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--> --> Oct. 30: Grizz roll in playoff opener By Bobby Heiken Ashland Daily Tidings The Ashland High volleyball team took its first step toward a berth at the Chiles Center in Portland with a 15-8, 15-6 victory over North Salem Monday night at the Mountain Avenue gym in the opening round of the OSAA playoffs. Ashland will travel to Crook County - the No. 3 team out of the Intermountain League - Wednesday night for a 7 p.m. matchup. Crook County won a tiebreaker with Mountain View for the No. 3 spot. "That's one down," Grizz junior Marla Morin said after the match. "Two more until the Chiles Center. That's our goal. It's any team's dream." Morin helped take the Vikings - the No. 4 team out of the Valley League - out of the match early. Blocks by Morin and senior Molly Grossmann and kills by junior Stefani Talbott helped pace the Grizz to a 5-1 lead before the Vikings knew what hit them. "The main difference in the playoffs is the level of energy," Grizz head coach Josh Rohlfing said. "We came out and took control right from the beginning. We may have lost some focus, but we were always in control." The Vikings clawed their way back to a 5-5 tie before Ashland took off again. Back-to-back aces by Talbott and a pair of kills by senior Kacey Zundel had the Grizzlies up 9-5. North Salem cut the lead to 12-7 before senior Ashley Fence came through with a pair of kills and a 15-8 victory for the Grizzlies. Ashland looked like world beaters at the start of Game 2. A pair of kills by Morin, a Zundel slam and back-to-back aces by Emily Stone gave the Grizz a 7-1 lead. Three North Salem errors later and the lead was up to 10-1 when Morin took over with a block and a kill into the heart of the Vikes defense for a 12-1 advantage. North Salem made one final run, but after the two teams traded seven sideouts, Zundel's tip started the final run which ended with a huge Morin block. "For me, getting a block is an incredible rush," said Morin, who had seven kills and three blocks on the night. "Once I get a block I just try to replicate what I've been doing and get in a good pattern." Zundel shared team-high offensive honors with Morin with seven kills. "I though Kacey played a great match," Rohlfing said. "She's really stepped up. And Marla only had one hitting error. After that it was a total team effort." The victory over the Vikings erased any doubt about the team following last week's heartbreaking loss to Crater in the battle for second place in the SOC. "The day after Crater was tough," Morin said. "But after that we remembered how fun volleyball was and that we needed to just go out and have fun." Rohlfing was happy with his squad's effort. "We had a lull when we got up 12-1, but that's human nature," Rohlfing said. "We need to come out and push 30 points every night. After that it's a simple game." Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing