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North falls in consolation semifinals By Greg Stiles PORTLAND � North Medford lost two matches throughout the regular volleyball season. It so happened those losses were to Gresham and West Linn. The luck of the draw pitted the fourth-ranked Black Tornado against Gresham in the first round of the Class 4A state tournament on Friday and then against West Linn in the consolation semifinals Saturday morning at the University of Portland�s Chiles Center. As a result, what otherwise was a successful season ended short of the Tornado�s stated goal of taking home a trophy. No. 8 West Linn, the Three Rivers League champion, ended North�s season, 15-5, 15-6, as the Lions earned a spot in the consolation finals against Midwestern League champion Sheldon. "It was a disappointing way to end it," said junior right side hitter Candace Fleener, whose ankle injury midway through the first game didn�t help matters. "I think we could�ve tried harder, though." North (24-4) jumped in front 5-2 in the first game but surrendered 13 straight points as the foursome of Whitney Arena, Julie Locke, Jennie Eskridge and Lisha Menne took control of the net for West Linn. "We were carrying out our game plan when it was 5-2," North Medford coach Ron Beick said. "Then at that point, and I don�t have a reason, our serve receive broke down. We quit being aggressive to the ball, and instead of passing to the net, we were passing 8 to 10 feet from the line. "The second thing was that they missed nine serves in the first game and were still able to run 13 straight points. We were struggling with our primary passes. I think there was a lot of pressure for our seniors because they knew they were playing for a trophy." It was still 9-5 when Fleener went down, diving for a spike near the sideline. "It didn�t� help losing Candace," Beick said. "We were trying to come back. The passes weren�t there and we couldn�t get going on offense." In the second game, North took a 3-2 advantage on a block by Fleener and Kendra Mitchell. But the lead quickly evaporated as West Linn went up, 5-3. Mitchell�s ace drew the Tornado to a 5-5 tie, but Menne served the Lions on top, 7-5, and they were never headed. Arena, Locke, Eskridge and Menne all had five kills for the Lions, who had won the two previous state championships. Locke had 11 digs and Menne four blocks. North junior Chaley Higgins had five kills, Kara Hwang added four kills and six digs. Ultimately, Beick reflected, the likes of Gresham and West Linn were a step ahead of the Tornado defensively. "I�ve got to do a better job of training my girls to play more extensive defense," Beick said. "They got to balls in the corner that my girls weren�t willing to go get. What it comes down to is their girls play year around club, and a lot of our girls play other sports. When they get in front of a big crowd, they know how to step it up." Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.