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FLC stuns Mesa in 2009 finale
Skyhawks finish season with sweep
Herald Sports Writer
“That was a really nice finish. Our record doesn’t really indicate the talent that we have.”
Shelly Aaland,
FLC volleyball coach
If they pick up where they left off, 2009 quickly will become a distant memory.
The Skyhawks looked like the cream of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference West Division in beating Mesa State 3-0 on Friday night at Whalen Gymnasium, giving almost 250 family and friends a glimpse of what could have been - or what could be - on Senior/Parent Night.
"That was a really nice finish," FLC head coach Shelly Aaland said. "Our record doesn't really indicate the talent that we have." The Mavericks (17-10 overall, 15-3 RMAC) came in on a five-match winning streak in which they dropped just a single set to Adams State. Their last loss came in five sets to No. 4 Nebraska-Kearney on Oct. 16, and that was preceded by four more three-set RMAC wins.
So it was only natural to assume FLC would falter after winning the first 25-22, then the second 26-24.
Not so. The Skyhawks (10-17, 8-11) shut the door 25-16 in Set 3 for their sixth win in their final eight matches.
"Being in that position in past years, when you know you have a postseason, it's really hard to play against teams that know they don't," Aaland said. "Because this is all we had.
"It may have been a situation where they overlooked us a little bit, but I don't care. I'll take it." The Mavericks hit just .034 for the match and were outblocked seven to two, but that wasn't the result of any master plan.
"I don't think I did much different," Aaland said. "You can attribute that to the girls and how well they played." FLC jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the first set after kills from Chelsea Flaming, Natalie Reed and Taylor Hilberry, but the Mavericks battled back to 5-5. The Skyhawks regained the lead, but Mesa State again tied it at 14, and it was tied at 20 when a series of MSC errors led to a 23-20 FLC advantage.
First Flaming scored a kill, then the Mavericks were unable to return Jessica Wilson's back-row attack after a long rally, and the Skyhawks found themselves up 1-0.
It was again tied at 5 in the second when senior Katherine Sumrall led the hosts to five consecutive points off her serve - including two aces - for a 10-5 lead.
Mesa State battled back to 22-all and then took a two-point lead to serve for set point, but Hilberry and Jordan Squiers converged for a block, and Alisan Tompkins' attack sailed wide to squander it for the Mavericks.
Wilson's ace capped a hot start for the Durango High School graduate in Set 3 that gave FLC a 9-4 lead.
The visitors knotted it at 13 on an ace from Devin Florez, but FLC recorded eight of the next nine points for a 21-14 lead.
Wilson blasted a kill, and three more errors from Mesa State ended the match 3-0.
Wilson led the Skyhawks with 10 kills and just four errors, while Hilberry added eight against two. Reed's seven kills came without a single mishap.
DHS graduate Tessa Andrews had 11 kills and just two errors for the Mavericks.
"She didn't do the damage that she did last time," Aaland said of Andrews. "The other outside (Tompkins) hit a -.208, so that means we did our job." Bayfield High School graduate Whitney Howard had eight digs for the Mavericks.
"It was a great way to go out," McDonald said of her last match as a Skyhawk - joining Childs and defensive specialist Sumrall.
"They're probably the best bunch of girls I've ever played with," McDonald said. "We worked hard all season. We came over our bump, pushed each other in practice, and we knew we had a lot of potential. We showed it (Friday night)." mpiper@durangoherald.comBy Matthew Piper Herald Sports Writer After a season-ending injury to star setter Melissa Childs and a 2-11 start that included losing streaks of five and six games, Shelly Aaland and the Fort Lewis College volleyball team set out to prepare for a successful 2010.
If they pick up where they left off, 2009 quickly will become a distant memory.
The Skyhawks looked like the cream of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference West Division in beating Mesa State 3-0 on Friday night at Whalen Gymnasium, giving almost 250 family and friends a glimpse of what could have been - or what could be - on Senior/Parent Night.
"That was a really nice finish," FLC head coach Shelly Aaland said. "Our record doesn't really indicate the talent that we have." The Mavericks (17-10 overall, 15-3 RMAC) came in on a five-match winning streak in which they dropped just a single set to Adams State. Their last loss came in five sets to No. 4 Nebraska-Kearney on Oct. 16, and that was preceded by four more three-set RMAC wins.
So it was only natural to assume FLC would falter after winning the first 25-22, then the second 26-24.
Not so. The Skyhawks (10-17, 8-11) shut the door 25-16 in Set 3 for their sixth win in their final eight matches.
"Being in that position in past years, when you know you have a postseason, it's really hard to play against teams that know they don't," Aaland said. "Because this is all we had.
"It may have been a situation where they overlooked us a little bit, but I don't care. I'll take it." The Mavericks hit just .034 for the match and were outblocked seven to two, but that wasn't the result of any master plan.
"I don't think I did much different," Aaland said. "You can attribute that to the girls and how well they played." FLC jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the first set after kills from Chelsea Flaming, Natalie Reed and Taylor Hilberry, but the Mavericks battled back to 5-5. The Skyhawks regained the lead, but Mesa State again tied it at 14, and it was tied at 20 when a series of MSC errors led to a 23-20 FLC advantage.
First Flaming scored a kill, then the Mavericks were unable to return Jessica Wilson's back-row attack after a long rally, and the Skyhawks found themselves up 1-0.
It was again tied at 5 in the second when senior Katherine Sumrall led the hosts to five consecutive points off her serve - including two aces - for a 10-5 lead.
Mesa State battled back to 22-all and then took a two-point lead to serve for set point, but Hilberry and Jordan Squiers converged for a block, and Alisan Tompkins' attack sailed wide to squander it for the Mavericks.
Wilson's ace capped a hot start for the Durango High School graduate in Set 3 that gave FLC a 9-4 lead.
The visitors knotted it at 13 on an ace from Devin Florez, but FLC recorded eight of the next nine points for a 21-14 lead.
Wilson blasted a kill, and three more errors from Mesa State ended the match 3-0.
Wilson led the Skyhawks with 10 kills and just four errors, while Hilberry added eight against two. Reed's seven kills came without a single mishap.
DHS graduate Tessa Andrews had 11 kills and just two errors for the Mavericks.
"She didn't do the damage that she did last time," Aaland said of Andrews. "The other outside (Tompkins) hit a -.208, so that means we did our job." Bayfield High School graduate Whitney Howard had eight digs for the Mavericks.
"It was a great way to go out," McDonald said of her last match as a Skyhawk - joining Childs and defensive specialist Sumrall.
"They're probably the best bunch of girls I've ever played with," McDonald said. "We worked hard all season. We came over our bump, pushed each other in practice, and we knew we had a lot of potential. We showed it (Friday night)." mpiper@durangoherald.com
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