By Cody Dalton
sports@southwestttimes.com
CHRISTIANSBURG – After a much needed win on Tuesday against Salem, the Cougar volleyball team was eager to play against Christiansburg. However, the Demons would get the edge on every game over Pulaski, who dropped their fifth district game on the road, 3-0 (19-25, 21-25, 17-25).
“Christiansburg out powered us,” said Cougars coach Ashley Surber. “They put the ball down when the needed to. As a whole, we played them better tonight than what we did at home. The scores improved and they picked up their level of play.”
The Cougars (8-8, 1-5) came out flat in the first game against the Demons. Ashton Moran powered Christiansburg (9-6, 3-3) to an early 9-2 lead with two kills and an ace block. The Cougars rallied out of a timeout, but failed to close the gap.
Just before the end of the first game, Pulaski found a spark. Trailing 23-10, the Cougars scored six of the next even points. Marlena Morrison had a kill, while the Cougars forced four Demon errors. The rally wouldn’t be enough though and Christiansburg took the first game.
“The momentum was on our side at the end of the game and going into the second,” Surber said. “Again we played in spurts. We’ve just got to go out and play like we did against Salem.”
Coming into the second game, the Cougars looked to make a similar rally like they did in the Salem game just two days prior. They dropped the first game in the match at Salem, but won two straight against the Spartans. They looked to do the same to the Demons.
Pulaski failed to let Christiansburg out of their sights in the second game. Things remained tied or within one point up until the 13-13 mark, when Christiansburg broke free. The Demons scored six straight points, as Moran had an ace block and the Cougars committed five errors in the run.
While things seem wrapped up for a second game win for the Demons, Pulaski would pull back into things. Becky Pennington had a kill and Christiansburg made one mistake, to close the score to 20-17. However, the deficit was just too much and the Demons took a close second game.
“I think when they are down and they look at the score, something clicks in their heads and tells them to go now,” Surber said. “We still have to play from point one, so we don’t have to play being down.”
The third game saw the Cougars pull out to an early 3-1 lead. Seniors Lauren Stanley and Ashley Burleson each had a service ace. Unfortunately, the Demons would rally to tie the game at 3-3 and even took the lead at 5-3. Christiansburg would score three of the next five points in the game and opened up the gap to 8-5.
The lead held at three until the 10-7 mark, when Christiansburg scored five straight points. Christiansburg’s Lara Mash had two aces, while Maggie Eddleton added a kill. That eight point lead would prove to be the difference in the end, as the Cougars fell in the game, 25-17, as the Demons took the match.
Becky Pennington led the Cougars with four kills offensively. Maddy Chitwood added three kills and Jette Wade had two. Wade also had two ace blocks.
Ashley Burleson had 26 digs and an ace in the game. That performance closed her gap to the 1,000 career dig mark to just 52 digs. She’ll attempt to break that record at the next two matches against Cave Spring on Tuesday or Hidden Valley on Thursday.
Those two games will mark an extremely challenging week for the Cougars. Cave Spring (13-3, 6-0) is the current first-place team and defeated the Cougars on their home court two weeks ago, 3-0 (8-25, 15-25, 14-25).
“We just have to be ready to work on Monday and work on the things Cave did to us,” Surber said. “We have to cover their hitters when they hit. It’s going to be important for us to get a good block up to block their strong hitters.”
While the varsity squad had a tough outing, the junior varsity squad had reason to celebrate in Christiansburg with their first district victory of the season, 2-0 (25-23, 25-16).
Miranda Montgomery had 12 kills in the match, with eight of those alone in the first game. That improves the JV squad’s record to 12-5, 1-5 in district play.
10-15-09
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Cougars claw by Spartans
By Cody Dalton
sports@southwesttimes.com
SALEM - It took five long games on Tuesday, but it was well worth the wait, as the Lady Cougar Volleyball team finally achieved their first district win, 24-26, 25-23, 25-19, 21-25, 15-7, on the road against rival Salem Tuesday.
“The ladies never gave up,” said Cougar coach Ashley Surber. “They fought their hearts out and you could tell the wanted that match. This win came at a really good time for us, when we needed it. The girls want to carry this into Thursday when we go to Christiansburg.”
Pulaski (8-7, 1-4) knew they would be in for a big fight against Salem in the early moments. The Spartans (4-10, 0-5) and Cougars traded blows, but Pulaski stayed up 4-2 after a Shammra Arnold ace, Lauren Stanley ace, Amanda Salinas kill, and a Salem error.
The Spartans went on a nice 5-0 run to take the lead 7-4. However, the Cougars answered with their own 5-0 run, as Becky Pennington got an ace paired with four Spartans errors. That made the Cougar lead 11-8.
A crucial moment for the Cougars came during the 22-19 mark, when Salem hitter Emily Richardson would leave the game with a wrist injury. Richardson would leave to have the injury looked at and it took away a valuable Salem weapon. She would not return.
The two teams traded blows in the first game, but the Spartans managed to gain a three point lead at 23-20. The Cougars rallied though and took the lead at 24-23 with a Salinas kill, Stanley ace, and two Salem mistakes. Unfortunately for the Cougars, the Spartans would make their rally back and score three straight points to take the first game.
Losing the first game has become a trend of late for the Cougars, who have lost the opening stanza in route to many of their losses this year. However, the team took a different approach this match during the break between games.
“I told them that they played really well and not to hang their heads,” Surber said. “We had three more games to play in order to win, but it turned out to be four. I told them we have nothing to lose and they have to go and play ball.”
“We knew we should have had the first game,” said senior right side Lauren Stanley. “At the beginning of the second game, we played better. We went in knowing we should win, when we don’t do that most matches.”
Though they may have dropped the first game of the match, the Cougars were determined to win the next game and tie the match at 1-1. Rallies would once again play into the game many times for both teams. Following a Pennington kill, Salem would score five straight points for the second straight game. Elisa Kroger would drive down two service aces and three Cougars mistakes contributed to the run.
The Cougars would take a timeout to regain their composure and they regained it in a big way. Coming out of the timeout, Pulaski scored six straight points. Salinas drove down two kills, Stanley added another kill, Pennington had an ace, and the Spartans hit two balls out, allowing the team to grab a 13-12 lead.
That marked a critical time in the game, which allowed the Cougars to climb back and even the score up. Both teams fought all the way to the end of the game, but the Cougars would be the team to beat.
Three Salem mistakes opened the door. After being tied 20-20, Salem would have a net violation, four hits on their side, and hit a ball out of bounds, allowing the Cougars to lead 23-20. That led to the Cougars opening up a small gap and allowed them to take the tight 25-23 win in the second game.
The team would continue to feed off of that momentum in game three. Despite the tightness of score in the first two games, the Cougars would jump out to a six point lead at 10-4 after a Salem net violation.
Pulaski would hold the lead until the end of the game, but Salem fought to stay within grasp of the game win. They even got as close as 21-19 before the Cougars won the last four points and the third game.
All signs pointed towards a third straight game win and match victory for the Cougars. However, the Spartans wouldn’t have it that way. The fourth game saw both teams have 7-0 runs. With the score 5-4 in favor of the Cougars, Pulaski’s Tamar Smith would have a kill along with Stanley and Pennington, as Salem committed four errors, which led to a 11-4 lead.
Salem immediately followed that with seven straight points of their own. Kroger had four aces, Alex Paxton had a kill, and two Cougar errors were made. Pulaski would take a timeout and try to once again rally out of the break.
They would garner a point and a 12-11 lead with a net violation, but Salem once again scored seven straight points. That margin would be hard to overcome, but the Cougars fought hard, seeing that first district win within sight. However, they just couldn’t come back in the fourth game and things were tied up at two games apiece.
The fifth and final game saw a determined group of Cougars come out of the timeout. They seemed focused and prepared for the challenge. They would answer in dramatic fashion. The Cougars tied things up at 1-1, but would run off four straight points. Jette Wade got two of the points off of kills and Pennington added another kill.
That early rush gave the Cougars a nice cushion. Just when Salem looked like they would get back into the game, they would commit a service error. Junior Maddy Chitwood would drive home two aces and Lauren Stanley added another kill after a Salem timeout to widen the gap.
A final Stanley ace would finish off the game and match, earning the Cougars a hard fought district win. It marks only the second time the Cougars have won a district game in two seasons. Stanley finished the game with nine kills and four aces.
“I had a lot more confidence and listened to coach,” Stanley said. “I listened to what she said to do. I definitely think that was my best game.”
Pennington finished with five kills, Amanda Salinas added four, and Marlena Morrison had three. Maddy Chitwood led the Cougars with four aces, while Morrison added two. Defensively, Shammra Arnold and Tamar Smith contributed greatly with 19 and eight digs respectively.
Chitwood believed one of her team’s keys was their belief that it could win against Salem.
“I think that we knew for once we could win,” Chitwood said. “I’m just really proud of us.”
Another impressive game on defense for Ashley Burleson puts her on the cusp of a historic landmark in her Cougar career – the 1,000 dig mark. She finished with 40 digs in the match and even tossed in two kills and an ace on offense. Burleson talked a little bit about the potential achievement after Tuesday’s game.
“It’s exciting,” Burleson said. “I never thought I’d be digging the ball up like that.”
The Cougars next opponent will come on Thursday, as they face Christiansburg (8-5, 2-3). The Demons beat the Cougars 3-0 earlier this season at home. Surber talked a little bit about her strategy to prepare her team.
“Tomorrow at practice, we are going to work on a few things that Christiansburg did against us that hurt us,” Surber said. “Hopefully, we’ll get that down and we can dig some balls up. We want to continue to use the momentum from this win to propel us into another win on Thursday.”
A win would put the Cougars in a tie for fourth place in the district with the Demons and garner them valuable position in the forthcoming River Ridge District Volleyball Tournament in November. It would also clinch at least a tie of the Cougars 9-11 record from a season ago. Surber talked about the importance of another district win.
“I think it would mean a lot to them,” Surber said. “None of these kids want to lose. They take pride in how they play. We will hopefully win two in a row, especially in the district. I think it will show not only our team, but our JV and our middle schools that Pulaski County is changing and that we are changing into winners.”
JV – Salem won 32-30, 18-25, 15-9
10-13-09
sports@southwesttimes.com
SALEM - It took five long games on Tuesday, but it was well worth the wait, as the Lady Cougar Volleyball team finally achieved their first district win, 24-26, 25-23, 25-19, 21-25, 15-7, on the road against rival Salem Tuesday.
“The ladies never gave up,” said Cougar coach Ashley Surber. “They fought their hearts out and you could tell the wanted that match. This win came at a really good time for us, when we needed it. The girls want to carry this into Thursday when we go to Christiansburg.”
Pulaski (8-7, 1-4) knew they would be in for a big fight against Salem in the early moments. The Spartans (4-10, 0-5) and Cougars traded blows, but Pulaski stayed up 4-2 after a Shammra Arnold ace, Lauren Stanley ace, Amanda Salinas kill, and a Salem error.
The Spartans went on a nice 5-0 run to take the lead 7-4. However, the Cougars answered with their own 5-0 run, as Becky Pennington got an ace paired with four Spartans errors. That made the Cougar lead 11-8.
A crucial moment for the Cougars came during the 22-19 mark, when Salem hitter Emily Richardson would leave the game with a wrist injury. Richardson would leave to have the injury looked at and it took away a valuable Salem weapon. She would not return.
The two teams traded blows in the first game, but the Spartans managed to gain a three point lead at 23-20. The Cougars rallied though and took the lead at 24-23 with a Salinas kill, Stanley ace, and two Salem mistakes. Unfortunately for the Cougars, the Spartans would make their rally back and score three straight points to take the first game.
Losing the first game has become a trend of late for the Cougars, who have lost the opening stanza in route to many of their losses this year. However, the team took a different approach this match during the break between games.
“I told them that they played really well and not to hang their heads,” Surber said. “We had three more games to play in order to win, but it turned out to be four. I told them we have nothing to lose and they have to go and play ball.”
“We knew we should have had the first game,” said senior right side Lauren Stanley. “At the beginning of the second game, we played better. We went in knowing we should win, when we don’t do that most matches.”
