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Volleyball: Marcus "Pry's" win from Grapevine in regional quarterfinals
BY JUSTIN THOMAS, jthomas@acnpapers.com
THE COLONY -- Entering Tuesday's Class 5A Region I quarterfinal matchup against Grapevine, the plan for the Lady Marauder volleyball team was to try and slow the Lady Mustangs' outside hitting tandem of Sydney and Kiersten Braasch.
And while that task proved to be difficult, Marcus came through when it mattered.
One point away from victory in the fifth set, Marcus' Kelsey Pry found herself alone on the front left-side of the court as Sydney took aim. But on a night when she totaled a game-high 27 terminations, Sydney was denied on the game's most important point, as Pry delivered a block-kill for the game-winning score to propel Marcus to the regional semifinals for the third consecutive season (17-25, 25-21, 25-22, 16-25, 15-13).
Marcus moves on to face Arlington Martin at 8 p.m. Friday at McMurry University in Abilene. Last year, Marcus rode the momentum of a thrilling five-set win against Southlake Carroll in the quarterfinals to a victory in the semis before falling to eventual state champ Hebron in the regional finals. Two seasons ago, the Lady Marauders came up short against Amarillo Tascosa in semifinals.
"We're getting famous for close regional quarterfinal matches aren't we?" said Cristie Liles, Marcus coach. "But this one ranks at the top for right now. We showed so much heart and fight. We've had so much of what you saw tonight all season long. Where we've had a bad game or two and had to go to a fifth game, so we were prepared. I'm so proud of the girls for pulling it out."
On Tuesday, Marcus gained a 5-1 advantage early in the fifth set before finding itself trailing, 11-9. However, sparked by a kill from Liz Fortado, the Lady Marauders rattled off four consecutive points to take the lead, 13-11. Two straight kills from Kiersten saw Grapevine quickly draw even at 13-13 before Lauren Douglass powered a kill to set up match point, and Pry put the finishing touches on the win.
"Grapevine is a fantastic team," Liles said. "That was tough, tough match. I was so proud of how our girls stayed focused. You can get so emotionally drained in a match like that, but they really stayed focused. If there's one thing we can handle, it's a five-set match."
Fresh off a shocking upset Friday in the area round over Carroll -- the state's top-ranked team entering the playoffs -- Grapevine hit the ground running Tuesday cruising to a 25-17 victory in the first set, including eight kills from Sydney. The Lady Mustangs also took four of the first six points in the second set before the Lady Marauders began to find their groove.
Marcus' Regan McGuire, who shined on the offensive end in the first set with six kills and finished with a team-high 24 for the match, opened an 8-3 Marcus run by combining for a kill with Fortado, before Pry notched a termination for a 10-7 advantage. The squads went back-and-forth with Grapevine eventually grabbing a lead at 18-16, but Marcus closed strong with a 9-3 run to even the contest at one set apiece, including a kill and subsequent drop-kill from Fortado to close the game. Fortado and Douglass finished with 12 kills, while Pry chipped in eight to go with 15 digs.
"The first game I thought we needed to find a rhythm," Liles said. "We were kind of feeling our way around and we tend to do that a little bit. But we figured out what they were doing and we have plenty of experience in close matches."
Marcus overcame an early deficit in the third set as well, dropping four of the first five points. But again McGuire and Fortado were critical at the net, combining for block-kills on two straight points as Marcus went on to rattle off four in a row behind the service of Kelsee Vandiver to take a 20-16 lead capped by an ace from Vandiver. Grapevine would pull to within two on a pair of occassions, but Marcus claimed the game following a service error on set point.
"Honestly, I think it came down to keeping the ball in play and not having as many hitting errors," Liles said. "When we minimize our errors, we play so much better and can be tough. We didn't put the pressure on ourselves and we didn't have to chase a huge lead that we could never recover from."
A Lady Mustang squad that had dropped just two matches since non-district played remained resilient, building an early 14-3 lead and cruising in Game 4 before coming up short in the decisive set.
"We've gone to five games the whole season," Pry said. "So we were ready for this. We know how to come back, and we were prepared for this."
Lindsay Sales contributed 27 assists and 16 digs for Marcus, while Mattie Rainwater had 27 assists and 17 digs.
"I also thought our blocking was very good," Liles added. "[Sydney and Kiersten] are the people you have to try to stop and we did a good job. And we got a big block-kill from Kesley Pry. She never, hardly ever, gets a block at all, and she puts up a solo-block to win the game. I'm so proud of that kid."
Marcus now shifts its focus to Martin and the regional tournament.
"The third year is a charm is what we're hoping for," Liles said. "Everybody is sick of losing there. We have a different mentality now. Last year, we just wanted to get back. This year, we're sick of losing there and we're ready to move on."
"This is the third time for a lot of the team, and we're prepared and ready," Pry added. "We are not choking, and we are going all the way."
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