Lady Hawks dont mess around in knocking off Newcomerstown in four
By Dave Mast
September 27, 2011
294
The Hiland Lady Hawks could get used to this whole winning thing.
After dropping a close five-game set to the Newcomerstown Trojans earlier this season at Hiland, the Lady Hawks were looking for a little bit of revenge as they traveled to Newcomerstown on Tuesday, Sept., 27, and got it, belting out a four-game win over the Trojans that improved their record to 3-15 on the season. However, over its last nine games Hiland is 3-6, and the confidence of the team continues to grow.
You can see the girls getting more and more excited as we improve, said Hiland coach Becky Williams.
In what turned out to be a close contest again against the Trojans, Hiland got off to an early 1-0 game lead when it outlasted Newcomerstown for a 25-23 victory. Last year, and probably earlier in the season, it was one of those games that Hiland would have found a way to lose. Instead, they fought through the pressure and found a way to win.
The second game, a 25-21 win, was not much more easier to take on the tickers of the Hiland faithful, and perhaps the third game, a 10-25 loss, was a letdown after taking the first two nail-biters.
However, following the loss, Hiland collected itself and found its focus, and reeled off a 25-19 victory that secured win number three on the campaign.
I thought we played a lot better than we did against Strasburg the night before, said junior Mikayla Gray, who became ill after the first game against the Tigers and missed the rest of the evening. It felt a little bit like we let down after winning the first two games, and I think we might have gotten a little tired, but we were able to rally.
Having lost a number of five game matches this season, the Lady Hawks did not want to see a 15-point fifth game in this one.
We figured we better take care of business while we could, said Gray.
The four-game win was a real team effort for Hiland. Sophomore Sierra Miller was dominant at the serving line, recording nine aces, while adding four kills. Freshman Kelsey Mast led the way at the net, pounding out six kills, while junior Ariel Cooper chipped in with five. Gray and Dana Rausch added four kills apiece, and Rausch continued to quarterback the team, serving up 17 assists. In the back row, Natasha Yoder and Lexi Guggisberg were taking care of business, producing 11 and eight digs respectively.
It was a team effort, and a fine day for the Lady Hawks to build momentum as they continue to progress.
It felt good considering they beat us here at our place last time, said Gray.
Yes, winning is definitely something that the Lady Hawks could find to be quite enjoyable.