Though they may have dropped the first game of the match, the Cougars were determined to win the next game and tie the match at 1-1. Rallies would once again play into the game many times for both teams. Following a Pennington kill, Salem would score five straight points for the second straight game. Elisa Kroger would drive down two service aces and three Cougars mistakes contributed to the run.
The Cougars would take a timeout to regain their composure and they regained it in a big way. Coming out of the timeout, Pulaski scored six straight points. Salinas drove down two kills, Stanley added another kill, Pennington had an ace, and the Spartans hit two balls out, allowing the team to grab a 13-12 lead.
That marked a critical time in the game, which allowed the Cougars to climb back and even the score up. Both teams fought all the way to the end of the game, but the Cougars would be the team to beat.
Three Salem mistakes opened the door. After being tied 20-20, Salem would have a net violation, four hits on their side, and hit a ball out of bounds, allowing the Cougars to lead 23-20. That led to the Cougars opening up a small gap and allowed them to take the tight 25-23 win in the second game.
The team would continue to feed off of that momentum in game three. Despite the tightness of score in the first two games, the Cougars would jump out to a six point lead at 10-4 after a Salem net violation.
Pulaski would hold the lead until the end of the game, but Salem fought to stay within grasp of the game win. They even got as close as 21-19 before the Cougars won the last four points and the third game.
All signs pointed towards a third straight game win and match victory for the Cougars. However, the Spartans wouldn’t have it that way. The fourth game saw both teams have 7-0 runs. With the score 5-4 in favor of the Cougars, Pulaski’s Tamar Smith would have a kill along with Stanley and Pennington, as Salem committed four errors, which led to a 11-4 lead.
Salem immediately followed that with seven straight points of their own. Kroger had four aces, Alex Paxton had a kill, and two Cougar errors were made. Pulaski would take a timeout and try to once again rally out of the break.
They would garner a point and a 12-11 lead with a net violation, but Salem once again scored seven straight points. That margin would be hard to overcome, but the Cougars fought hard, seeing that first district win within sight. However, they just couldn’t come back in the fourth game and things were tied up at two games apiece.
The fifth and final game saw a determined group of Cougars come out of the timeout. They seemed focused and prepared for the challenge. They would answer in dramatic fashion. The Cougars tied things up at 1-1, but would run off four straight points. Jette Wade got two of the points off of kills and Pennington added another kill.
That early rush gave the Cougars a nice cushion. Just when Salem looked like they would get back into the game, they would commit a service error. Junior Maddy Chitwood would drive home two aces and Lauren Stanley added another kill after a Salem timeout to widen the gap.
A final Stanley ace would finish off the game and match, earning the Cougars a hard fought district win. It marks only the second time the Cougars have won a district game in two seasons. Stanley finished the game with nine kills and four aces.
“I had a lot more confidence and listened to coach,” Stanley said. “I listened to what she said to do. I definitely think that was my best game.”
Pennington finished with five kills, Amanda Salinas added four, and Marlena Morrison had three. Maddy Chitwood led the Cougars with four aces, while Morrison added two. Defensively, Shammra Arnold and Tamar Smith contributed greatly with 19 and eight digs respectively.
Chitwood believed one of her team’s keys was their belief that it could win against Salem.
“I think that we knew for once we could win,” Chitwood said. “I’m just really proud of us.”
Another impressive game on defense for Ashley Burleson puts her on the cusp of a historic landmark in her Cougar career – the 1,000 dig mark. She finished with 40 digs in the match and even tossed in two kills and an ace on offense. Burleson talked a little bit about the potential achievement after Tuesday’s game.
“It’s exciting,” Burleson said. “I never thought I’d be digging the ball up like that.”
The Cougars next opponent will come on Thursday, as they face Christiansburg (8-5, 2-3). The Demons beat the Cougars 3-0 earlier this season at home. Surber talked a little bit about her strategy to prepare her team.
“Tomorrow at practice, we are going to work on a few things that Christiansburg did against us that hurt us,” Surber said. “Hopefully, we’ll get that down and we can dig some balls up. We want to continue to use the momentum from this win to propel us into another win on Thursday.”
A win would put the Cougars in a tie for fourth place in the district with the Demons and garner them valuable position in the forthcoming River Ridge District Volleyball Tournament in November. It would also clinch at least a tie of the Cougars 9-11 record from a season ago. Surber talked about the importance of another district win.
“I think it would mean a lot to them,” Surber said. “None of these kids want to lose. They take pride in how they play. We will hopefully win two in a row, especially in the district. I think it will show not only our team, but our JV and our middle schools that Pulaski County is changing and that we are changing into winners.”
JV – Salem won 32-30, 18-25, 15-9
10-13-09
Cougars show improvement in loss to Blacksburg
By Cody Dalton
sports@southwesttimes.com
DUBLIN - Pulaski County High School’s volleyball team lost another district game at home to Blacksburg, but the stats don’t tell the entire story for the Cougars.
After traveling on the road against district powers Cave Spring and Hidden Valley last week, the Cougars (7-7, 0-4) finally returned home and showed sparks of improvement in their 3-0 (11-25, 7-25, 21-25) loss to Blacksburg on Thursday.
“Blacksburg has improved tremendously from last year,” said Cougars coach Ashley Surber. “They have girls who will put the ball down when they need to.”
Pulaski came out fighting in the first game, not willing to yield in pursuit of their first district victory. The Cougars matched the Bruin’s every move. After a Jette Wade kill and a net violation by Blacksburg (10-4, 2-2), the Cougars were in the early lead, 3-1.
The Bruins would answer though. With the score tied 5-5, the Bruins would win six straight points. Three kills by Sarah Golusky, two by Katy Kipps, and a Pulaski error pushed the Bruin lead to 11-5. That burst of points kept the Bruins out front in the first game and baffled the Cougars offensively and defensively.
The second game saw Pulaski fight once again and hold tight at 2-2. That score would mark a turning point in the match, as Blacksburg scored 12 consecutive points. Lauren Cusimano led the drive with four aces and a kill, while Kipps added two kills.
For the second straight time, the Cougars dropped a game because of a Blacksburg run. However for the Bruins, they wouldn’t be so lucky the third game. They would attempt to run away at the beginning stages of the game, but the Cougars Maddy Chitwood fired up her team during a timeout with the score 11-3 in favor of the Bruins.
