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57 °F 5 Day Forecast Monday, October 20, 2003 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | eSouthernOregon | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental 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 Email Story to a Friend October 8, 2003 North Medford's Jessica Walters, right, drives a spike past South's Stephanie Anderberg. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Close but no cigar Despite taking the match to five games, South Medford’s attempt to upend North falls short for the 36th time in SOC action By TIM PYLE Mail Tribune Ebb and flow traded blows for five games Tuesday night. But despite all that South Medford gave, North Medford took yet another Southern Oregon Conference volleyball match from its archrival. The Black Tornado ground out an 18-25, 25-21, 25-15, 25-27, 15-9 victory at South Medford High to keep its conference-title hopes alive and extend its SOC mastery of the Panthers to 18 complete seasons. "It was definitely a battle," said Allanah Munson, North’s ever-improving junior setter. "But we pulled through and came out on the good side." Advertisement The fifth-ranked Tornado (16-4 overall) improved to 8-2 in the SOC to remain a match back of Ashland and Roseburg. South (6-10, 4-6 SOC) — which is one match behind Eagle Point as it fights for fourth place and the league’s final state-playoff berth — extended North to the brink of a monumental upset, however. "We were more relaxed, and then we just came out and we were excited, we were pumped, we were in our house," said senior setter Stephanie Anderberg, whose Panthers were swept, 25-15, 25-12, 25-17, when they last met the Tornado, Sept. 11 at North’s gym. "We were ready to play. We brought it today." They showed that from the beginning, burying a 4-3 deficit with an 11-1 surge to set up a 25-18 Game 1 victory. Tornado head coach Ron Beick, a firsthand witness of the last 10 years of this one-sided rivalry, wasn’t surprised by South’s verve. In fact, he had warned his team it would be waiting. "We knew coming over here ... that they’re gonna have a great crowd and they were gonna play their best ball of the season," Beick said. "I told (the North players) that multiple times in practice." Responding to the challenge, the Tornado rallied from a 20-16 hole with a 9-1 streak to snag Game 2, 25-17. A loss there might have led to the Panthers’ first-ever victory over North in SOC play, but the Tornado found a way. Sophomore outside hitter Jessica Walters started the tide-turning run with a kill, then junior defensive specialist Heidi Sandgren served seven straight points for North, four of which were aces. "It was like somebody flipped off their switch and flipped on ours," Beick said of the rally. "Obviously, that’s the key to the match as a whole, because it looked like they were gonna put us down 2-0, and that might have been it." The shift in momentum carried over to Game 3, in which the Tornado never trailed in cruising to a 25-15 win. On this night, however, South wouldn’t go silently. The Panthers persevered through 15 ties and staved off two match points to secure Game 4, 27-25. Sophomore middle Marissa Towry’s stuff of North senior Laura Tarkon’s kill attempt clinched the game and forced a deciding Game 5. With both student sections trading chants and the intensity at a frenzied pitch, the Tornado seized control of the decisive game and wouldn’t relinquish command. After junior middle Jennifer Mendenhall’s kill off an Anderberg assist lifted South to a 1-0 edge, North built leads of 3-1 and 13-5. Again, Sandgren’s serving was key, as she toed the line during the Tornado’s push from 9-5 to a 13-5 advantage. The Panthers proved gritty once more, tearing off a 4-0 chunk to make it 13-9 and restore some hope. But North finished it on senior middle Stephanie Jensen’s kill off Mendenhall’s block and Munson’s left-handed dump. That play was indicative of Munson’s continual growth into the instinctive, versatile court leader Beick wants her to be. "You don’t really," Munson said of how she decides when she’ll dump on the Tornado’s second touch, rather than set. "I just did it." Munson accumulated 38 assists to pace North’s attack, setting up the majority of Walters’ 14 kills, Jensen’s 12 and senior middle Brittany Lawson’s nine. "Allanah did a great job, early on balancing the attack and getting the ball to the right person," Beick said. The Tornado slammed 52 kills total to set a new record under Beick’s direction. Defensively, Walters stretched for 13 digs and senior outside Jenna Siebenlist hustled for 10 and made 18 serve passes without an error. South’s driving forces were Anderberg and Mendenhall, who at times teamed for kills that North was defenseless to stop. Anderberg dished 38 assists, and Mendenhall spiked 20 kills. Towry had 19 digs, and junior middle Brittany Farrer jumped for 11 blocks. Panthers first-year head coach Adam Wagman couldn’t help but be impressed by his squad’s undying effort. "This is by far our best match thus far this season," he said. "Just our toughness and our desire to win, and that’s key. This is a point in the season where we really need to start making our stretch drive." Reach reporter Tim Pyle at 776-4483 or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times