Smithsburg Sweeps Clear Spring

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 Leopards volleyball coach back in 1995.

On Wednesday night, 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.

That happened when the Leopards swept the Clear Spring Blazers 15-7, 16-14 and 15-6 in the semifinals.

Smithsburg (13-3) will now host Williamsport on Friday night at 6:00 in the region title match.

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."

Heather Ashley went 10-for-11 from the service line with 19 kills, five blocks and six digs for the Leopards. Jenelle Stouffer was 11-for-12 from the service line with 20 assists and four digs, while Michelle Feiser added eight assists, six kills and six digs for Smithsburg.

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.

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 (2-14). Heather Seavolt and Megan Springer added four kills each, while Lindsay Shives had three digs for the Blazers.

Clear Spring was leading 14-12 during the second game and it was going for the game point when it lost its serve on a judgment call. 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."

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