Defense paves way in Shiner's win over Ganado
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
by Chris Derrett, Advocate Sports Reporter
AdvoSports.com Article | Shiner Lady Comanche Volleyball | Shiner Comanche Sports
GANADO - The Shiner Lady Comanches don't let the ball hit the floor very often.
As host Ganado saw in Tuesday's game, that defense is a big reason the Lady Comanches continue to win as the No. 14 ranked team in Class 2A in the state.
"We're not the tallest team," Shiner's Kori Landman said. "So we have to hit a lot from the back row, and we do really rely on our defense more so than our offense."
Shiner swept Ganado 25-18, 25-19, 25-15 to improve to 2-1 in District 26-2A play. A squad lacking much height or seniority - challenged with Landman sidelined from Tuesday's match - the Lady Comanches are improving in areas they need while leaning on what they know.
"I think our hitting has gotten a lot stronger. A lot of the girls were a little nervous in the beginning, and now they're starting to hit a lot more," Shiner setter Jayde Kurtz said. "That's a lot better, and our service receive is a lot better."
Mackinly Pilat led Shiner with 18 digs, followed by Lauren Schuette with 14 digs. Kurtz added 11 digs, and Sabrina Blaschke tallied 10 digs.
Landman said Tuesday wasn't the Lady Comanche's best night, a sentiment shared by Shiner head coach Desiree Nitsch.
"At the beginning of the season, we struggled, but we played our best match Saturday against Flatonia," Nitsch said. "There were tight scores. It was a hard fight."
Tuesday's match was tight early in the first set, where Ganado fought Shiner to a 17-17 tie. From there, the Lady Comanches outscored the Maidens 8-1 to take the set.
"It wasn't one of our best games," Landman said. "We kind of played down to their level, and we always need to play up to our potential."
On the other side, Ganado head coach Bryan Branch was pleased with the way his young team faced strong competition. The Maidens entered Tuesday having lost a middle blocker to injury late Monday afternoon.
"We adjusted well. I thought we played very hard," Branch said. "The points I felt like Shiner got were off of long rallies for the most parts. We kept battling."
Shiner raced out to a 15-6 lead in the second set before Ganado narrowed the Lady Comanches' lead to 20-17. To keep things close, the Maidens turned to setter Alexis Mojica, libero Hannah Janssen and young players in big roles.
"Those two were all over the court tonight," Branch said of Mojica and Janssen. "They saved balls and attacked and hit the ball and set."
Branch applauded Nicole Ressman in her first game playing all six rotations as well as Delaney Workman, who played at middle blocker for the first time in her life. He also recognized hitter Reyna Gonzales' efforts.
In the third set, Shiner took a timeout to settle down after Ganado cut the Lady Comanches' lead to 20-11. Shiner then cruised to a 25-15, match-clinching win that brings them a step closer to their goal in a tightly-contested district.
"We're striving to be in the top three teams. We would like to come in first or second, but our district is strong, too," Nitsch said.
Schulenburg (4-0 in district) and Flatonia (3-0) were at the top of the district standings entering Tuesday, while No. 8 ranked Weimar was 2-1, losing to Schulenburg on Sept. 15.
Chris Derrett is a sports writer for The Victoria Advocate.
Contact him at 361-574-1222, or by e-mail at cderrett@vicad.com.
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