“Maddy expressed that there is no time to play like the present,” Surber said. “I told them they have nothing to lose, play their game, and have fun.”
Marlena Morrison would listen to her teammate’s call and rally her team. Morrison would throw down two kills back-to-back and a third kill after a Bruin error. Those kills helped the Cougars gain the swagger that they lost in the first game and also closed the gap.
“Marlena got us back in the third game with her kills,” Surber said. “I feel like everyone started feeding off of that. When somebody does something good, everyone else feeds off of that. It helped a lot when she got us going in the third game.”
And go they did. The Cougars played through tough rallies and frustrated the Bruin offense. Ashley Burleson refused to let the ball hit the floor and the Cougar offense did not yield.
The Bruins would extend a small 17-13 lead into a larger 21-14 lead with kills from Jackie Greenberg, Abby Pennington, and Maggie Howell. Despite being down by an insurmountable lead, the Cougars once again failed to quit.
Morrison would get a kill and an ace, while teammate Tamar Smith threw in another kill to close the gap to 21-17. As the game winded down, Blacksburg continued to hold the lead and eventually reached match point, but the Cougars played like it was just another point in the match.
They would force two Blacksburg mistakes and pull to within 24-21, but it wouldn’t be enough, as the Bruins got one more kill from Lindsey Henderson to finish off the game.
“We had ups and downs,” Surber said. “Obviously the third game was the best we played tonight and the best we’ve played in a few weeks. If we start next game the way we finished against Blacksburg, it will help the kids mentally.”
Morrison had another impressive game for the Cougars and finished the game with six kills. Jette Wade had four kills, Amanda Salinas had two, and Becky Pennington, Tamar Smith, and Chitwood all had one. Ashley Burleson led the Cougars once again on defense with 23 digs and had a kill as well.
Next Tuesday, the Cougars will attempt to pick up their first district victory of the season on the road against Salem (0-4, 4-9). Surber hopes that her team will pick up where they left off.
“Everyone seemed pretty positive after the third game,” Surber said. “Everybody talked about carrying it into next game. If they can do that, my team can play at a higher level and have a better shot at getting another win next week.”
10-8-09
sports@southwesttimes.com
DUBLIN - Pulaski County High School’s volleyball team lost another district game at home to Blacksburg, but the stats don’t tell the entire story for the Cougars.
After traveling on the road against district powers Cave Spring and Hidden Valley last week, the Cougars (7-7, 0-4) finally returned home and showed sparks of improvement in their 3-0 (11-25, 7-25, 21-25) loss to Blacksburg on Thursday.
“Blacksburg has improved tremendously from last year,” said Cougars coach Ashley Surber. “They have girls who will put the ball down when they need to.”
Pulaski came out fighting in the first game, not willing to yield in pursuit of their first district victory. The Cougars matched the Bruin’s every move. After a Jette Wade kill and a net violation by Blacksburg (10-4, 2-2), the Cougars were in the early lead, 3-1.
The Bruins would answer though. With the score tied 5-5, the Bruins would win six straight points. Three kills by Sarah Golusky, two by Katy Kipps, and a Pulaski error pushed the Bruin lead to 11-5. That burst of points kept the Bruins out front in the first game and baffled the Cougars offensively and defensively.
The second game saw Pulaski fight once again and hold tight at 2-2. That score would mark a turning point in the match, as Blacksburg scored 12 consecutive points. Lauren Cusimano led the drive with four aces and a kill, while Kipps added two kills.
For the second straight time, the Cougars dropped a game because of a Blacksburg run. However for the Bruins, they wouldn’t be so lucky the third game. They would attempt to run away at the beginning stages of the game, but the Cougars Maddy Chitwood fired up her team during a timeout with the score 11-3 in favor of the Bruins.
“Maddy expressed that there is no time to play like the present,” Surber said. “I told them they have nothing to lose, play their game, and have fun.”
Marlena Morrison would listen to her teammate’s call and rally her team. Morrison would throw down two kills back-to-back and a third kill after a Bruin error. Those kills helped the Cougars gain the swagger that they lost in the first game and also closed the gap.
“Marlena got us back in the third game with her kills,” Surber said. “I feel like everyone started feeding off of that. When somebody does something good, everyone else feeds off of that. It helped a lot when she got us going in the third game.”
And go they did. The Cougars played through tough rallies and frustrated the Bruin offense. Ashley Burleson refused to let the ball hit the floor and the Cougar offense did not yield.
The Bruins would extend a small 17-13 lead into a larger 21-14 lead with kills from Jackie Greenberg, Abby Pennington, and Maggie Howell. Despite being down by an insurmountable lead, the Cougars once again failed to quit.
Morrison would get a kill and an ace, while teammate Tamar Smith threw in another kill to close the gap to 21-17. As the game winded down, Blacksburg continued to hold the lead and eventually reached match point, but the Cougars played like it was just another point in the match.
They would force two Blacksburg mistakes and pull to within 24-21, but it wouldn’t be enough, as the Bruins got one more kill from Lindsey Henderson to finish off the game.
“We had ups and downs,” Surber said. “Obviously the third game was the best we played tonight and the best we’ve played in a few weeks. If we start next game the way we finished against Blacksburg, it will help the kids mentally.”
Morrison had another impressive game for the Cougars and finished the game with six kills. Jette Wade had four kills, Amanda Salinas had two, and Becky Pennington, Tamar Smith, and Chitwood all had one. Ashley Burleson led the Cougars once again on defense with 23 digs and had a kill as well.
Next Tuesday, the Cougars will attempt to pick up their first district victory of the season on the road against Salem (0-4, 4-9). Surber hopes that her team will pick up where they left off.
“Everyone seemed pretty positive after the third game,” Surber said. “Everybody talked about carrying it into next game. If they can do that, my team can play at a higher level and have a better shot at getting another win next week.”
10-8-09
Cougars drop match to top-rated Titans
By Cody Dalton
sports@southwesttimes.com
ROANOKE - Pulaski County High School’s volleyball team fought hard against arguably the best team in the River Ridge District, Hidden Valley, but fell to the Titans, 3-0 (12-25, 7-25, 6-25) on the road Tuesday.
