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Ashland battles past South in an SOC volleyball opener ASHLAND - South Medford demonstrated it can compete with Southern Oregon Conference perennial volleyball powerhouse Ashland. Now the Panthers need to learn how to win. South generated leads in both games against the Grizzlies on Tuesday night. But Ashland prevailed 15-8, 17-15 in the SOC opener for both teams at the Ashland gym. "We have to learn how to close out a team when we have them down," South Medford coach Jerry Hagstrom said. "At this point we're playing well up to 14, but we're not sealing the deal." In the opening game, the Panthers jumped out to a 6-2 lead. After Ashland pulled even at 8, South never scored again. The Panthers again assumed command in the second game with leads of 10-1 and 14-8. The Grizzlies rallied from behind, and Ashley Fence ended the match with two aces. "We came out really tentative," Ashland coach Josh Rohlfing said. "It was a feeling-out point for us." Senior outside Kacey Zundel had a productive all-around match for Ashland. "She lifted us up," said Rohlfing. "She held us together when we started to grip a little bit." Zundel excelled at defense for the Grizzlies along with senior Tiffany Talbott and sophomore Emily Stone. South Medford senior Megan Shanahan led the Panthers with five service aces, four kills and effective passing. Junior middle blocker Jessica Rickman contributed four kills and senior Amanda Cox added three kills for the Panthers. "Our defense is tremendously improved," Hagstrom said. "I think we surprised them with that. I don't think they thought we would be so competitive." ROSEBURG 15-15, GRANTS PASS 1-6 - At Grants Pass, Ally Codington and Ashley Bellum each had two kills for Grants Pass, but it was too little too late in the Cavers' season-opening Southern Oregon Conference loss. Grants Pass fought to a 5-5 tie in the second game, but a slew of service errors helped Roseburg run away with the win. Kathy Richard contributed four digs for the Cavers. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.