The
St. Catharine Patriots (9-8, 3-3 MSC) took the long road to Rio Grande (1-6,
0-5 MSC) Friday night hoping to right the track of their season.
After
dropping three close matches to Lindsey Wilson the night before the Patriots
were hungry for a victory and their meeting with the Red Storm provided just
that. With multiple line-up regulars sitting, the Patriots were able to
overcome the Red Storm’s onslaught of kills and capitalize on their 11 attack
errors.
With
the Patriots leading 2-0, after winning 25-23 and 27-25, the Patriots trailed
the Red Storm 15-6 in the third and were feeling the fear of playing a fourth
set. “It felt that they had our number in the third set” says Head Coach Jason
McDannold. “The first two were close, so it’s not amazing that they had figured
out how to score in bunches.” With the Patriots on their heels, Freshman Erin
Cottrell (Somerset, Ky.) went on a 14-0 serving run, highlighted by three
service aces. “Erin needed that” said McDannold. “Hopefully she will get her
confidence back and be the strong player that we know that she can be.” The run
propelled the Patriots to a 25-20 victory and gave them their third conference
victory on the season.
The
Patriots were led by the front line of Shauna Stone (Bardstown, Ky.) and Allie
Southard (Louisville, Ky.) were able to get 22 kills combined, keeping the Rio
defense off balance. “Our hitters were on tonight” says McDannold. “Abbey
[Sorrells] (Elizabethtown, Ky.) gave them great sets (31 assists) and allowed
them to keep us in the game.” Defensively Jodie Klein (Louisville, Ky.) and
Rebecca Just (Louisville, Ky.) combined for 22 digs, keeping the Red Storm off
the board.
The
Patriots will hit the floor once more when they travel to conference foe
Shawnee State (7-4, 2-3 MSC) on Tuesday at 6 PM.