By By STEVE MORRISON / Niles Daily Star
NILES – Like Emiril might say, "Kick it up a notch!"
Brandywine volleyball coach Sara Eaton's words must have provided similar inspiration to her team after the first game of their match on Wednesday evening.
Cassopolis' Rangers had defeated the lady Bobcats 25-19 at Brandywine High School and things were not looking good.
"We could have done better at the net in the first game," Eaton explained. "After we made adjustments and it made a difference!"
Cassopolis gained a 13-5 advantage to start off the night, with two aces in the early going, one each by Jessica Biek and Reva Ivens. Ivens also threw in a stellar block to reject the spike.
The Bobcats looked a little lethargic until two straight kills by Kendra Zache, one by Melissa Cooper and an ace by Ashley Light brought the home team back within four at 10-14. After that the Rangers dominated the game, spurred on by a series of baffling serves by Biek, cruising to the 25-19 win.
The Lady Bobcats answered the wake up call with a resounding comeback in game two. With a beginning ace by Light, a great dig by Alexa Perry returned for a point, and two straight aces by Zache, the Cats forged a 19-8 lead, never to look back. A wicked kill coupled by an ace, both by Light, made the second game, 25-15 win by Brandywine a revival. The Bobcats were looking hungrily to break a game apiece deadlock.
Game three was the pivotal contest. Some great play in front of the net resulted in five kills by Zache, two by Emily Low, two from Jenna Harris and one by Katie Smallwood. Light dumped two straight tips over the net, and the game was a rout, 25-9. Perry was sensational in the backcourt, saving a barrage of shots with stealthy digs and retreating saves that never gave the Rangers a chance. Julie Barnett was all over the place to help Brandywine's tight defense too.
Game four was a toss-up at the beginning, with Cassopolis grabbing a 12-10 lead behind a series of rocket serves by Ivens and a crafty trick shot by Kayla Green. An ace that grazed the net by Ashley Light and a kill by Light turned the momentum in favor of Brandywine, 14-12. Despite a tenacious attempt to come back, the Rangers were shut down by kills for two of the last three points by Harris to wind up the Brandywine victory 25-21, three games to one.
The Bobcats are now 2-0 in their conference.
Eaton was beaming, "I'm glad we got the win. We should have done it in three games, but they gave us a hard time the first game. We came back to play the way that I know that we can!"
Brandywine's junior varsity squad won its match 25-18 and 25-16 to add to a successful evening.
Brandywine stats:
Kills: Cooper 12, Harris 10, Low 9, Zache 8
Aces: Light 7, Cooper 3
Blocks: Cooper 1, Smallwood 1
Assists: Lowe 77, Perry 70