Knight-fall for Hubs

Middletown sweeps North out of 2A West

November 04, 2003|by JACK HILL III

The last time Middletown's volleyball team visited North Hagerstown, the Knights had to rally from a 2-1 deficit to squeeze out a five-game thriller on Sept. 16.

Middletown made sure Monday evening's Class 2A West quarterfinal had significantly less suspense. The Knights swept North, 25-19, 25-11, 28-26.

"We knew that it would be a tough match," Middletown coach Jaime Pryor said. "For some reason, we always draw them in the ... regionals. It is always a tough match. When we played them earlier this season, they really served us off the court. We made some adjustments to our serve receive so that our offense could be strong and do its job."

Kristin Young had 28 assists, and Allison Jarkey had 12 service points and seven kills to lead Middletown (13-2). Erin Burtner had 13 digs, Jill Martin had 11 kills, Claire Ciarkowski had 10 service points, Melissa Pfau had eight kills and Amanda Lewis had seven kills and three aces.

"In the first two games, we really didn't play up to our potential," Hubs coach Corry Eagler said. "But the last game was the fight that we needed. I expected us to go back and forth with Middletown, but they found every hole on our side. ... We had a good season."

Ariel Kifer had 10 digs and five kills, while Sarah Staley added seven service points for North Hagerstown (10-10). Katie Plume had eight service points, four kills and four aces, while Kierra Nelson had three blocks.

Pryor is looking forward to Middletown's semifinal match at home on Wednesday against top seed Francis Scott Key, which beat the Knights earlier this season.

"We're playing for revenge against FSK," Pryor said. "It is at our house this time. Middletown has never gotten to the region semifinals before and that is exciting."

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