The Milan News-Leader
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Big Reds give '110 percent' in SMCC loss
Marshall 'very happy' with effort vs. state's No. 3 Class C team
By Jerry Hinnen, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: February 1, 2007
Sometimes, a loss can feel like a win.
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For the Milan volleyball team, Monday night was one of those times.
After a string of injuries and illnesses led the Big Reds to disjointed losses against Huron foes Jefferson and Airport, Milan came out firing against St. Mary's Catholic Central and tied the 2003 state champion and Class C No. 3 Kestrels at 16 in game 1.
The Big Reds eventually dropped that game 25-19 and would go on to lose games 2 and 3 by scores of 25-14 and 25-13. But, coach Andrea Marshall said, by then her players already had made a statement about their ability to compete going forward in league play.
"I'm very happy with the way we played," she said. "Our goal was to come out and just be competitive. And they did it. They played with a lot of energy. Everything was faster for us tonight … they gave 110 percent."
SMCC entered the match with a 24–1 record, powered by a strong defense and powerful 6-foot-3 middle hitter Kristen Arthurs. But Milan showed from the outset they were not going to be intimidated, with Kaitlin Eisen serving an ace and Kaitlin Ludwig stoning Arthurs at the net to give Milan a 2-0 lead.
A three-point serving run by Chelsea Thomas put the Big Reds up 8-5 before SMCC rattled off eight straight take a five-point lead. Milan retained its composure, however, getting remarkable back-to-back digs by Carolyn Nelson and Jennifer Robinson to win their ninth point and stop the run.
An ace from Jennifer Dennison and a block and kills from Bekah Draves helped Milan even the score at 16 before Arthurs began to assert herself. The Kestrels pulled away and took Game 1 by six.
After the match, Marshall said she was more than happy with the way her team defended the Purdue-bound senior, praising Ludwig in particular for her blocking efforts.
"She's just a lot to handle," she said.
The Big Reds again showed their resilience in Game 2. A five-point run put SMCC up 8-3, but a series of digs by Thomas in the libero role, including one of a blistering Arthurs spike that drew a chorus of cheers from the energetic home crowd, brought Milan within 12-9. That was followed by kills by Nelson and Draves, and Milan was within one.
But just as momentum seemed to have turned, the Milan passing game began to struggle. SMCC took advantage, running away with 13 of the game's final 16 points to claim a comfortable victory.
The passing improved in Game 3, but unfortunately for the Big Reds, the attack began to misfire. SMCC broke open a 7-6 game by scoring nine of the next 10 points and cruised to the sweep.
Even in the final points, however, the Big Reds continued to make a full effort. The atmosphere in the Milan gym at the match's end was noticeably different from the previous Wednesday, when Milan lost 3-0 in both halves of a home- opening double-header against Airport. In one of those matches, the Big Reds lost scoring seven, 12 and nine points, and in the other 18, 14 and 13.
But with Nelson almost fully recovered from an ankle injury and Dennison and Draves –– among others –– over recent bouts with the flu, Milan became a much more dangerous team Monday — one, Marshall still thinks, could do more than just compete with Huron foes down the road.
"The SMCC coach told me, other coaches have told me, refs … everyone says how much Milan has improved from last season," Marshall said. "It would be nice if now we could walk out with a win."
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