By MATT KING\Daily Journal Sports Writer

Published: Thursday, September 09, 2004
Updated: Thursday, September 9, 2004 11:14 AM CDT

PARK HILLS - The Mineral Area College volleyball squad ended its two-match losing streak in grand style on Wednesday. The confident Lady Cardinals made short work of rival Three Rivers, sweeping the Lady Raiders in straight games for a 30-21, 30-15, 30-22 victory at the Bob Sechrest, Sr. Fieldhouse.

The win for Mineral Area was a strong recovery from Tuesday's home loss to Shawnee.

"We were a much different team tonight," commented MAC coach Cindy Martin. "There was a lot more intensity and enthusiasm out there."

The Lady Cardinals were by far the superior team, especially in passing and blocking. They also displayed consistent accuracy with their attacking, forcing Three Rivers to scramble and make mistakes.

"I feel that if we pass and block well, it will result in a win," added Martin. "We did both of those things tonight." MAC scored the first three points of the match, capped by a stuff-block by Jane Latu.

Samantha Rogoff was the early primary hitting option for Three Rivers. Rogoff evened game one at 4-4 with her third kill. The Lady Raiders enjoyed a brief 10-9 lead following a cross-court spike by Katie Heath.

The Lady Cardinals scored eight straight points on the serve of Cassidy Wisdom mid-way through game one, and remained in control from there. Sarah Koenig started the rally with a kill in the deep corner. Tiara Boyer and Latu executed stuff-blocks on consecutive points.

Latu and Jessica Wines combined on another block to give MAC its largest lead of game one at 23-13. The Lady Cardinals finished off the opening stanza with more power at the net, including two more deep kills from Koenig. Mineral Area scored 16 of its first 30 points on kills.

Game two was owned by the Lady Cardinals from start to finish as they continued to use Three Rivers' back row for target practice. Colleen Crider beat a double-block for a kill after Wines hit the line with a spike to give the home team a comfortable 10-3 advantage. Jessica Bollinger hammered down a quick set to stretch the margin to 13-4.

Wines recorded six of MAC's 22 total kills during the middle game. Her final one made the score 27-10 before the Lady Raiders answered with four straight points. Ali Tyson followed her own strong dig with a kill to set up game point, then tipped the ball off of a double-block for the win.

The only negative stretch during the match for the Lady Cardinals occurred early in game three. A series of mistimed passes and failed attacks helped the Lady Raiders break in front, 9-2.

Mineral Area responded well, scoring six consecutive points to close the gap to a single point. Bollinger rejected the Three Rivers attack on two straight points during the comeback run.

Three Rivers displayed its resilience by firing back with four straight points to lead 14-9, but the Lady Cardinals made to necessary corrections to storm back. Koenig and Boyer deflected spikes off of blocks to even the score at 14-14.

Game three remained close at 17-17 after Latu traded hard kills with Omega Key of the Lady Raiders, but MAC mounted an important four-point run to regain command of the match.

"The girls fell asleep for a little while in the third game, but really showed their character by coming back," added Martin.

Three Rivers scrambled to cover its side of the net throughout the remainder of the contest. Jessica Murdick surprised the opposition by dropping a nifty shot into a gaping hole in the Lady Raider defense, making the score 29-22. A mishandled serve on the next point ended the match.

Several Lady Cardinals posted strong hitting numbers. Latu led the team with 12 kills, while Koenig amassed 11 and Wines tallied 10. MAC also had eight kills from Boyer, and seven each from Crider and Bollinger.

Murdick delivered a team-high 21 assists, and Tyson chipped in 14. The back row was also good when tested. Koenig compiled seven digs, while Crider and Wisdom each had five.

Mineral Area (12-4) will play a pair of matches on Monday evening at McKendree College. The Lady Cardinals will face the host school's J.V. squad, and John A. Logan College.