The Free Press, Mankato, MN

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October 26, 2009

JWP overcomes slow start to sweep Loyola

Josh Berhow

JANESVILLE — Slow starts have plagued the Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton volleyball team this season, and Monday’s Section 2A South Sub-section match was no different.

The fifth-seeded Bulldogs were down early to 12th-seeded Mankato Loyola in the first game but fought back to gain a 16-13 lead and win the game 25-19. And after the Game 1 victory the Bulldogs gained the momentum and pulled away to a 3-0 win against the Crusaders to prolong their season.

Game scores were 25-19, 25-9, 25-11.

“We always start slower than we should,” said Bulldogs middle hitter Nakita Coonrod. “We need momentum and it just takes us a while to warm up and get that going.”

Loyola had the lead and momentum early, something they weren’t able to do in the teams’ first meeting Oct. 8, 2009, in Mankato. The Bulldogs won that match 25-12, 25-15, 25-11.

“They were nervous and we had them scrambling tonight,” said Loyola coach Sarah Omtvedt. “We had just as many kills and attempts the first game as they did and last time we played them it was a different story — they beat us pretty handily last time.”

The Bulldogs never trailed in Game 2 and 3 and used an 8-0 run to take a commanding 16-5 lead in Game 2.

“After we lost that first game it was kind of hard for us to bounce back from that,” Omtvedt said. “We resorted to our ‘scared mode.’”

Coonrod had somewhat of a slow start in the match, but came on strong to finish with eight kills and seven digs. The senior was also 16 of 16 serving with two aces.

“Give her three or four (attacking attempts) and if they’re blocked she’s a little slower,” said Bulldogs coach Roxann Zimprich. “But give her seven or eight (attacking attempts) and she’s going to come alive.”

Coonrod and the rest of the Bulldogs’ attackers had trouble early in the match hitting balls cleanly past Loyola’s front row, but found more room as the match went on.

“We focused on really trying to get around them,” Coonrod said, “and once we did that we got around them pretty easily.”

Bailey Zimprich led the Bulldogs with 10 kills and a match-high five blocks. Jamie Schuller had 22 assists and was 21 of 21 serving with four aces.

Shannon Benson led the Crusaders with 10 kills, and Ashley Mettler added four kills. Laura Kottschade had three kills and three blocks for Loyola, and Olivia Zwaschka had 13 assists. Kristy Rotchadl had seven digs, and Laura Michaletz had two blocks.

The loss ends Loyola’s season, while the Bulldogs (15-11) compete against fourth-seeded Truman in the South Sub-section’s second round Thursday in Truman.

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