Thursday's high school highlights
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By Shannon Heaton | Monday, September 15, 2008 |
Volleyball
Moline def. Rock Island, 2 sets to 0
The skinny: Moline hitters dominate the front line in an easy 25-13, 25-11 Western Big Six Conference-opening victory at Rock Island on Tuesday night.
The keys: Balance and consistency (only six hitting errors compared to 28 kills) along the front for the Maroons (7-0, 1-0 Big 6). Serving kept the Rocks (5-2, 0-1) on their heels all night, as Moline had six aces.
The twist: Rock Island scored three points on offense in the second set; the rest came via Moline errors.
The quotes: “We passed the ball awfully well, we served the ball awfully well, and that’s why the match got lopsided. I felt our offense was sharper and we had fewer swinging errors than we’ve had (prior to Tuesday night).” — Moline coach Tim Albrecht.
“Our talent’s really spread around and age isn’t really an issue. Everyone can lead. We’ve worked a lot on defense, and with a good pass, the hitting just comes.” — Moline senior Halie Ecker.
“We try to mix it up as much as we can, and me and Halie split up the blockers. It’s a lot of work. It’s a lot of fun, though. It’s a lot different from (starting) sophomore year and sitting on the bench junior year.” — Moline senior Kathi Hinz.
“Moline took it to us. They outplayed us. We were nowhere near their level of play. It’s disappointing when we have a nice crowd to watch us play and didn’t play anywhere near what we’re capable of.” — Rock Island coach Bill Churchill.
Bettendorf def. Muscatine, 3 sets to 0
The skinny: Bettendorf improved to 2-0 in the Mississippi Athletic Conference with a 25-18, 26-24, 25-12 victory over the Muskies.
The keys: Sydney Fleege had 10 kills for Bettendorf, fueling an offense that largely — outside of the second set — wasn’t challenged by Muscatine.
The twist: Junior Melissa Dunlavy showed strong play on both lines, with three blocks up front and a team-leading 13 digs.
North Scott def. North, 3 sets to 1
The skinny: After the Wildcats tied the match with a 25-20 second-set win, the Lancers rallied with 25-20 victories in both the third and fourth sets.
The keys: Swings up front proved huge for North Scott (2-5, 1-1 MAC), as senior Jenna Higgins led the way with 11 kills, with junior Courtney Holmes adding nine. The Lancers had another strong serving night, with Kayla Hamilton serving up five aces and Higgins adding three.
The twist: North Scott’s 6-2 offense worked well, as Courtney Nagle dished out 18 assists and Zoe Cawiezell adding 14.
Preston def. Midland, 3 sets to 0
The skinny: Preston bagged 11 service aces and a huge defensive night, defeating Midland, 25-22, 25-21 and 25-6.
The keys: Emily Henningsen and Tiffany Bormann, in particular, put together big dig numbers for a three-set match, combining for 24.
The twist: At the same time that Henningsen and Bormann led the Preston defense, they also had the most aces (six for Bormann and three for Henningsen). Bormann also had nine kills.
Camanche def. Bellevue, 3 sets to 0
The skinny: The Indians rolled to an easy conference win, 25-17, 25-14 and 25-14, behind a powerful hitting attack.
The keys: The Camanche hitting trio of Tiana Bark, Ashtyn Dixon and Chelsea Moore combined for 26 kills – good for nearly 40 percent of the Indians’ points.
The twist: Moore, in particular, seemed to be everywhere bedeviling Bellevue. She also had, in addition to six kills, seven digs and an eye-popping 11 service aces.
West Branch def. Wilton, 3 sets to 1
The skinny: After Wilton took the first set 25-15, West Branch went on a tear to close out the match, winning 25-17, 25-21 and 25-20.
The keys: Wilton tried to stay in the match behind the swinging Broders sisters. Shelby and Nicole Broders each had 11 kills for the Beavers, with Emily Gray adding 11 more.
Fulton def. Morrison, 2 sets to 1
The skinny: The Steamers served up 12 aces in the Three Rivers Conference victory after dropping the first set to the Fillies, 25-13.
The keys: Lindsey Renkes bagged 11 kills as Fulton came back steadily, winning the second and third sets, 25-21 and 25-15.
Erie def. Bureau Valley, 2 sets to 1
The skinny: After the Storm got back into the match with a 25-18 second-set victory, the Cardinals rallied back for a 25-20 victory in the third and decisive set.
The keys: Balanced attack, as Sydney Stewart, Claire Black and Kara Snowden all had eight kills for Erie.
The twist: Bureau Valley was under attack all night, and their dig leaders’ numbers proved it, as Lindsey Kieser had 10 for the match.
