Columbus sails past Lone Tree

COLUMBUS JUNCTION - Practice time in the last few weeks for Columbus has focused on placing the volleyball. Accuracy will make a huge difference, especially with the postseason approaching.

Olivia Carrier's accuracy in hitting Thursday in a Southeast Iowa Super Conference North Division match against Lone Tree produced 14 kills to help the Wildcats ((10-12, 3-5) take a 3-1 victory over Lone Tree (5-16, 2-4).

It also produced a spilled drink in the fourth set. Trailing 12-9, Lone Tree called time, scored the next two points and seemed ready to tie the match. Carrier changed the momentum and provided extra entertainment for the paying customers when she took an assist and killed the ball so hard it bounced in the corner of the court for a point, then ricocheted into the third row of the stands where it knocked a drink container out of a girl's hand who was walking away from the action.

'I guess I'm pretty accurate,” Carrier said, although she wasn't aiming for the drink. 'One time on a serve, I hit a hot dog out of a girl's hand.” So she's 2-for-2 on food and beverages.

Carrier's jump serve is effective when she uses it. By the fourth set she had abandoned its use.

'When I first got to high school, I couldn't serve the ball over the net at all,” the senior said. 'Sometimes my jump service is kind of risky. I get nervous when the game is tight so I don't risk it.”

The risk versus reward would seem to be a fair trade as Carrier landed eight ace serves on the night.

'When Olivia is on point, she can be very effective,” Columbus head coach Lori Beenen said.

The Wildcats took control early to win the first set 25-14. A Carrier kill made the score 9-3 in the second set, but Ellen Carow took over serving for the Lions and didn't stop until she had scored five aces among 11 straight points. Her out serve at 24-15 ended the run but a Columbus serve into the net gave the second set to Lone Tree 25-16.

'We got complacent and just thought we already had it won,” Beenen said. 'She's a good server. I don't want to take anything away from her, but 11 straight points is ridiculous. We needed to get our heads back in the game.”

Although Beenen called time, down 22-15, it didn't seem to help.

'We got down on each other, but we got it all worked out. We're better now,” Carrier said. 'I had fun. It was nerve-racking, but pretty exciting.”

The third set was tied at 9-9 when Michelle Diaz got one of her eight kills, Sela Vela struck consecutive aces and it was a 17-10 lead. Victoria Howell connected on back-to-back kills at points 23 and 24 in the 25-17 third set win. The fourth set was tied five times up to 8-8 in the 25-18 final.

Vela and Jobie Lekwa combined to set 31 assists. The Wildcats are run by Emma Milder, who gets to most every hit and contorts her body going away from the net to somehow hit the ball back toward it. She had 16 digs.

'To have Emma in the back row makes all the difference,” Beenen said. 'She is a sponge.”

Beside her physical abilities, she has taken charge as the leader, Beenen said, and will tell the girls what they need to hear. She talks a lot, telling them what part of the court is open or watch for this.

'Emma is so quick that she just seems to get to everything,” Beenen said. 'She is a phenomenal athlete and she just loves the game.” Washington comes to Columbus Junction Thursday for a pink out game.