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Ashland netters march to semis, will face West Linn By CLIFF PFENNING for the Mail Tribune PORTLAND -- Ashland played its way into the semifinals of the Class 4A state volleyball tournament Friday, but that only whetted the collective appetite of the fourth-ranked Grizzlies. Ashland beat St. Mary's 16-14, 15-12 in the quarterfinals of the 16-team tournament at the Chiles Center and will play No. 3 West Linn at noon today for a spot in the championship match. Senior hitter Loriana Berman had 13 kills and senior middle blocker Rachel Karlin added eight kills for the Grizzlies. A team from the Southern Oregon Conference has never played in the finals, but the Grizzlies, who lost to West Linn in their only meeting this season, figure they can break new ground today. "We played West Linn in the championship of the South Albany tournament, and we were just happy to be there," Ashland coach Josh Rohlfing said. "But we're not just happy to be in the semifinals here. "We want to win." West Linn beat No. 1 Barlow 15-7, 15-8 in its quarterfinal. No. 2 Central Catholic beat No. 10 Wilson, 15-10, 15-4, and No. 9 Jesuit beat No. 8 Oregon City 15-6, 15-11 in the other quarterfinals. Central Catholic will play Jesuit at 1:30 p.m. in the second semifinal. The championship match is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. Ashland, which lost its first playoff match in each of the past four seasons, needed a strong effort to win its first-round match with Hermiston Friday morning, 15-10, 15-10. Rohlfing, in his third year as head coach, was happy to see his team -- especially Berman, who had six kills, and Karlin, who had six blocks -- play well after a week off. Both players had strong matches against St. Mary's, which was trying to reach the semifinals for the first time since 1988, when it made the last of its six finals appearances. The first game featured eight ties that only built tension on both sides of the net. Ashland broke free of a 9-all tie with three straight points. St. Mary's rallied from a 14-11 deficit to tie at 14-all. "It puts more pressure on you in a game like that," Karlin said. "But it's more fun, too." Both teams played evenly on defense, but Ashland's transition from defense to offense, especially through quick attacks by Karlin, gave it an edge that wore down the Blues. St. Mary's opened the second game with a 6-0 lead, but the Grizzlies, powered by senior setter Chelsea Morgan, responded with a 13-3 run. The match lasted 70 minutes. "Volleyball is a strange game because momentum changes so quickly," said Morgan, a four-year letter winner who is playing in her first state tournament. "I'm really excited about our chances to reach the final." West Linn, in its match with Barlow, appeared as Ashland's equal in every aspect of play except the speed of its offense. The defending state champion had a strong match on defense, something Morgan knows will be a key to a semifinal win. "We're quick on offense, but everything flows from your defense," said Morgan, a three-year starter at setter. "We know we have to play well defensively to win." Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, OR U.S.A.