 9-6 on a kill and an ace from Tammy Stanek and then allowed the Orioles (4-3) to go on a 9-3 spurt that made it 18-9. The Pirates couldn’t recover and lost 25-14.
Stanek started to heat up in game two with three early plays at the net that fueled a brief 6-3 Gilman lead. But before the Pirates knew it, they were down 22-9 and wound up dropping the game 25-12.
“After the match, we talked again about how we need to start stronger,” head coach Janice Komanec said.
Free balls hit by Danielle Wilcenski and Jordyn Mallo early in game three found holes in the Orioles’ defense, then Stanek got hot to give Gilman its first real momentum of the night. Stanek had four kills and a tip and Molly Jazdzewski added an ace in a 7-1 run that put Gilman up 9-4. The Orioles clawed to within 9-7, then Stanek’s off-speed shot fell, Mallo served two aces, Wilcenski killed one and Stanek drilled a winner off Stanley-Boyd’s blockers for a 14-7 lead.
Stanek had 11 of her 16 kills in game three.
“We moved Tammy and Makenzie Fedors again tonight and it seemed to work,” Komanec said, noting the move in the rotation allowed Stanek to work longer in the front row with Mallo, the setter.
Stanley-Boyd sophomore Shelby Mahr gave her team a spark by killing a free ball, then she served nine straight points as the Orioles took a 19-15 lead. Stanek again came through with three winners during Gilman’s push to tie the game at 24-24, but it wasn’t enough.
In addition to Stanek’s 16 kills, Fedors had three, Wilcenski had two and Mallo had two tips. Mallo led the team with three aces, while Stanek had two. Syvana Nichols had five digs, Amanda Monson had four and Jazdzewski had three. Mallo and Stanek had two blocks each.
“Jordyn really hustled all night long again,” Komanec said. “She was getting to every ball she could.”
Tonight’s match with Altoona is the home finale for 2008 for Gilman volleyball. The team will be at either Augusta or Granton for the Cloverbelt Playoffs on Tuesday, then begins WIAA Division 4 tournament play on October 21.
Gilman Invite
The Pirates reached the third-place match of their Gilman Invitational Saturday, where they lost to Owen-Withee in two straight games.
The Blackhawks got a battle from the Pirates, but they took the match 27-26, 25-20.
“In game one, we made a comeback from 24-19 to fall 27-26 due to a cap,” Komanec said. “In game two, Owen-Withee served much more aggressively and we struggled at our serve receive.”
Phillips beat Elk Mound to take the tournament championship.
In pool play, Gilman opened the day by burying Flambeau 25-14 in game one, but the Falcons earned a split with a 25-13 win in game two.
“We came out solid against Flambeau,” Komanec said. “Our passing was consistent, there was constant chatter and hustle. In game two, we let down.”
The Pirates followed that up with a 25-18, 25-22 sweep of the Bruce Red Raiders.
“We allowed these games to be closer than they should have been,” Komanec said. “We were not focused and played very inconsistently.”
Elk Mound then swept Gilman 25-19, 26-24. Komanec said shaky passing led to the game one struggles, but the Pirates got better as that round progressed.
Stanek was the kill leader for the tournament with 23, followed by Fedors with 17, Wilcenski with nine, Mallo with six and Monson with four. Stanek added 11 blocks with three block kills. Fedors had five blocks.
Stanek led the team with nine digs. Mallo and Nichols had seven each and Fedors had five. Stanek served 12 aces, Mallo had 11 and Monson and Fedors had six apiece.
“Overall, we were looking for more progress and improvement at our tournament,” Komanec said. “Unfortunately, I can’t say that we found that. We need to find some sort of momentum in these next and final three matches before we enter the playoffs.”
Crickets get a sweep
Possibly Gilman’s best chance for a conference victory went by the wayside Thursday with a 3-0 loss at Fall Creek. The Crickets rolled 25-9, 25-22 and 25-20.
“We struggled greatly in game one,” Komanec said. “During game two, we had a 15-11 lead and the ball, however a player error caused a delay of game and we were required to use an unneeded timeout. We then missed our serve and shanked the next two passes, letting them right back into the game.”
The teams traded the lead several times in game three, but Fall Creek got on a late run to complete the sweep.
Stanek had 10 kills and five blocks, while Fedors added six kills and two blocks. Nichols had seven digs, Stanek had six and Mallo had three. Stanek’s six aces led the team. Mallo had five and Jazdzewski added two.
