Cardinal scraps by rival Warriors in five-setter

KEOSAUQUA ? Sometimes it takes a little extra motivation to discover how to win again.

Fortunately for the Cardinal volleyball team, motivation was in great supply Thursday against rival Van Buren in Keosauqua. The Comets snapped a losing streak of five games with a 14-25, 25-23, 25-15, 18-25, 15-9 victory over the Warriors.

?We?ve been struggling lately but we always seem to play well against Van Buren,? said Cardinal head coach Jerald Harter. ?There are some kids on the two teams who really don?t like each other.?

It took a while for the Comets to find their footing, though, as the heated rivalry game went Van Buren?s way in the first set. Hanna Haynes fired off two kills to help the Warriors to a quick 3-2 lead, and they never relinquished the lead the rest of the set. Haynes and Payten Hughes each added another two kills in the game and Van Buren rolled to a 25-14 first-set win.

The Comets shook off the slow start, however, to take a 5-1 lead in game two. Back-to-back aces by Lindsay Moore handed Cardinal an 8-2 advantage, but Van Buren fought back thanks to three straight aces from Haynes. The rivals traded blows until Cardinal led 23-20. Hughes cut the lead to one with a pair of kills, but a block by Cardinal?s Schylar Conger and subsequent kill by Delaney Ridgway handed the Comets a 25-23 victory.

Danae Moses went on a nine-point service run to open the third game, handing Cardinal a 9-0 lead. During the stretch, the sophomore setter had a pair of aces, and Ridgway put down two blocks and junior Leea Ostrander slammed two kills.

?She?s getting some movement on that ball,? Harter said of Moses. ?We worked in the gym on that quite a bit and she?s doing a lot better job back there.?

The nine-point lead was all the cushion the Comets would need, as the team opened up a 13-1 advantage and held on for a 25-15 win in game three.

The Warriors ? and especially Hughes ? ignored Cardinal?s momentum in the fourth act to force a deciding game five. Hughes, who finished the day with 10 kills, paced the Warriors in the game with five kills as well as an ace.

In the fifth and final set, Van Buren took a 1-0 lead, but Cardinal reeled off seven of the next eight points. Kills by Ridgway and Jessie McElderry for points 14 and 15 made it game and match.

The Comets did well from the net, with Ostrander tallying 11 kills and Ridgway finishing with 11 kills and four blocks.

Van Buren head coach Matt Zeitler said the difference between a win and a loss, however, was with Cardinal?s Moore. The team?s lone senior started the season at outside hitter but was moved to libero to provide a boost to Cardinal?s defense.

?Moore is one good athlete, and she controls the whole back row,? the first-year coach said. ?We don?t have a kid like that.?

Moore finished the game with 29 digs, while Ostrander had 30. Moses totaled 19 assists and five aces.

For Van Buren, Haynes totaled seven kills and four aces, while Alicia Fitzsimmons put down five kills and Patricia Townsend had two. Hughes and Townsend recorded one ace apiece.

?I really felt good about the girls who played,? said Zeitler. ?I thought the kids fought really hard to come back, especially with some new girls in the lineup.

?Courtney Hervey normally makes mistakes but didn?t make any in that match, and Shayla Filson was fighting to keep balls alive. Alicia Fitzsimmons stepped in well at Haynes? spot.?

The Warriors (10-14, 2-5 SEISC south) return to action Tuesday at home against another rival, Central Lee. The Comets (7-9, 3-7) are home vs. Burlington Notre Dame on Tuesday.