By Jon Lewis, Northern Illinois Sports Beat writer
DAKOTA - In a matchup of two top teams in the area one expects to see three intense matches right?
Thursday night in Dakota the Indians didn�t agree. Spearheaded by a 10-0 start in the first match and a rally in the second, Dakota sent Orangeville home earlier than expected.
There was a lot of intensity in the air as the game opened but Shannon Mareth was as cool as a cucumber as she led Dakota to a 10-0 lead, forcing Orangeville to use two timeouts in the process.
�We needed to come out strong against a team like Orangeville and we did just that,� Dakota�s Natalie Olsen said.
Following that spurt the first game was pretty much a draw ending with a 25-12 score.
�After that we had our heads down and we couldn�t get them back up for the rest of the match,� Orangeville senior captain Ashley Cramer said. �That�s not the way it should be; we should know that no matter what we can comeback.�
In game two Dakota took control once again jumping out to a 12-3 lead. But then Orangeville�s Nicole DeVries went on a streak of her own getting to show off her jump serve eleven times, forcing Dakota to take two timeouts.
�She has a great serve, the best we have seen all season and we have a tough time receiving it.� Olsen said.
�We have tried to simulate her serve for the last couple weeks,� Dakota coach JoAnne Spesley added. �We did everything from put the air cat (a volleyball launching machine) on a platform to have student assistant who serve with top spin come to practice. But DeVries is so good at it because she can place it anywhere on the floor.�
After the DeVries run Dakota bounced back to tie it up at fifteen. Then with the score tied at twenty Orangeville went on a three-point spurt making the score 23-20. Following that Dakota�s leadership came through with five straight to end the match.
�We have talked about rising in the face of adversity in team meetings all year and that is what we did tonight,� Spensley said.
�We just have to make sure we get to the Regional to get the rematch,� Cramer exclaimed. �It�s hard to beat a team three times.� |
