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69 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, September 28, 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 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 15, 2004 Ashland�s Maddison Thivierge (7) recoils from a block as teammate Lindsey Stone (4) celebrates Tuesday night during the Grizzlies� volleyball victory over South Medford. Grizzlies put it all together Ashland, looking like the team expected to challenge for SOC title, sweeps South By JENNIFER SQUIRES for the Mail Tribune ASHLAND — At home in the Mountain Avenue gym, Ashland’s volleyball team finally looked like the team picked to finish second the Southern Oregon Conference preseason coaches’ poll. The Grizzlies came alive against South Medford, winning the match in three games, 27-25, 25-19, 25-21. "It was so exciting," said the Grizzlies’ Lindsey Stone. "We’ve all just been so psyched. It was the best feeling in the world to come out like this." Though the Grizzlies battled with inconsistency throughout the match — an issue head coach Josh Rohlfing attributes to the team’s youth and inexperience — they had a near-perfect night serving and rallied to come back from two situations where they trailed the Panthers by four points. "That’s the thing with a young team," Rohlfing said. "It will look great one night and then fall apart the next." Advertisement But Tuesday night belonged to Ashland. While South Medford challenged the Grizzlies in each of the three games, the home team managed to persevere. Game 1 proved to be the Panthers’ closest look at a victory, when South rebounded from a 21-16 deficit to tie the game at 24 and 25. Stone threw down a kill that gave Ashland a one-point lead, then Jessica Walters dove for the dig that set up a Stone tip and the game-winning point. "Instead of sitting back and waiting for it, I felt like we were more aggressive tonight," Stone said. "Earlier this year, we’ve always been on the defensive side." In Game 2, the Panthers took an early lead and kept it until a South Medford hitting error knotted the game at 17-all. Ashland went on two three-point scoring runs that sealed the triumph at 25-19, when South junior Emily Marshall served game-point into the net. Game 3 followed the same story line as the first two contests. Ashland led early, then South Medford came back and built a four-point buffer against the Grizzlies at 10-6. Ashland regained the lead, then the teams fought through ties at 15-, 16- and 18-all before the Grizzlies wrapped things up with a 6-3 scoring drive. "We were a lot more consistent than we have been, and our serving was pretty immaculate," Rohlfing said, noting the Grizzlies only missed two serves all evening. "What we hope to accomplish is that we’ll come out and execute like we did tonight all season." Sarah Holgen led the Grizzlies with nine kills, five aces, 10 digs and a block. Walters added seven kills, 11 assists and 12 digs. Stone paced Ashland with 14 assists. For South, Jen Mendenhall had 10 kills, three assists and eight digs, and Chenoa Covaire contributed four blocks. The Grizzlies meet North Medford, from which Walters transferred over the summer, on Thursday. "The big thing for us right now is to keep our momentum going," Rohlfing said. "We need to execute." Jennifer Squires is a reporter for the Ashland Daily Tidings. Reach her at 482-3456. 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