“I feel like my kids were more ready to play tonight than they have been in the past few weeks,” said Cougars coach Ashley Surber. “We had a lot of good defense. We have to work on putting the ball down. I was impressed with how my girl’s kept fighting, even though they were down.”
The Cougars (7-6, 0-3) played a hard fought first game. The score would be tied 1-1 early in the first game after a Maddy Chitwood kill. The Titans (12-0, 3-0) would rally off five straight points, as Liz Burke got two of them, while Rachel Thomas and Sarah Church had one a piece. Samantha Klostermann had an ace serve in the rally.
That run wouldn’t keep the Cougars down. With the score 10-2, the Cougars rallied off eight of the next 12 points to close to within 14-10. The Titans though would counter with their own run, scoring 11 of the final 13 points and capture the first game.
“Hidden Valley’s kids can put the ball down,” Surber said. “Overall we had a lot of good rallies with them that kept the point going. We just have to work on finishing the point.”
Hidden Valley’s run continued in the beginning of the second game. The Titans rallied off eight straight, with three service aces from Samantha Ringer. Burke and Thomas added a kill apiece, and three Cougar errors contributed to the early 8-0 Titans lead.
A Titans error granted the Cougars their first point of the game and some momentum with it. Maddy Chitwood and Tamar Smith both got kills and a Titan error contributed to scoring three of the next four points and tightened things up at 9-4.
Once again, Hidden Valley answered the challenge with Sarah Church, who drove three straight kills in a row. She would have four kills and an ace serve during the game. The kills gave the Titans much needed home momentum, as the Cougars would only score three more points in the second before dropping it 25-7.
“We seem to start off sluggish, no matter what game in the match it is,” Surber said. “It seems like we find ourselves a hole and we have to dig out of. We start a third of the way through the match and never catch up.”
Once again, the Titans would go on yet another huge run in the third game. With the score 3-1, Hidden Valley scored seven of the next nine points to take a 10-3 lead. The ace serve plagued the Cougars in the game, especially Ringer, who had four in the game and nine in the match. The Titans had 17 total ace serves in the match.
There were many times when the Cougars and Titans exchanged possession over and over. However, the Cougars would be on the losing end most of the time.
“The played harder tonight than they have the past few games,” Surber said. “The score doesn’t show how hard they played because they had a few long rallies. We got out powered.”
In the end, the long rallies and point runs wore down the Cougars, while the power hitting and ace serves by Hidden Valley allowed them to extend their third game lead into a victory.
Junior Marlena Morrison was 10-10 on her hits with 3 kills, and two blocks (one ace block). Seven digs. On defense, Senior Ashley Burleson had 20 digs and she was 14 for 19 on passing. Fellow senior Lauren Stanley was 5-for-5 on her hits with three kills.
After two tough road district contests, the Cougars will return home for their next match up and will play in district against Blacksburg.
“I haven’t seen them this year,” Surber said. “I’ve been told they’ve improved from last year. “They did take the only game off of Hidden Valley this year. We just have to be ready to play them.”
10-6-09
sports@southwesttimes.com
ROANOKE - Pulaski County High School’s volleyball team fought hard against arguably the best team in the River Ridge District, Hidden Valley, but fell to the Titans, 3-0 (12-25, 7-25, 6-25) on the road Tuesday.
“I feel like my kids were more ready to play tonight than they have been in the past few weeks,” said Cougars coach Ashley Surber. “We had a lot of good defense. We have to work on putting the ball down. I was impressed with how my girl’s kept fighting, even though they were down.”
The Cougars (7-6, 0-3) played a hard fought first game. The score would be tied 1-1 early in the first game after a Maddy Chitwood kill. The Titans (12-0, 3-0) would rally off five straight points, as Liz Burke got two of them, while Rachel Thomas and Sarah Church had one a piece. Samantha Klostermann had an ace serve in the rally.
That run wouldn’t keep the Cougars down. With the score 10-2, the Cougars rallied off eight of the next 12 points to close to within 14-10. The Titans though would counter with their own run, scoring 11 of the final 13 points and capture the first game.
“Hidden Valley’s kids can put the ball down,” Surber said. “Overall we had a lot of good rallies with them that kept the point going. We just have to work on finishing the point.”
Hidden Valley’s run continued in the beginning of the second game. The Titans rallied off eight straight, with three service aces from Samantha Ringer. Burke and Thomas added a kill apiece, and three Cougar errors contributed to the early 8-0 Titans lead.
A Titans error granted the Cougars their first point of the game and some momentum with it. Maddy Chitwood and Tamar Smith both got kills and a Titan error contributed to scoring three of the next four points and tightened things up at 9-4.
Once again, Hidden Valley answered the challenge with Sarah Church, who drove three straight kills in a row. She would have four kills and an ace serve during the game. The kills gave the Titans much needed home momentum, as the Cougars would only score three more points in the second before dropping it 25-7.
“We seem to start off sluggish, no matter what game in the match it is,” Surber said. “It seems like we find ourselves a hole and we have to dig out of. We start a third of the way through the match and never catch up.”
Once again, the Titans would go on yet another huge run in the third game. With the score 3-1, Hidden Valley scored seven of the next nine points to take a 10-3 lead. The ace serve plagued the Cougars in the game, especially Ringer, who had four in the game and nine in the match. The Titans had 17 total ace serves in the match.
There were many times when the Cougars and Titans exchanged possession over and over. However, the Cougars would be on the losing end most of the time.
“The played harder tonight than they have the past few games,” Surber said. “The score doesn’t show how hard they played because they had a few long rallies. We got out powered.”
In the end, the long rallies and point runs wore down the Cougars, while the power hitting and ace serves by Hidden Valley allowed them to extend their third game lead into a victory.
Junior Marlena Morrison was 10-10 on her hits with 3 kills, and two blocks (one ace block). Seven digs. On defense, Senior Ashley Burleson had 20 digs and she was 14 for 19 on passing. Fellow senior Lauren Stanley was 5-for-5 on her hits with three kills.
After two tough road district contests, the Cougars will return home for their next match up and will play in district against Blacksburg.
