The cold air would not "ice down" the DAWGS though, as the Magnolia Lady Pups (9th grade) won 25-19, 20-25, 25-21; the JV also won 25-11, 25-9 and it actually may have also worked against the home team, as it slowed down the Lady Panthers varsity who had visions of an upset in their first 2008 meeting with Magnolia in District 18-4A play.
This Panther attack went nowhere against the stronger
Lady Bulldogs who opened their District 18-4A play.
Of course, the steady pounding from the Lady Bulldogs didn't help the Lady Panther's cause either. Lady Bulldog senior OH Kelli Stewart led the Magnolia charge with 13 kills and 6 aces; followed by OH super-sophomore Katzy Randall's 7 kills and 1 ace; MB senior Meagan Little's 6 kills, 3 aces and 2 blocks - while battling in the trenches; coupled with (another) super-sophomore: MB Courtney Felinski who hammered out 4 kills, 3 aces, and a block of her own; while all were being directed by (yet another) super-sophomore setter: Paige Holland who spread around 29 assists. The team was also complimented with outstanding play by seniors Sarah Bacho, Chelsea Rauscher, and junior Angi Gould who kept the ball moving on the court with great passing and transitioning the team on offense.
The 'high flyin' OH Kelli Stewart jammed Caney Creek
with this kill in the DAWGS district opening win.
In the first set, the DAWGS started slowly by dropping their first 2 points to the Lady Panthers, then just as suddenly, ignited and ripped into Caney Creek for 6 straight points, forcing an early Panther time-out - all, without really even unleashing their firepower! The ensuing barrage was a different story with kills coming from Kelli Stewart, Meagan Little, Katzy Randall, and Courtney Felinski that put the DAWGS up 16-7 and in control for good. The Lady Bulldogs seemed to touch the ball on every play; slowing it down when it came across the net with a tip; and/or digging and passing the ball crisply if it got past the DAWGS's front line, etc; and even when the Lady Panthers scored several of their points, the attack attempts were being blocked and the ball was going out of bounds. The DAWGS continued on, utilizing their height advantage and viscous serving with aces that looked like 'frozen ropes' (did I mention it was cold in the gym?) to outscore Caney Creek 9 to 2 from that point, and quickly ice the Panthers 25-9.
Lady Bulldog Sarah Bacho kept her team mates
hopes' alive while giving all she could on this dig.
The second set began with the thawed-out DAWGS blistering the Panthers while jumping out to an insurmountable lead (15-3) behind Kelli's 3 aces and kills, Meagan's blasts at the net (off the frozen Panthers' paws), Courtney's block and aces, Katzy's kill, and a ton of Panther errors. The onslaught continued as the DAWGS slammed home 10 more points to their host's 4 and closing this one out at 25-7. The final point came from a cross court shot off the arms of the Panthers by MB Courtney Felinski which was almost an exclamation point as the cold-hearted DAWGS were serving up a notice that they were not going to be wavering in the momentum department tonight!
Super Soph MB Courtney Felinski making a point
here for the DAWGS at the end of the second set!!
The final set could not come too soon for both the Caney Creek fans and the Magnolia (semi-comatose) followers, clapping like seals in the frozen tundra, and the DAWGS helped everyone out by jumping out to a solid 13-4 lead. Again, Kelli ripped into the Panthers with a kill at 1-0; a "Happy Birthday" gift at 3-0; a kill again at 6-3; then at 9-3; then a backrow kill at 10-4; and a couple more serving aces at 11-4 and 13-4; but her team mates got in on the action as well. Meagan, Katzy and Courtney again blasted the off-guard Panthers who were unknowingly, quietly going into a deep-sleep while committing 8 errors on their own and finally freezing up at 25-9.
The Lady Bulldogs celebrating their first
2008 District 18-4A match victory.
The DAWGS were in a different 'class of volleyball' than Caney Creek this evening and for the first match since Hurricane Ike had disrupted all of Houston's high school schedules (let alone everyones' lives); the injuries and distractions; with this visit being an important District opening match on top of all that - the ladies started the second part of their season looking remarkably solid and collectively focused on the job ahead.Next up will be Magnolia West on Thursday 9/25 with the varsity match starting at 6:00 PM (due to rescheduling, only varsity will play). Don't forget to get your cool Black Spirit Shirt on and wear it on THURSDAY and come help us as we BLACK OUT the Mustangs!!
