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51 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, November 13, 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 Passport to the Rogue Valley 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 November 5, 2004 Prospect’s sister act Bennett siblings, Candice and Mallory, have helped the Cougar volleyball team reach the state playoffs By KEVIN GOFF Mail Tribune The Bennett household is filled to the brim with youngsters. Eight kids in all roam the Prospect house, keeping 17-year-old sisters, Mallory and Candice, on attention. The elder Bennetts have transformed their role as big sister at home into a similarly guiding force on the volleyball court for the history-in-the-making Prospect team. The Bennetts are the only two seniors — Nicole Newcomb’s a junior but will graduate early — on a Cougars team that qualified for the Class 1A state tournament for the first time in school history. Advertisement "We’ve tried so hard all year," says Candice Bennett, who is 2½ weeks older than her stepsister Mallory. "To have such a young team, besides me and my sister ... I’m loving it." Prospect (16-1) will play in the Skyline A League seeding tournament on Saturday at South Umpqua High School, then travel to the 16-team state tournament on Nov. 12 at Springfield High. The two- day event concludes Nov. 13 with an eight-team bracket to determine the champion. "The girls realize it," says fourth-year coach Marcy Gallagher of the team’s historic achievement. "They understand how big this is, but at the same time they come back to reality knowing that we have to focus on one thing at a time." Gallagher, who reached the state playoffs as a freshman on the Prospect basketball team in 1988, believed early on that this team may have the makings of something rarely seen by a girls team from Prospect. "I didn’t expect we’d get this far," says the coach, "but after our first couple of matches I knew that something special had formed with these girls." The Bennetts have been at the center of Prospect’s emergence. The two became sisters at the age of 2 and have developed into one of the league’s top volleyball duos. Candice Bennett, an outside hitter, has saved her best games for the biggest. A four-year varsity player, Bennett sliced up the Gilchrist front line one month ago in a battle of the Sky A unbeatens with 18 kills and 11 digs. "That was the game she really came alive," says Gallagher. "We really needed her and she stepped up. "From her first year to now, she is a totally different player. She’s just grown into a true volleyball athlete." Mallory Bennett has been a calming influence all season. But Gallagher wasn’t even sure she’d have her starting setter entering the season. Mallory Bennett struggled with her schoolwork last year and spent the summer taking classes at Rogue Valley Community College. She was intent on earning her GED but changed her mind and re- enrolled at Prospect for fall classes. "I’m glad I came back," says Mallory Bennett. "I knew Candice was a good hitter, but the other girls have improved so much. "I thought maybe we had a pretty good team after we beat Butte Falls (the first victory over the Loggers in Gallagher’s tenure). A lot of that has to do with the coaching." Gallagher and her coaches have seen great strides made by Newcomb, who’s one of Prospect’s top servers, and junior outside hitter Lacy Musard. Defensive specialist Alicia Pace and outside hitter Megan Shallenberger have also made key contributions. The future should continue to be bright for Gallagher and Prospect, with seven sophomores — half of them already playing varsity — returning. "(The season) has been phenomenal," says Gallagher. "The parents and the community have been very supportive. It’s really nice to see such a small community come together like this. "And the girls ... I think they like winning. They’ve decided it’s pretty fun." Reach reporter Kevin Goff 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 © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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