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St. Mary's falls short in 2A final By FRANK SILOW St. Mary's bid for its first Class 2A state volleyball championship came agonizingly close Saturday at Lane Community College in Eugene. And for the second time in three years the Crusaders' title run was ended by Amity. The Warriors edged second-ranked St. Mary's in Saturday's title game 11-15, 15-10 and 15-13. Amity defeated St. Mary's in the 1997 semifinals. "I don't think in the entire match either team had more than a five-point lead," St. Mary's coach James Joy said. "Their defense was strong. There weren't many holes." The decisive third game was close all the way. The lead changed hands four times and the game was tied on several other occasions. The momentum seemed to swing toward St. Mary's when Amity all-star setter and outside hitter Shawn Paulino was forced out of the game with an ankle injury with the Warriors leading 10-8. St. Mary's seized the opportunity to go on a 5-1 run and take a 13-11 lead. The junior re-entered the contest with the score tied at 13. "It was like Willis Reed coming back for the Knicks," said Joy. "The whole place went nuts and their team got excited." Amity scored the 14th point on junior Tashi Walker's ace, then one rotation later a St. Mary's attack error gave Amity its first volleyball title. The Warriors were runner-up to Santiam Christian in 1997. Senior Maren Zielony led the Crusaders in the championship match with 16 kills and 12 digs, while her sister, junior Kristen Zielony, had another good all-around effort with 10 kills, eight blocks and eight digs. St. Mary's junior setter Lani Brophy came up big with 25 assists and 14 digs. The Crusaders received an unexpected lift late in the final game from two freshmen, Kristina Easton and Melissa Anderson. It was St. Mary's (32-4) first appearance in the finals. St. Mary's outside hitter Maren Zielony was selected to the all-tournament first team and Brophy was a second-team choice. "Our girls left it all out there on the court," said Joy. "They played their hearts out." Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, OR U.S.A.