“I haven’t seen them this year,” Surber said. “I’ve been told they’ve improved from last year. “They did take the only game off of Hidden Valley this year. We just have to be ready to play them.”
10-6-09
Cougars drop tough district contest to Knights
ROANOKE - The Lady Cougar volleyball fought valiantly on the road Thursday, but fell to one of the best teams in the River Ridge District, 3-0 (8-25, 15-25, 14-25).
“We played them better today than we did last year,” said Cougars coach Ashley Surber. “We dug the ball better. They are phenomenal and are always good. They put the ball down when they need to.”
The Knights (8-2, 2-0) would jump out to a 6-0 lead thanks to three Pulaski errors and kills by Piper Hagan, Morgan Shannon, and Emily Lawrence. That would set the tempo for a rough opening stanza for the Cougars (7-5, 0-2). A Jette Wade kill, Amanda Salinas kill, and a hit out helped the Cougars garner three points, closing to within 8-3.
However, Cave Spring would go on a huge run, including two kills by Shannon, one by Hagan, and blocks by Corey Jacobson and Lauren Sledd. That helped the Knights extend an 8-3 game into a 16-3 lead. Pulaski would be unable to recover and dropped the first game.
“The kids are mad that they got beat the way they did in the first game,” Surber said. “It made them want to play better in the second and third game.”
And play better the Cougars did. Game two remained deadlocked through most of the early points. Two service errors and a hit out gave the Cougars a 3-2 lead. Cave Spring then mounted another charge, scoring four straight points to take a 6-3 lead. An ace by Lawrence, kill by Jacobson, and a service error contributed to the Knight’s surge.
Unlike the first game though, the Cougars would be able to hang with the Knights and answered for nearly every point put out. Cave Spring though would take advantage of the Cougars with an 8-5 lead. The Knights once again forced the issue with two service aces by Shannon, a kill by Sledd, and two Cougar mistakes.
The Cougars tried to climb back at the end of the second game, scoring seven of the next 10 points. However, the effort would not be enough and the Cougars dropped game two.
“We just can’t wait until the end of the game to play well,” Surber said. “We have to start playing from point one and not waiting until we are down.”
Pulaski would fight hard again in the third game, but a key injury may have affected the outcome of the game. Senior Lauren Stanley left the game with an injury to her back. She would leave the court under her own power and received treatment.
“She said it hurts,” Surber said. “She has limited range of motion. We are going to take it day-by-day and let her ice it and rest it. Her injury took away one of our more consistent servers.”
She would leave at the 13-6 mark in the game and cost the Cougars valuable ground. The Knights would score seven of the next eight points to take a 21-7 lead. That burst helped Knights keep the lead in the waning moments of the game and seal the victory.
Ashley Burleson led the Cougars on defense with 15 digs. Maddy Chitwood had a kill and a service ace on offense and Jette Wade had two kills. Amanda Salinas, Becky Pennington, Shammra Arnold, and Tamar Smith all had a kill apiece.
The Cougars will play on the road once again in district play against Cave Spring’s cross-town rival, Hidden Valley. The Titans come into the game with an impressive 11-0 record, 2-0 in district play. Even more impressive is the fact that they have only lost one game out of the 34 that they’ve played total.
“They’ve got pretty much everyone returning,” Surber said. “It’s going to be a tough game. We have to get on it from the get go. We can’t leave ourselves a hole and play out of it.”
The Cougar JV also lost 2-1 (18-25, 25-16, 15-12). This marks the first loss of the year, as they entered the game 11-0.
10-1-09
“We played them better today than we did last year,” said Cougars coach Ashley Surber. “We dug the ball better. They are phenomenal and are always good. They put the ball down when they need to.”
The Knights (8-2, 2-0) would jump out to a 6-0 lead thanks to three Pulaski errors and kills by Piper Hagan, Morgan Shannon, and Emily Lawrence. That would set the tempo for a rough opening stanza for the Cougars (7-5, 0-2). A Jette Wade kill, Amanda Salinas kill, and a hit out helped the Cougars garner three points, closing to within 8-3.
However, Cave Spring would go on a huge run, including two kills by Shannon, one by Hagan, and blocks by Corey Jacobson and Lauren Sledd. That helped the Knights extend an 8-3 game into a 16-3 lead. Pulaski would be unable to recover and dropped the first game.
“The kids are mad that they got beat the way they did in the first game,” Surber said. “It made them want to play better in the second and third game.”
And play better the Cougars did. Game two remained deadlocked through most of the early points. Two service errors and a hit out gave the Cougars a 3-2 lead. Cave Spring then mounted another charge, scoring four straight points to take a 6-3 lead. An ace by Lawrence, kill by Jacobson, and a service error contributed to the Knight’s surge.
Unlike the first game though, the Cougars would be able to hang with the Knights and answered for nearly every point put out. Cave Spring though would take advantage of the Cougars with an 8-5 lead. The Knights once again forced the issue with two service aces by Shannon, a kill by Sledd, and two Cougar mistakes.
The Cougars tried to climb back at the end of the second game, scoring seven of the next 10 points. However, the effort would not be enough and the Cougars dropped game two.
“We just can’t wait until the end of the game to play well,” Surber said. “We have to start playing from point one and not waiting until we are down.”
Pulaski would fight hard again in the third game, but a key injury may have affected the outcome of the game. Senior Lauren Stanley left the game with an injury to her back. She would leave the court under her own power and received treatment.
“She said it hurts,” Surber said. “She has limited range of motion. We are going to take it day-by-day and let her ice it and rest it. Her injury took away one of our more consistent servers.”
She would leave at the 13-6 mark in the game and cost the Cougars valuable ground. The Knights would score seven of the next eight points to take a 21-7 lead. That burst helped Knights keep the lead in the waning moments of the game and seal the victory.
Ashley Burleson led the Cougars on defense with 15 digs. Maddy Chitwood had a kill and a service ace on offense and Jette Wade had two kills. Amanda Salinas, Becky Pennington, Shammra Arnold, and Tamar Smith all had a kill apiece.
The Cougars will play on the road once again in district play against Cave Spring’s cross-town rival, Hidden Valley. The Titans come into the game with an impressive 11-0 record, 2-0 in district play. Even more impressive is the fact that they have only lost one game out of the 34 that they’ve played total.
