Thursday, September 30, 2010

Service game proves to be difference in Cardinals loss to Orioles

Osseo held a 16-point advantage in four sets, 13 of which came from the service game, as the Orioles defeated Coon Rapids, 25-22, 23-25, 25-18, 25-17.

Osseo had 12 aces to five for the Cardinals, and 10 errors to 16 for the hosts. Coon Rapids served just 80.7 percent on 83 attempts for the night compared to .897 on 97 attempts for the Orioles.

Coon Rapids committed six service errors in the opening set, which spelled the difference in a three-point loss. Ashley Engen had five kills, without and error, in 10 attacks and Paige Jones had 10 assists in 23 set attempts as the Cardinals offense was on track in the early going.

The second set saw 10 tie scores and five lead changes before a kill by Engen broke a 23-23 tie and her service ace gave Coon Rapids the win and tied the match at one set apiece. Once again, Engen paced the offense with six kills and a .417 hitting percentage while Jones recorded 10 more assists while setting at a .455 clip.

The Cardinals never led in the third set as an 8-0 run by Osseo turned a 4-4 tie into a 12-4 lead. The hosts came back, cutting the lead to 18-16 at one point, but the Orioles finished on a 7-2 run to take a 2-1 lead in the match.

In the final set, an early five-point run by Osseo broke a 3-3 tie and, when a block Angela Koch and Courtney Pasiowitz cut the lead to 13-12, the visitors went on a six-point run and cruised to the eight-point win to close out the match.

Engen accounted for a match-high 19.5 points with 15 kills, hitting .324 on the night, with a block and four aces. Jones had a season-high .392 setting percentage with 31 assists while also contributing three blocks.

The Cardinals are next in action Saturday, Oct. 2, when they hosts the Coon Rapids Invitational. The Cardinals open tournament play at 9 a.m. by taking on Hastings. The round-robin event also features Centennial, Providence, Robbinsdale Armstrong, Rogers and Stillwater.

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