November 11, 2007

Merritt Island Christian Cougars bump way into state volleyball final four

BY JIM CAWLEY
FLORIDA TODAY

Looking across the court was sort of like looking into a mirror for the Merritt Island Christian volleyball team.

Fortunately for the Cougars, the reflection shined brightly on their side of the net.

Stephanie Quinn had 22 kills, 13 digs and six aces, and Kacie Paulk contributed 24 assists as MIC defeated Geneva 3-1 (25-19, 25-16, 19-25, 25-22) in Saturday's Class 1A, Region 2 final in Winter Park.

"We had heard that they were very much like us, so we figured we were going to play ourselves," MIC coach Laurie Haines said. "And we really executed well."

The win propels the Cougars into the state final four for the second time in school history and sets up a rematch Wednesday against Tampa Bayshore, the team that eliminated them in the 2004 semifinals.

"We had the momentum in pretty much every game until that third one -- and we've never been pushed to a fourth game all year," Haines said.

"In the fourth game, we just managed to hang in there and endure."

The Cougars' Aimee DeWitt had a team-high seven blocks to go along with five kills, while teammate Haleigh Campbell added 21 digs and four aces. Erica Robes chipped in with 10 kills and two blocks.

"They are just enjoying it," Haines said of her players. "Even when they lost that third game and were being pushed in the fourth, they still didn't lose their heart and played like winners. So, I was excited to see that they could handle adversity."

Tampa Bayshore advanced with a 3-1 win against Lake Worth. Warner Christian and Redland Christian are the other teams which advanced to the finals in Lakeland.