By Robert Morgan | Published Sunday, September 7, 2008
Nothing came easy Tuesday night for the Chico High School volleyball team. The talented bunch trailed in each of the first two games against Saint Jo and never had a firm grip on the match.
The Lady Dragons persevered in each of the two games with come-from-behind wins before finally playing like the group coach Brent Hand has come to know. They finished on an impressive note by shellacking the Panthers in the final game to earn a 25-18, 27-25, 25-11 home sweep.
The match got interesting in game two when Saint Jo took advantage of 12 unforced CHS errors. The visitors led by as many as six points in the game before a late Chico run.
That was not enough to avoid some drama, however. With a 24-23 lead and possession, the Lady Dragons were serving game point when they committed their 11th error of the game which allowed SJHS to even things at 24-24. In extended play, a team has to win by two points.
CHS senior Jessica Coffman answered under pressure when she crushed a kill between blockers to give her team a one-point edge. That was not enough as the Panthers cashed in on the final miscue of the night to tie the game at 25-25.
That was as close as the visitors got to an upset. Alyssa Bowyer scored the final two points of the game on a dink and a kill to give Chico its second win of the match.
The third and final win came easily for the Lady Dragons. Christina Cantu, who put on a defensive clinic throughout the night, put down two aces to open the final set and give CHS a 4-0 lead. The squad never lost its momentum as Rachel McKinley reeled off a pair of powerful kills to put things out of reach.
Chico trailed on two occasions early in the first game. However, a barrage of kills by Delani Long, Melanie Gates and McKinley allowed CHS to take the lead for good at 14-13. Shane Wyatt was solid on the night where she routinely stuffed Saint Jo's shots while laying down a few kills of her own.
