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Marion Local wins wild tiebreaker, halts Anna win streak at 37 September 12, 2007 By Jim Jicha Marion Local edged Anna last night in a battle of undefeated top ranked teams, thereby ending the Rockets 37 match win streak, and avenging a three game loss to the Rockets last year. The score was 25-18, 21-25, 25-17, 22-25, 16-14. Anna’s last loss was in the 2005 state semifinal to Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph, the same team they beat in last year’s state championship. Flyer 6’4” middle blocker Megan Barhorst outdueled Anna 6’3” middle hitter Kelli Barhorst in a wild tiebreaker that included long and desperate volleys and huge momentum swings. The two seniors, who are headed for Cleveland State and Ohio State, respectively, are not related. The first four games were tame compared to the finale. Game one saw four ties to 4-4 as Kelli Barhorst scored two blocks and a kill, and Flyer 5’11” outside Kristin Bergman spiked two points. Marion pushed ahead 12-8 behind Megan Barhorst, and outside hitter Alyssa Winner who happens to be one of the best freshmen in the state. Kelli Barhorst led Anna back, and their freshman outside Carrie Watkins tied it at 13. But Marion scored four on two kills by Brittany Thobe, and a double block from Bergman and 6’1” Florida State recruit Abby Niekamp, and they gradually increased the margin. Winner spiked the game winner down the left side. In game two there were six ties up to 10-10, at which point Watkins dug a nicely placed Flyer hit and junior outside Maria Meyer scored a kill to start an eight point run. Laura Gehret served three aces, Barhorst added a kill and faked to the middle while setter Kelsie Zumberger dumped the ball into a hole. Barhorst and Zumberger also teamed up on a block. Marion got five in a row to close to 23-20 on the serving of setter Katie Schulze, but Gehret sent a screamer cross court, and after an errant Rocket serve, Marion got the ball tangled in the net trying to block Gehret. Game three was similar to the first with three ties to 4-4, and Marion then taking the lead for good. Anna stayed close up to 12-10, but the Flyers surged ahead to 18-11 and 22-13. Niekamp pounded a nice backset from Schulze to an empty spot for the winner. And game four was a lot like the second, with six ties to 9-9 after which the Rockets ran off six straight. Ariane Billing served that one, and Gehret led the scoring with two kills and a big block on Megan Barhorst. Marion closed to three a couple times and then to 22-20, when Anna called timeout. Gehret got a sideout, and the teams traded points, with Kelli Barhorst ending it on a kill. Since all four games had been won by the team on the south side of the gym, Anna chose that side for the tiebreaker. This seemed prescient when Marion’s first serve sailed long, Kelli Barhorst tipped crosscourt into a hole at the net, Meyer served an ace, and Barhorst rejected a Niekamp spike and demolished the ensuing overpass. Niekamp crushed a short set to stop the run. And on the next play, Thobe blocked for a point, and more significantly, Kelli Barhorst fell and twisted her ankle. After a few minutes, she limped off to applause as 5’8” defensive specialist Lydia Kindelin took her place in front row. Despite being outgunned with Gehret in back row, there followed one of the longest and most frantic volleys this reporter has ever seen. The Flyers tried blocks, tips and spikes to no avail as Zumberger, Kindelin, Gehret and the entire Anna team fought valiantly to keep the ball in play. The long volley gave Coach Karen Zumberger precious time to wrap Barhorst’s ankle. Niekamp finally ended matters with a kill, and Thobe came up with a quick block to tie the game at 4. And with Barhorst now putting on her shoe, Anna called a timeout. Another intense volley ensued, with Barhorst at first seemingly testing her ankle, but after several saves by both sides she terminated play with a huge block of Niekamp, and added two more points with a tip and a smashed overpass. Marion was then called for four hits and called timeout. But alas, the Flyers wasted that with a hitting error, after which Zumberger served an ace, and Barhorst ran to her right for a booming block to put the Rockets up 11-4. Niekamp finally staunched the run with cross court shot off the slide, but Barhorst parried with a right side shot of her own into an empty middle backcourt. The 15 point clock was ticking, and with Barhorst now serving, Thobe drilled a line drive down the middle for Marion, sending Niekamp to the line. Megan Barhorst rotated front, and she quickly let everyone know where things were going with a reverberating block on Gehret. The stats will show Marion’s next two points came on Rocket errors, but each occurred after Barhorst rejected multiple spikes from Anna’s left side and middle. To Anna’s credit they fought hard to keep the blocks from scoring. When Niekamp served up an ace to cut the lead to 12-10, Anna called time. Gehret then went right on a slide, but the long arms of Barhorst were there too, and while the spike did clear the block, it also sailed over the backcourt line. Bergman then tied the score with a kill. And when Anna overpassed Niekamp’s next serve, Barhorst was all over that! Gehret finally drove a spike through traffic to retie it at 13, and Marion came close to losing it all on the next volley. After tipping an Anna block high in the air they froze while the ball fell in their midst. But an unflustered Thobe went to her right and drove a spike off the block for another tie. Megan Barhorst scored with yet another block. She ended the match with a blast down the middle. Flyer Coach Amy Steininger said afterward, “I was so proud our girls for never giving up, especially against a team the caliber of Anna. Niekamp served so well in that fifth game when we were down 12-5 and we scored 8 in a row. Megan Barhorst played huge for us at the end of the game with big blocks on Gehret, and clutch hitting for us.” Steininger also had words of praise for Kelli Barhorst, whom she coached for two years with Team Atlantis. “We could not stop her…she showed guts coming back after that ankle injury”, said Steininger. “I knew she was hurt but she came back and played awesome in that fifth game to give them that big lead.” Talking about the loss, Anna Coach Zumberger said “It was a really good match – it would have been better if we'd won - but we have a lot of respect for Marion Local and their players.” Calling it a learning experience she explained “These types of games let us break down the game and focus on we what could have done to win. It will only make us a better team on down the road.”
That is true, but losses like
this one are especially bitter. And the look on Kelli Barhorst’s face after the
final point went down said it all. Stats: Marion Local: Abby Niekamp and Kristin Bergman, 14 kills; Megan Barhorst 12 kills; Brittany Thobe 8 kills; Bergman 17 digs; Katie Schulze and Shelby Moeller 24 assists; Niekamp 4 aces. Anna: Kelli Barhorst 25 kills and 4 solo blocks; Kelsie Zumberger 41 assists and 3 aces; Laura Gehret 16 kills; Maria Meyer 17 digs.
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