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59 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, October 9, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend September 10, 2004 South Medford�s Emily Marshall stretches for a dig during Thursday�s match against Roseburg. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Indians live up to billing Roseburg, the preseason favorite in the SOC, knocks off South Medford By ROB McCALLUM Mail Tribune Schedule makers didn’t waste any time in pitting the Southern Oregon Conference’s top volleyball teams against each other. After only three nights, teams have a pretty good idea of who is No. 1. Picked to finish third by SOC coaches, South Medford hoped to catch preseason favorite Roseburg off-guard Thursday night, only 48 hours after the Indians’ win over No. 2 pick Ashland. But Roseburg (2-0) lived up to its billing, sweeping the Panthers 25-20, 25-23 and 25-14 at the South Gym. "I was really pleased with how we came out tonight," Roseburg coach Bruce Myers said. "Especially after such an emotional win against Ashland on Tuesday." Advertisement The experienced Indians looked calm and prepared for their second match of the season, despite an energetic challenge from South Medford (1-1). "You don’t know how a team is going to come out after a win like that," South coach Adam Wagman said. "They can either come out calm and focused or they can come out emotional. Tonight, Roseburg came out calm." The Panthers made their claim to the top spot in the conference by jumping out to early leads in the first two games. But each time, the Indians rallied to win by narrow margins. Peggy Thompson’s kill in Game 1 pushed the South lead to 11-6, but the Indians responded with a 5-0 run to tie the game. Five lead changes and five ties later, the game was even at 19-all. Roseburg’s Kalista Harrison and Corynn Jorgensen then sandwiched kills around three South errors to win the first set. "We jumped on them early and they didn’t panic," Wagman said. "We had a loud crowd and the girls came out fired up but there was nothing, nothing but calm." Middle blocker Jen Mendenhall, one of only two seniors on the Panther roster, paced her team early with three kills in the first game. The Panthers had leads of 5-2 and 7-4 early in the second set, but three straight errors gave Roseburg the lead for good. South pulled within 23-22 and 24-23 before Harrison, who finished with seven kills, snuck a shot just in front of the baseline to clinch the win. "That was outstanding for (Harrison), who is just a sophomore playing in her second varsity match of her life," Myers said. Roseburg left no doubt in the final set, jumping out to an 11-5 lead on two kills and an ace by Brittany Belshe. Simone Hubbard gave the Panthers a spark, though, coming into the game and promptly serving up an ace. Chenoa Coviare then had one of her three blocks and a kill to continue the Panther rally. Trailing 16-10, South got a moral-booster by winning a long point when Roseburg hit the ball well past the baseline. The Indians squashed the Panther surge, however, and closed out the set and match with a 5-0 run, capped by a Shannon Miller kill. "Coming out in two games and playing well, that’s something to be said," Wagman said. "It’s that third game that we’ve got to be able to figure out." Wagman also pointed to unforced errors as a major detractor. "We’re trying to get to a place where Roseburg, Ashland and North Medford are at," he said of the SOC’s top three squads. "That’s a tough place to get to sometimes." Nevertheless, Myers was impressed with South’s challenge. "Experience made a difference, especially in the third game," he said. "They have only two seniors and they gave it a great shot and pushed us to the limit." Junior outside hitter Emily Waldron led all players with 11 kills. Belshe tallied seven kills to go along with three aces. Mendenhall led the Panthers with eight kills while junior outside hitter Emily Marshall had nine digs. The SOC schedule doesn’t get any easier for either team, as South travels to Ashland on Tuesday while Roseburg faces No. 5 pick Eagle Point. Reach reporter Rob McCallum at 776-4480 Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities