Smithsburg stays on track in repeat quest

November 11, 1999|By JACK HILL III

SMITHSBURG - It has almost become a regular routine for Jim Klein to make an appearance at the region championship match since he became the Smithsburg volleyball coach in 1995.

Wednesday, Smithsburg advanced to the Maryland Class 1A South Region volleyball championship match for the third straight year and for the fourth time in the last five years with a 15-7, 16-14, 15-6 victory over the Blazers in the region semifinals.

Smithsburg (13-3) will host Williamsport at 6 p.m. Friday for the region title.

Last year, Smithsburg won both the region title and the state title.

"We got to play our freshmen a lot," Klein said. "We worked on a couple of different lineups. When I used different combinations, it helped me to analyze my team a little bit better. We got to work on different things for next year and for our next match. Everyone got to play and they played pretty well. I think that we are ready for the next step."

Clear Spring (2-14) made sure this step wasn't an easy one, however. The Blazers led 14-12 in Game 2, but couldn't convert on game point after a judgement call by the official. Smithsburg then scored the next four points to win the game.

"It is a shame that it ends on calls that we sometimes disagree with," Clear Spring coach Karri Ernst said. "That caused our girls to get down a little bit. Stats don't show the hustle that my girls gave tonight. My girls played the game of their season during the second game."

Heather Ashley went 10-for-11 from the service line with 19 kills, five blocks and six digs for the Leopards, while Michelle Feiser added eight assists, six kills and six digs for Smithsburg.

Jenn Mentzer went 16-for-18 from the service line with 11 service points and 10 digs, while Kasey Gruber was 13-for-13 from the service line with six assists for Clear Spring.

Amber Biser contributed 11 assists, while both B.J. Greenwood (10-for-10) and Cary McGuire (8-for-8) served 100 percent for the Leopards. McGuire also had eight service points. Lauren Richards added eight kills and two blocks, while Katie Powell had four kills for Smithsburg.

Heather Seavolt and Megan Springer added four kills each, while Lindsay Shives had three digs for the Blazers.

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