Thursday, October 28, 2010

Cardinal season ends in five-set loss to Panthers

Coon Rapids saw its 2010 season come to an end in the first round of the Section 6AAA playoffs with a 27-25, 14-25, 25-17, 21-25, 15-7 loss at Spring Lake Park.

After a tight battle throughout the match, the Cardinals fell victim to their own errors in the fifth set. Eight hitting errors, two service errors and two receptions errors accounted for 12 of the Panthers' 15 points. In finishing the match on a 9-2 run, Spring Lake Park recorded just one point via a kill.

The Panthers dominated early in the match and looked like they may make quick work out of the Cardinals, scoring the first five points of the night and eventually grabbing a six-point lead at 10-4.

Coon Rapids finally got untracked and finally created the first of five ties in the set at 18-18 and would twice serve for the opening set before a Brady Melberg tied the match at 25-25 with a kill and then served the Panthers' final two points.

The second set saw the Cardinals take command early. After ties at 2-2 and 3-3, they scored three consecutive points for a 6-3 lead and used an 11-3 run to help put the set away. Nine different players contributed points in the set for Coon Rapids with Ashley Engen recording three kills, Hannah Fitzer three blocks and Courtney Pasiowitz three aces to lead the way.

The third set, despite being an eight-point victory for the hosts, was the most contested set of the night, featuring 10 ties and five lead changes, but Spring Lake Park snapped a 13-13 tie with five consecutive points and took a 2-1 lead by finishing the set on a 12-4 run.

The Panthers carried that momentum into the fourth set, taking a 9-2 run and appeared poised to finish the match in four sets. Coon Rapids countered with an 11-2 run to take a 13-11 lead and Engen led the charge to the fourth-set win, collecting five kills in eight attacks while adding three aces to account for eight points.

The fifth set saw Coon Rapids hit -.160 with four kills and eight errors and the Panthers were able to escape with the five-set win.

The Cardinals finish the season with a 13-16 record and recorded their highest win total since 2003.

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