Annawan def. Wethersfield, 2 sets to 0
The skinny: In a battle of teams that co-op in several sports, it was the Bravettes that controlled the battle of the split schools, 25-23, 25-17.
The keys: Senior Aron Jackson had an enormous night for Annawan. Her strong jumping ability led to 10 kills, a big total for two sets, and she added three service aces as well.
Rockridge def. Farmington, 2 sets to 0
The skinny: The Rockets dominated the Olympic Conference match, 25-13, 25-14, behind the hitting strength of Chelsey Widdop and Haley Kitchell, who combined for 15 kills.
The keys: Kitchell proved equally adept on the attack (seven kills) and in setting up others for the attack (six assists). Widdop added four blocks, while Hillary Johnson had three, with 11 assists.
Girls’ swimming & diving
Davenport North 102, Morrison 100
The skinny: In a dual meet that can’t get much closer than this one, North pulled out the victory with a 2.55-second advantage in the final event, the 400-yard freestyle relay.
The keys: Marguerite DelVecchio was a double winner (100 butterfly and 100 backstroke) for North, which won five events to Morrison’s six but had more depth.
The twist: None of the 400 relay members – Elizabeth Hines, Erica Osborne, Brittany Grosskopf and Megan Carney – won another event during the dual for the Wildcats.
United Township 120, Davenport West 61
The skinny: The Panthers won all but two events in dominating the dual.
The keys: Alyssa Busch, Sasha Johnson and Erin Willhite were all triple winners for UT, with Busch leading off the 200 medley and winning the 50 and 100 freestyles. Johnson swam second on the medley and won the 200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke events. Willhite won the 200 and 500 freestyles and jumped back in the pool after the 500 to anchor the UT 200 free relay.
The twist: West’s Kristi Hanno was part of both event wins for the Falcons. She won the 100 butterfly by nearly two seconds for the Falcons’ only individual win.
Clinton 105, Dubuque Senior 78
The skinny: It was a closer dual than it seemed to play out, as the River Queens won all but two events.
The keys: Larissa Wilden won four events for Clinton, with legs on two relays and firsts in the 200 IM and 100 butterfly. Taylor Rippon was also a four-event winner, with legs on the 200 and 400 freestyle relays and wins in the 100 back and 200 free.
The twist: One of Dubuque’s wins was in diving, where the Rams went 1-2.
Boys’ golf
Moline 144, Annawan/Wethersfield 179
The skinny: Moline ripped apart East Moline’s Short Hills Country Club, as a pair of 35s and a pair of 37s fueled the Maroons.
The keys: Senior John Grchan and junior Bryce Bohman shared medalist honors, with 1-under rounds of 35.
The twist: Only two golfers – including D.J. Phelps, a teammate of Grchan and Bohman – have shot 1-under over 9 holes so far this season.
Rock Island 158, United Township 180
The skinny: Every one of Rock Island’s golfers went below United Township’s No. 1 in a 22-shot victory.
The keys: Consistency hasn’t been a problem for the Rocks. Going low has. With Zach Carlson shooting 37 and Aaron Wilson 38, Rock Island may be getting closer to both.
The twist: No. 5 Cameron Ruiz, who shot 42 for Rock Island, didn’t count toward his team’s score, but would have been UT’s No. 1 Thursday.
Riverdale & Cambridge triangular
The skinny: Williamsfield defeated Riverdale, 166-170, with Cambridge third at 211.
The keys: Great consistency by the Billtown golfers. No one shot higher than 42 and lower than 41.
The twist: Riverdale’s Dustin Flesch was the individual medalist and went below 40 for nine holes for the first time this season.
Sherrard 167, Aledo 181
The skinny: A pair of 40s from Connor Bjustrom and Trevor Leinbach led the Tigers to the dual-meet win.
The keys: A pair of reasonable rounds from Nick Coonce and Rudy Scavuzzo provided enough balance to pull off the victory.
The twist: Aledo’s Kyle McEwen bagged medalist honors, going one lower than Bjustrom and Leinbach with a 39.
Girls’ golf
Alleman 162, Rock Island 179
The skinny: Abby Frideres shot an even-par 34 at Saukie Golf Course – the home for both teams – in a cross-town battle.
The keys: Frideres wasn’t the only Pioneer to go low, as Katie Moore – already the possessor of a 34 at Saukie earlier in the week – shot a 37.
The twist: For the second consecutive dual, Kelsey Kernan put up a good score, leading the Rocks with a 39.
Boys’ soccer
Galesburg 4, Peoria Christian 2
The skinny: The team with the area’s best record picked up another win Thursday night, scoring three goals in the second half to move to 5-0-1 on the season.
The keys: Jacob Krisher – the area’s top scorer so far this year – bagged a hat trick, including the go-ahead and insurance ones in the second half.
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