“They’ve got pretty much everyone returning,” Surber said. “It’s going to be a tough game. We have to get on it from the get go. We can’t leave ourselves a hole and play out of it.”
The Cougar JV also lost 2-1 (18-25, 25-16, 15-12). This marks the first loss of the year, as they entered the game 11-0.
10-1-09
Cougars fall in district opener to Demons
By Cody Dalton
sports@southwesttimes.com
CHRISTIANSBURG - It’s easy to say it has been a tough week for the Lady Cougar volleyball team this week. The team was coming off of a 3-0 home loss to Liberty (Bedford) on Monday, but things got even rougher on Wednesday, as the Cougars lost another tough contest to River Ridge District foe Christiansburg, 18-25, 8-25, and 19-25, at home.
“I feel like we played well in some points and then some points in the game we hit a lull,” said Cougars coach Ashley Surber. “When you make one mistake, you can’t let that affect how you play because it is volleyball. You are going to have to make a mistake. You can’t be perfect.”
The Cougars (6-4, 0-1) started out strong in their first game, taking a strong 7-3 lead in the early going. They look impressive and even looked to take the first game. The turning point came with the score 10-6 in favor of Pulaski, as Christiansburg would use kills by Lara Mash and blocks by Emily Quesinberry to take a 14-10 lead.
With the Blue Demons surging, the Lady Cougars failed to regain their composure. Christiansburg’s lead would stretch from four to eight. Pulaski would close to within five points at 21-16 thanks to some Blue Demon mistakes, but it wasn’t enough to catch up and Christiansburg took the first game.
Game two saw the Cougars flatness continue while the Blue Demons continued to play strong. Christiansburg would score three early points to seize the lead and continued to expand that lead throughout the game.
Quesinberry, Emily Davis, and Katelyn Kast all played factors in the game. Quesinberry finished the match with 12 kills and seven digs, Davis had 13 digs and 11 kills, and Kast had four service aces.
“Their best hitters by far were #14 [Davis] and #7 [Kast], their two outside hitters,” Surber said. “Christiansburg is a much improved team from last year. Everyone can see that from the way they are playing ball.”
Heading into the third game, the Cougars showed some early life and looked to put up a fight. The score remained deadlocked through many of the early points, with each team trading blows with one another.
However, Christiansburg would turn a 9-8 lead into a 14-8 lead. The Cougars clawed to within three points towards the end of the game at 19-22, but it would be too much of a deficit to overcome.
“I was really proud of how they came back in that third set,” Surber said. “I really felt like we were going to come back and take that game. It looked like the kids were there and their hearts were in it. They were doing everything they could do, but sometimes even on our home court we can’t seem to get a ball to roll our way.”
The Cougars were led in defeat by senior libero Ashley Burleson, who had 23 digs for the Cougars. Sophomore Becky Pennington had her best game to date with 10 kills, while Maddy Chitwood provided a few key blocks.
Pulaski’s next test will come Thursday, when they travel to William Fleming to take on the Colonels. They were victorious against Fleming earlier this month, when they won 3-1 at home.
9-23-09
sports@southwesttimes.com
CHRISTIANSBURG - It’s easy to say it has been a tough week for the Lady Cougar volleyball team this week. The team was coming off of a 3-0 home loss to Liberty (Bedford) on Monday, but things got even rougher on Wednesday, as the Cougars lost another tough contest to River Ridge District foe Christiansburg, 18-25, 8-25, and 19-25, at home.
“I feel like we played well in some points and then some points in the game we hit a lull,” said Cougars coach Ashley Surber. “When you make one mistake, you can’t let that affect how you play because it is volleyball. You are going to have to make a mistake. You can’t be perfect.”
The Cougars (6-4, 0-1) started out strong in their first game, taking a strong 7-3 lead in the early going. They look impressive and even looked to take the first game. The turning point came with the score 10-6 in favor of Pulaski, as Christiansburg would use kills by Lara Mash and blocks by Emily Quesinberry to take a 14-10 lead.
With the Blue Demons surging, the Lady Cougars failed to regain their composure. Christiansburg’s lead would stretch from four to eight. Pulaski would close to within five points at 21-16 thanks to some Blue Demon mistakes, but it wasn’t enough to catch up and Christiansburg took the first game.
Game two saw the Cougars flatness continue while the Blue Demons continued to play strong. Christiansburg would score three early points to seize the lead and continued to expand that lead throughout the game.
Quesinberry, Emily Davis, and Katelyn Kast all played factors in the game. Quesinberry finished the match with 12 kills and seven digs, Davis had 13 digs and 11 kills, and Kast had four service aces.
“Their best hitters by far were #14 [Davis] and #7 [Kast], their two outside hitters,” Surber said. “Christiansburg is a much improved team from last year. Everyone can see that from the way they are playing ball.”
Heading into the third game, the Cougars showed some early life and looked to put up a fight. The score remained deadlocked through many of the early points, with each team trading blows with one another.
However, Christiansburg would turn a 9-8 lead into a 14-8 lead. The Cougars clawed to within three points towards the end of the game at 19-22, but it would be too much of a deficit to overcome.
“I was really proud of how they came back in that third set,” Surber said. “I really felt like we were going to come back and take that game. It looked like the kids were there and their hearts were in it. They were doing everything they could do, but sometimes even on our home court we can’t seem to get a ball to roll our way.”
The Cougars were led in defeat by senior libero Ashley Burleson, who had 23 digs for the Cougars. Sophomore Becky Pennington had her best game to date with 10 kills, while Maddy Chitwood provided a few key blocks.
Pulaski’s next test will come Thursday, when they travel to William Fleming to take on the Colonels. They were victorious against Fleming earlier this month, when they won 3-1 at home.
9-23-09
Cougars rally to down Colonels
By Cody Dalton
sports@southwesttimes.com
DUBLIN - William Fleming didn’t make winning easy, but the Lady Cougar volleyball team was able to pull out the hard fought four game victory, 25-18, 20-25, 25-19, 25-16, over the Colonels on Tuesday.
