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Panthers net first volleyball playoff win ST. HELENS � Just advancing to the state playoffs wasn�t enough for the South Medford volleyball team. The Panthers, who entered Monday�s first-round game as the No. 4 seed out of the Southern Oregon Conference, picked up their first playoff win in school history with a convincing 15-1, 15-10 thrashing of St. Helens. South Medford, which travels to take on North Bend at 7 p.m. Wednesday, earned a state-playoff trip in 1995 but lost in the first round. The Lions (22-14), who were the No. 4 seed out of the Three Rivers League, ran into a South Medford team that executed to near perfection, committing only four hitting errors during the match. "We figured this would be a tough match because both teams finished fourth in their leagues," said senior outside hitter Karla Zenz. "But we really executed well. "We passed the ball extremely well and that really set up our hitters." Megan Barry picked up the load in Game 1 by serving out points 8 through 13, and Kellie Thomas ended things with one of her two blocks on the night. In Game 2, the Panthers picked up where they left off, jumping out to a 7-1 lead. The margin grew to 14-5 before St. Helens fought back to 14-10. Zenz shifted the momentum back into South Medford�s corner with a kill and Barry finished out the match with one of her two aces. Senior defensive specialist Gina Alvis sparked the Panthers with nine digs and finished 13-for-14 from the service line. "I�ve never seen Gina cover the floor so well," said South Medford coach Jerry Hagstrom. "She was digging the ball to the target each time, and that made our transition game click." Zenz finished with a team-high 12 kills while Thomas added six. Barry led the way with 24 assists and finished 13-for-14 serving. Hagstrom also noted the importance of having seniors Thomas, Zenz and Amber Hunt experience playoff success in basketball last year. "It certainly helped to have that playoff experience," said Hagstrom, "because the nucleus of our team played basketball. Hopefully, they�ll blaze a trail in the volleyball playoffs." The Panthers improved to 13-12 overall on the season heading into their second-round matchup against the No. 3 seed from the Midwestern Conference. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.