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Crusaders win state volleyball start By DON HUNT St. Mary's High got off to fast starts in each game and then held off a resolute Lowell squad in each to post a first-round victory at the Class 2A state volleyball tournament at Lane Community College in Eugene Thursday. The score was 15-9, 15-11. Junior middle Kristen Zielony registered seven kills and five aces, senior outside hitter Maren Zielony had seven kills and eight digs and sophomore outside hitter Megan Dode contributed eight digs to pace the No. 2-ranked Crusaders, who meet Portland Christian in second-round play today at 11 a.m. St. Mary's also plays at 7 p.m. today, regardless of how it fares against Portland Christian, a team it beat earlier this season. "Other than one dry spell in each game, we were pretty sharp," said St. Mary's coach James Joy, whose team improved its season record to 30-3. "We've had a habit of getting stuck on 12 points in a few games this year, but today we were able to get the ball back and convert." St. Mary's soared to a 12-2 lead in Game 1 but Lowell, behind the serving of Julie Green, climbed back into the match by cutting its deficit to 12-9. "She (Green) was serving the ball between our kids and we just weren't communicating well," Joy said. But the Crusaders finally got the ball back and Maren Zielony hammered a pair of aces to make it 14-9. After a couple of sideouts, St. Mary's won Game 1 on a Lowell error. In Game 2, Kristen Zielony fired off two quick aces as St. Mary's took a 4-0 advantage. The Crusaders built their advantage to 12-6 before the Red Devils again stormed back, this time behind the serving of Kim Asher, who had two aces during the run. Lowell crept within 12-11 and then 14-12 before the Crusaders' Dode served out the match. Junior setter Lani Brophy logged a steady performance for the Crusaders with 14 assists and two plays at the net in which she outfought a Lowell middle to win the point. "When you get in those wrestling matches at the net, the middles usually win over the setters, but not this time," Joy said. "Lani was also a good leader on the court today. She distributed the ball well and got the other kids to make adjustments without me having to take a timeout." The match against Lowell brought back memories for Joy, who attended elementary school in the small community southeast of Eugene. Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, OR U.S.A.