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	The Manchester Enterprise A Heritage Newspaper Weekly Publication

Rally falls short, Irish eliminate Dutch

Spikers erase deficit, but Gabriel Richard wins in five games

By Ed Patino, Staff Writer

PUBLISHED: March 8, 2007

With its season hanging in the balance, the Manchester varsity volleyball team began making an improbable comeback.

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The rally fell one game short, however, and the Flying Dutch were eliminated by a 25-23, 26-24, 16-25, 21-25, 15-7 loss to the Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard Fighting Irish in the opening round of the Class C district tournament at Madison High School.

Gabriel Richard was eliminated Saturday in a semifinal loss to Whitmore Lake, which captured the district by defeating Clinton in the finals. Manchester (19-21-4, 4-3 Cascades) saw a tumultuous season come to an end Feb. 28.

The Dutch were in danger of being swept after close losses in the first two games. They showed their mettle by surging to victory in the third game and pulling away for the fourth. The comeback was halted in the deciding fifth game as Gabriel Richard scored eight straight points to pull away.

"We had our ups and downs this year, and finishing third in the conference was good," Manchester interim coach Kim Meyer said. "The girls did an awesome job to come back from two games down."

In the fifth game, the Irish busted a 3-3 tie by scoring the next eight points with Kara Panfil serving. Johanna Grum and Jenny Moote each provided long kills during the run, sparking Gabriel Richard to an 11-3 lead. Julie Fielder pulled the Dutch back into the game by serving four straight points, but a pair of aces by Julia Stella clinched the match for the Irish.

Manchester trailed throughout the first game, but almost stole the win. After Emily Norton's kill gave Gabriel Richard a 24-19 lead, Amanda Mutchler recorded two blocks and a kill and Fielder served an ace, bringing the Dutch to within one. Norton stopped the bleeding and gave the Irish the game by tapping over a kill.

"There was some miscommunication early on, but they got it together," Meyer said. "Once they knew they could play with this team, they stepped up."

Midway through the second game, Crystal Poertner served six consecutive points, helping the Dutch turn a three-point deficit into an 18-15 lead. Gabriel Richard rallied, and a kill by Stella and block from Rosie Royce gave the Irish a 22-21 lead. Manchester jumped back ahead and had match point, but Moote sent over two kills and a four-hit violation on the Dutch gave Gabriel Richard a two-game lead.

Manchester avoided the sweep with a 12-2 run to close the third game. Laura Coltre sparked the run with three straight aces and then Shanel Mullins served seven consecutive points for Manchester. Fielder ended the game with two blocks and a kill.

"The second game was a toss up, and we had some little mistakes," Meyer said. "We knew we were close to beating them, and we came on strong in the third game."

Manchester roared to an 11-4 lead in the fourth game, but again found itself in a tight battle. Moote's kill gave the Irish a 20-19 lead, but Poertner answered with three straight service points. Moments later, Caszatt delivered a block and kill, ending the game and extending the match to a fifth game.

Fielder recorded nine kills on the night to lead the Dutch. Ally Way set up 21 assists, while Mutchler recorded four blocks. Mullins finished with 13 digs for Manchester.

The Dutch graduate four seniors in Poertner, Mullins, Amanda Pratt and Stacey Volk.

"We switched Shanel to libero because we wanted Laura (Coltre) to hit, and she did a great job," Meyer said. "Crystal was strong defensively and Stacey was a great asset on the left side with her blocking."

Manchester had seven juniors on its roster this season, including Coltre and Fielder. The class will return next season and provide the Dutch will plenty of experience.

"They'll have a lot of seniors next year who will carry the team," Meyer said. "We were young this year and had a good season. They'll be even harder to play next year."

The team also will receive a boost from the return of regular head coach Mike Mininger, who took a leave of absence last month after emergency heart surgery. Meyer and Rachel Heinrich team-coached the Dutch in Mininger's absence. Both are members of the Siena Heights University volleyball team. Mininger is an assistant coach for the university squad.

Mininger attended the district match, his second appearance with the team since his surgery.

"The girls appreciated him being here and wanted to play well for him," Meyer said.

Staff Writer Ed Patino can be reached at 428-8173 or epatino@heritage.com.