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Rally Cats: Lady Jaguar runs too much for Allen in finale
BY Matt Welch, mwelch@acnpapers.com
FLOWER MOUND -- Despite being the respective regular-season finales for both the Allen and Flower Mound volleyball teams, there were no major ramifications for Tuesday's match.
The Lady Jaguars had already clinched a playoff spot and Allen knew its season wouldn't advance past Tuesday.
That didn't diminish the drama though as the match went back with the Lady Jaguars getting the last laugh, 3-1 (25-19, 25-21, 29-31, 25-23).
The Lady Eagles didn't go quietly despite dropping the night's first two sets.
Any hope for a comeback was dashed in the fourth frame, despite Allen snatching victory from the jaws of defeat in a lengthy third stanza.
The frame saw Allen nearly let a 20-12 lead wither away, as the Lady Eagles were fed a steady diet of Flower Mound juniors Jordan Anderson and Brianna Allmon, who combined for 15 of the Lady Jaguars' 19 kills in the third set. It was a strike by Allmon that deflected off a Lady Eagle defender and equated an improbable 28-27 Flower Mound lead, completing a 16-7 rally.
Allen countered with just nine kills in the third frame, mustering a solid portion of its points up front.
Championing that charge was senior Ashley Hooper, who compiled seven of her 11 blocks in the third set. Hooper-aided blocks factored into four of Allen's first five points of the set.
"You've got to track the ball," Hooper said. "I just try to find where the ball is, so I just press over and line myself up with her shoulder. I just kept trying to line myself up and just kept blocking."
Alongside senior Tori Bates, Hooper helped block away a Flower Mound kill to reclaim the lead at 29-28; one Allen wouldn't relinquish.
The defense had its work cut out in taming Anderson and Allmon, who posted a respective 20 and 17 kills. Ironically, it was a kill attempt by Anderson that surrendered the set to Allen as Flower Mound's outside hitter launched an attack high.
"It was such an adrenaline rush," Hooper said. "We were so pumped up and I'm glad that we finished that set. It's something we need to do every game."
"It would have been a nice ending," added Marci Brinkman, Flower Mound head coach. "I think we started off slow and then they finally started picking up their intensity which they lacked in the beginning. They fought hard though, and they started off strong in the fourth set because of it."
Flower Mound's late surge was parlayed into a 16-10 lead in the fourth set.
Capping that frame provided tricky though, as Allen chipped away behind a widespread array of kills; one that even featured a kill off a dig from junior Kate Klepetka that drew Allen within one point at 19-18. The Lady Eagles narrowed that deficit one step further as a kill from senior Olivia Kleyer evened the count at 21-21, but couldn't force a fifth set with two Anderson kills complemented by a Hooper service error to cap the match.
It was the Lady Jaguars' penchant for strong finishes that carried the night, with the first two sets nearly mirroring each other.
Both sets saw Allen establish an early lead before Flower Mound narrowed the gap and both teams traded leads until late in the frame. The Lady Eagles countered Anderson and Allmon by establishing their attack with junior Kelly Holden, who procured a team-high 11 kills. Sophomore Camryn Freiberg chipped in eight kills while Hooper added six.
The trio helped Allen establish leads of 19-18 and 20-19 in the first and second sets, respectively.
But it was a late push by the Lady Jaguars that decided both, with the opening set capped by a 7-0 rally and a 6-1 surge closing the second.
The Lady Eagles finished at 4-10 in District 8-5A; good for seventh place. Flower Mound settled into third place at 9-5 and awaits a bi-district postseason tilt with Coppell.
"I'm impressed with the way we played and how we finished," Gregoriew said. "They knew they were playing for dignity, pride and showed they wouldn't just roll over."
Five-match skid caps Allen's season
A familiar tune reverberated throughout the Lady Eagles' season finale Tuesday.
The defeat to Flower Mound marked the latest blemish in a five-match losing streak to end an Allen season that included a rare postseason absence.
Finishing three games behind the trio of Plano East, Plano Senior and Plano West, Allen's chance at joining that fray fell by the wayside partially due to the late-season slump.
Particularly taxing was a three-match stretch from Oct. 11 to Oct. 18 where Allen dropped consecutive five-match sets to East, West and Flower Mound Marcus; turning a 4-5 record into a 4-8 mark.
"It was tough both physically and mentally, because you're in it and end up losing," Gregoriew said. "But that makes you hungrier to go out and get that next win. Then that one goes five and you lose that one too, and then the same with the next one. It's about staying in there mentally and just learning from your mistakes."
While Allen will enjoy the return of players like Freiberg, Klepetka and Holden in 2012, replacing the size of senior stalwarts Bates and Hooper will be key. Those are two of the seven seniors to play their final match under the Lady Eagles' banner Tuesday, with Kleyer, Steffi Loe, Erika Fisher, Kristen Newton and Tyler Southern also set to graduate.
"I had a great time with the girls," Hooper said. "A lot of our players are younger, so it was fun to help mentor and help them get better. They looked up to the seniors and I think we all had an awesome time."
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