Lady Jays volley by Ottoville

Published:  Tuesday, October 14, 2008 (1 month, 2 weeks ago)
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By MICHAEL WRASMAN
The Delphos Herald

OTTOVILLE — The St. John’s Blue Jays defeated the Ottoville Lady Big Green 25-16, 23-25, 25-15. 25-21  in a non-league volleyball encounter on the L.W. Heckman floor Saturday morning.
It was a “Volley For A Cure” match, with the Lady Green wearing white shirts with pink letters.
With the score knotted at 2 in the first tilt, St. John’s senior Mycalah Jackson got six consecutive service points, including an ace, to force Ottoville coach Susan Gertsen to call for a timeout. But Jackson (4 aces) got five more points via serve, aided by two Brittany Metzger kills.
At that point in the game, it looked as if the rout was on as St. John’s held a 13-2 advantage. However, junior Samantha Modica pulled the hostesses within 16-8 with three serves; when junior Holly Heitmeyer got three more service points for the Lady Green, Ottoville was within 17-12.
“Sam wants that ball,” Gersten noted.
Then senior Brittany Miller, with her jump-serve, got six service markers (including an ace) for the Lady Jays. Ottoville had one last game-1 rally left in them; senior Brittany Beining, aided by three blocks by senior Tricia Honigford, pulled the Lady Green to 23-16. However, Denise Knippen’s ace ended game 1.
On a combination block by Tiffany Geise and Lindsy Reindel, St. John’s took a 10-9 second-game edge. Modica, however, scored four points to give Ottoville a 14-10 lead. Heitmeyer’s two serves put them up 17-11, causing an upset St. John’s coach Kaila Cook to call time. That rallied the Jays as Knippen tied the score with five service points.
Nicole Wallenhorst’s serve got St. John’s within 24-23 and worried the Lady Big Green partisans but the Jays hit the ball out, giving Ottoville the game.
“Ottoville played a great second game,” Cook noted. “I was not happy. They really took it to us. We had a good match against Marion Local and had good intensity and I thought it was going to continue. You have to hand it to Ottoville.”
“We played well in the second game,” Gertsen said.
In game 3, on a Tasha Kaufman serve, the hostesses led 8-7 when St. John’s hit the ball out. Then senior Ashley Jettinghoff got four points to give the guests a 12-8 lead. Libero Hannah Ricker got two service markers, putting St. John’s up 19-15, and Gertsen called time. Five Ricker service points later, she called another timeout, but Ricker ended the game with an ace.
“Their libero was everywhere,” Gertsen commented.
Modica’s serve gave Ottoville a 12-9 edge in game 4. Miller, helped by kills by Metzger, Knippen and Wallenhorst, put the Lady Jays up 13-12. After a combo block by Wallenhorst and Metzger, Gertsen called time down 17-14. A Kaufman serve got them within 20-19. A Wallenhorst serve and a Reindel block forced another Lady Green timeout down 22-19. Wallenhorst got two more service points. Her next serve went into the net; Modica saved one match point but a combo block by Geise and Reindel gave the match to the Jays.
St. John’s (8-9) plays Lincolnview in the Lincolnview sectional Tuesday evening (6 p.m.).
“Our front line (Tricia, Brittany, Tasha, Sam and Chelsea Ditto) really got up there,” Gertsen concluded. “They did a good job tonight.”
Ottoville (11-11) battles Jefferson in the late match at Lincolnview.
St. John’s won the JV contest 25-10, 25-10 to finish 14-4 (5-4 in the MAC).

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