“We were slow,” said Cougars coach Ashley Surber. “We’ve got to pick it up when we play Radford on Thursday. We start district play a week from Wednesday. All in all, the kids had a really good attitude tonight.”
Pulaski started off sluggish in many situations all night. The Colonels were able to jump out to a 4-0 lead in the first game and led through most of it. At one point, the Colonels led 10-4, looking as if they would take the game.
However, the Lady Cougars rallied and with the score 13-8, would score five straight points to tie the game. The game remained deadlocked until the Cougars took at 17-16 lead and scored four straight points via a Jette Wade kill, Maddy Chitwood block, and two Fleming mistakes. Pulaski took the first set, 25-18.
A slow start wouldn’t plague the Cougars in the second game, but weak play during the middle of the game would. With the game tied 8-8, the Colonels scored eight straight points with the help of Calesse Stovall. That lead would hold through the game, as the Cougars failed to catch up, dropping the second game.
“She [Stovall] is their best player,” Surber said. “She came out and she can really hit the ball hard. My kids did adjust well though. Maddi [Chitwood] got some good blocks on her. Ashley [Burleson] dug her up a few times as well.”
Game three looked as if the Cougars would drop it too. William Fleming would take a 10-4 lead in the game. However, the Cougars would once again rally to tie the game at 11-11. Marlena Morrison had two kills in the rally and Fleming had five mistakes. That would be a turning point for the Cougars would scored six straight points to take a 17-11 lead.
That lead would hold, but not before the Colonels fought furiously to try to hold on. William Fleming scored seven points towards the end of the game, but it wouldn’t be enough to win the game.
After proving to be a tough challenge in the first three games, William Fleming fell flat in the final game. Mistakes would be the key issues, as they failed to convert on several key situations. The Cougars took an early 7-2 lead in the game, one of which was a Morrison kill.
The Colonels fought back, closing to within 14-10. However, that score would mark another turning point, as the Cougars scored seven consecutive points to take a 21-10 lead. Morrison had two aces in the scoring streak. That would be enough of a lead for the Cougars to stay ahead and earn their sixth win of the year.
Ashley Burleson, who had 31 digs in the game, led the Cougars in the win.
“We need to work better on communication and putting the ball down,” said Burleson, a senior libero. “We can’t just roll it. We all had a really good attitude though and came back.”
The Cougars (6-1) are off to a great start under second-year coach Ashley Surber. So far, the only blemish on their record is a tough 3-1 set loss to Radford.
“They’ve got to go out and play harder than what they did tonight to beat Radford,” Surber said. “They’ve got to go out and play like they did against Liberty this year. That performance is by far better than the way we played at Radford.”
The Lady Cougars will try to avenge their only loss of the season, as they next play against cross-town rival Bobcats on Thursday.
“I think it is going to better because it is on our home court because we don’t have all of their fans,” Burleson said. “We will be more prepared because we’ve seen how they have played before. We know who can hit and who can’t.”
JV – Pulaski def. Fleming, 2-0 (25-12, 25-2)
9-15-09
sports@southwesttimes.com
DUBLIN - William Fleming didn’t make winning easy, but the Lady Cougar volleyball team was able to pull out the hard fought four game victory, 25-18, 20-25, 25-19, 25-16, over the Colonels on Tuesday.
“We were slow,” said Cougars coach Ashley Surber. “We’ve got to pick it up when we play Radford on Thursday. We start district play a week from Wednesday. All in all, the kids had a really good attitude tonight.”
Pulaski started off sluggish in many situations all night. The Colonels were able to jump out to a 4-0 lead in the first game and led through most of it. At one point, the Colonels led 10-4, looking as if they would take the game.
However, the Lady Cougars rallied and with the score 13-8, would score five straight points to tie the game. The game remained deadlocked until the Cougars took at 17-16 lead and scored four straight points via a Jette Wade kill, Maddy Chitwood block, and two Fleming mistakes. Pulaski took the first set, 25-18.
A slow start wouldn’t plague the Cougars in the second game, but weak play during the middle of the game would. With the game tied 8-8, the Colonels scored eight straight points with the help of Calesse Stovall. That lead would hold through the game, as the Cougars failed to catch up, dropping the second game.
“She [Stovall] is their best player,” Surber said. “She came out and she can really hit the ball hard. My kids did adjust well though. Maddi [Chitwood] got some good blocks on her. Ashley [Burleson] dug her up a few times as well.”
Game three looked as if the Cougars would drop it too. William Fleming would take a 10-4 lead in the game. However, the Cougars would once again rally to tie the game at 11-11. Marlena Morrison had two kills in the rally and Fleming had five mistakes. That would be a turning point for the Cougars would scored six straight points to take a 17-11 lead.
That lead would hold, but not before the Colonels fought furiously to try to hold on. William Fleming scored seven points towards the end of the game, but it wouldn’t be enough to win the game.
After proving to be a tough challenge in the first three games, William Fleming fell flat in the final game. Mistakes would be the key issues, as they failed to convert on several key situations. The Cougars took an early 7-2 lead in the game, one of which was a Morrison kill.
The Colonels fought back, closing to within 14-10. However, that score would mark another turning point, as the Cougars scored seven consecutive points to take a 21-10 lead. Morrison had two aces in the scoring streak. That would be enough of a lead for the Cougars to stay ahead and earn their sixth win of the year.
Ashley Burleson, who had 31 digs in the game, led the Cougars in the win.
“We need to work better on communication and putting the ball down,” said Burleson, a senior libero. “We can’t just roll it. We all had a really good attitude though and came back.”
The Cougars (6-1) are off to a great start under second-year coach Ashley Surber. So far, the only blemish on their record is a tough 3-1 set loss to Radford.
“They’ve got to go out and play harder than what they did tonight to beat Radford,” Surber said. “They’ve got to go out and play like they did against Liberty this year. That performance is by far better than the way we played at Radford.”
The Lady Cougars will try to avenge their only loss of the season, as they next play against cross-town rival Bobcats on Thursday.
“I think it is going to better because it is on our home court because we don’t have all of their fans,” Burleson said. “We will be more prepared because we’ve seen how they have played before. We know who can hit and who can’t.”
JV – Pulaski def. Fleming, 2-0 (25-12, 25-2)
9-15-09
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)