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Mansfield Madison overcomes big lead and shakes off blowouts to defeat Orrville August 27, 2008 By Jim Jicha The visiting Mansfield Madison Rams overcame a 14-7 first game Orrville lead and then shook off second and fourth game blowouts, to prevail in an Ohio Cardinal Conference opener last evening between two teams contending to dethrone Wooster for the league crown. The score was 25-21, 9-25, 25-18, 10-25, 15-9. It was the first match of the season for Orrville. Madison defeated Hilliard Davidson 25-16, 25-21, 25-18 last Saturday. After each of the setbacks Madison Coach Jen Lauber told her players to remain aggressive, and they did so without even a hint of a letdown. While Lauber was pleased with the win, she also said “it was great to see the younger kids come around”, and she cited setter Morgan Peterson and defensive specialist/outside hitter Nikki Holmes, both sophomores, along with freshman outside Emilee Muzechuk. Those three were instrumental to Madison’s run from 6-6 in the tiebreaker. Orrville took a 9-6 lead in game paced by four kills from 6’0” junior Erin Short. After a dump by Peterson, Red Rider Co-Captain outside hitter Casey Bishop spiked a cross court kill and Co-Captain outside/middle Melanie Lamb served four points, including an ace, to increase the lead to 14-7. But when Rams senior outside/defensive specialist Holly Siwek ended the run with a kill, the roof fell in on Orrville as Jackie Schwamberger served the Rams team into a 15-14 lead. The rally was led by 6’0” junior middle Lauren Townley who scored on a block and also demolished an overpass. An errant hit tied matters at 15, but Townley blasted a cross court shot and Siwek served an ace for an 18-15 lead, and although the game remained close Madison stayed in front. Muzechuk pounded a Schwamberger backset for the winning point. Momentum swung back to Orrville in game two and they raced in front 5-0, with Bishop spiking two kills and 5’10” junior setter Hannah Brenner smoking an overpass and dumping for a point. Townley countered with a well placed tip, but Short spiked from back court and after two Rams’ errors, Red Rider sophomore middle Hillary Plybon blocked Townley, and Brenner and Bishop added a block and an ace, respectively, to make it 12-1. Madison never really got untracked. After Plybon blocked for a 24-9 lead, the Rams were called for reaching over following a save by Orrville libero Kelley Johnson. Madison rebounded in game three, taking a 3-2 lead on a hit over the block by the scrappy Brown, who plays much taller than 5’3”. The Rams upped the margin to 9-5 and 13-7, helped by passing from junior libero Kellie Orewiler. Johnson started a five-point Orrville run with a back court spike, as Brenner served an ace and Short blasted two kills, one off a shoot from Brenner. Townley ended that with a tip but Red Rider sophomore outside Meg Sullivan blocked Brown. Muzechuk then came up with a clutch kill through a double block and Brown served Madison to a 22-16 lead, helping out with an ace. Siwek saved one volley by tipping a ball that was too close to the net into a hole as she wriggled around to keep out of the net herself. Orrville stayed alive on a well placed tip by defensive specialist Lauren Mastroine and a kill by Bishop, but Siwek responded with a kill and Peterson ended an intense volley with a dump. Muzechuk served for game point and, after she dug a blast from Plybon and Peterson saved a dump from Brenner, Orrville obliged with a hitting error. In a virtual rerun of game two the Red Riders jumped out 4-0 in the fourth game on an ace by Bishop, a block of Townley by Brenner, a kill by Smith and a tip from Plybon. They increased their margin to 10-4 on four kills by Smith, and to 15-5 on strong serving by Lamb, and some nifty passing by Smith who also saved a ball at the net. With Madison unable to get anything going, Bishop eventually ended the game with a cross court kill. For the tiebreaker, Orrville wound up with the serve and Madison the winning side of the court, although it’s not known who won the coin toss. The Red Riders struck quickly when Smith terminated a left side cross-court shot, and Brenner and Plybon followed with a double block on Townley. Siwek got the Rams on the board with a tip and Townley tied it with a block on Brenner. After an exchange of errors, another block by Townley led to a long hit by Orrville, and a tip by Brown put Madison up 5-3. Orrville retied on another termination by Smith that followed a Rams miscue, and the teams traded serving errors to 6-6. On the next volley a Red Rider cross court spike was wide, bring the strong serving Brown to the line. Siwek followed with two kills over the block from left side. Muzechuk then smoked a cross court kill that a great pass by Brown helped create. On the next volley Muzechik saved a ball at the net and then blocked for another point. Ahead now 11-6, the Rams obliged with a long hit and Plybon spiked a kill. But Peterson turned a too-close-to-the-net ball into a point, and with Muzechuk now serving, she encored by ending an intense volley with a dump. Schwamberger, who had kept the previous volley alive with a dig and a block, then scored on a block to make it 14-8. And following a kill by Bishop, Schwamberger drove the match winning cross-court spike into Orrville's middle backcourt.
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