Wednesday, October 15th, 2008

Roughriders get off to good start in tourney

By Ryan Hines
Photo by Mark Pummell/The Daily Standard

St. Marys volleyball players, including Liz Sampson, 8, Rachel Wale, 12, Jessica Taylor, 25, and Megan Bruggeman, in white, celebrate a Division II sectional semifinal victory over Wapakoneta on Tuesday evening at Van Wert High School. St. Marys, which also beat Wapakoneta during the regular season, won the tournament matchup, 25-17, 19-25, 25-17 and 25-23.

VAN WERT - Despite playing without a couple of impact players, the St. Marys volleyball team was able to open the postseason with a victory.
The Roughriders beat Auglaize county rival Wapakoneta for the second time this season, 25-17, 19-25, 25-17 and 25-23 in Division II sectional semifinal action at Van Wert on Tuesday.
St. Marys, which beat Wapakoneta in three games earlier this season on Sept. 18th, improves to 6-16 this year and will play Grand Lake rival and top-seeded Celina (18-4) on Saturday at 1 p.m., back at Van Wert. Wapakoneta's season comes to a merciful end after a 2-15 campaign.
Roughriders head coach Tricia Naseman was happy that her team got off to a good start in postseason play.
"We played with confidence and we played as a team and that's exactly what we need in tournament play," said Naseman.
A foot injury has kept Erika Thornsberry out of the Roughriders' lineup for some time now and defensive star Bailey Smith was unable to play because of the flu. Missing Thornsberry and Smith are big losses for the Roughriders, but Naseman liked what she saw from her short-handed squad.
"We have one of our middles out for the season and we also had one of our outside hitters, who is also one of the best defensive players in the league, out for tonight too, so we were really happy with the way that the girls went out there and fought to win," said Naseman. "We adjusted well out there with a new lineup and our seniors led the way for us and helped some of the newer girls to be in the right position.
"Liz Sampson came in and did a good job to replace Thornsberry in the middle, and Rena Brown and Shelby Core did a good job on the outside for Bailey," added Naseman.
Wapakoneta had an early advantage over St. Marys with a 13-9 lead in game one, but aggressive serving helped the Roughriders battle back.
A pair of Kara Cheslock aces and a Jessica Taylor kill helped St. Marys tie the score at 13-13.
The two teams traded points until it was 15-15, and that's when St. Marys grabbed control of game one. Megan Bruggeman had a pair of aces to spark a six-point Roughriders run that pushed St. Marys in front 21-15 to force a Wapak timeout. Wapak never got closer than four points down the stretch as a Rachel Wale ace and a Jenny Brown kill gave St. Marys a 25-17 win.
In game two, Wapakoneta erased a St. Marys lead with a spurt at the midway point and never looked back. The Roughriders were nursing a 9-8 lead, but Sheila Hahn's serving and Devon Golden's four kills led to a seven-point burst by Wapakoneta that put the Redskins in front, 15-9.
St. Marys never pulled any closer than three points the rest of the way and Wapakoneta evened the match with a 25-19 win.
The Roughriders won the first game after being aided by five aces and St. Marys got another big boost from its serving in game three.
St. Marys registered seven kills in the third game, by five different players, and rode the service game to a 25-17 win. Jenny Brown and Bruggeman each had two aces while Wale, Rena Brown and Cheslock all had one ace apiece.
"I thought that we needed to come out and serve aggressively to keep them off balance, which also created a few more misses, but we also got quite a few aces because of the increased aggression," said Naseman.
The fourth and final game was tight throughout. After 12 ties and eight lead changes, St. Marys was finally able to take the lead for good after a Liz Sampson block made it 21-20.
Jenny Brown and Taylor also added kills to make it 23-20 in favor of St. Marys, but Wapakoneta got as close as 24-23 before the Roughriders finished the night with a Shelby Core kill.
Jenny Brown led St. Marys with 10 kills and three aces while Taylor and Wale contributed seven kills and two aces each. St. Marys had 20 aces versus Wapakoneta with Bruggeman and Cheslock pacing the way with six and five, respectively.
Photo by Mark Pummell/The Daily Standard

St. Marys' libero Megan Bruggeman gets low for a dig during the Division II sectional semifinal match against Wapakoneta on Tuesday at Van Wert High School. St. Marys beat Wapak in four games.

Photo by Mark Pummell/The Daily Standard

St. Marys' Rachel Wale, 12, spikes the ball for one of her seven kills during the Roughriders' four-game win over Wapakoneta on Tuesday evening in Division II tournament action.

Additional online stories on this date
A Mercer County judge closed a Tuesday hearing to the public and the media at which a coroner was to answer questions regarding the July 6 death of a St. Henry area infant. [More]
A Versailles couple were killed late Monday afternoon after their pickup truck traveled through a stop sign and collided with another pickup truck near Rossburg. [More]
NEW BREMEN - The always rugged New Bremen volleyball sectional kicked off on Tuesday night with doubleheader action, as one Midwest Athletic Conference team gritted out a tough four-game win and another brought home a victory with a little more ease. [More]
Subscriber and paid stories on this date
Roughly 500 rainbow trout will be released Thursday into an enclosed channel off state Route 364 at Grand Lake St. Marys State Park, providing a rare fishing opportunity for anglers.
Two area women are seeking one vacant seat on the State Board of Education for District 1, which includes Mercer and Auglaize counties.
The candidates hope to fill the position of current board representative Lou Ann Harrold of Ada, who is not seeking re-election.
WAPAKONETA - A recently-completed health assessment survey revealed information that Auglaize County officials already suspected: the county has a drinking problem.
NEW BREMEN - Greg Myers approached the podium Tuesday night carrying a large, worn black briefcase.
Myers told those attending the chamber's 10th a
NEW BREMEN - Local officials, like their counterparts across the state and the Midwest, are hoping for a mild winter with little ice and snow in the wake of a salt shortage.
Mercer County commissioners agreed to give an additional $15,000 to the county's veterans' services agency to help offset higher-than-normal fuel and salary expenses that have squeezed their budget.
COLDWATER - A group of teachers continue to fight the Ohio Education Association (OEA) and local union affiliates with lawsuits in order to have their union fees diverted to charities and not the state and national unions.
Students from St. Henry, Fort Recovery and New Bremen schools interested in engineering and trade skills may attend an Oct. 22 presentation at New Bremen High School's James Dicke Auditorium.
FINDLAY - The Celina girls soccer team opened Division I sectional play in fine style, shutting out Shawnee 4-0 at Elmer Graham Soccer Stadium in Findlay.
ROCKFORD - Coldwater volleyball head coach Mandy Diller said she was used to watching the Division III sectional semifinals because the Cavaliers usually had a bye to open the postseason.
Compiled by Gary R. Rasberry
The Versailles volleyball team advanced to the sectional finals at the Division III Brookville Sectional on Tuesday with a three-game sweep of Dayton Christian.
SHAWNEE TOWNSHIP - It was not exactly the way the St. Marys boys soccer team wanted their season to end, but it was a fitting way for the season to end.