Published: October 20, 2009 10:36 pm      

Russell, Rose Hill move on

Raceland — For Russell, it was all about finishing strong.

That was the recipe for success for the Lady Devils as they defeated East Carter in two sets to advance in the 16th Region Volleyball Tournament at Raceland.

Both teams turned in strong efforts through the early stages of the first set before East Carter began to gain momentum, stretching its lead to 16-12.

A timeout by the Lady Red Devils seemed to turn the tables, however, as Russell stormed back, coming within a point of the Lady Raiders and forcing them to take a timeout of their own. Unfortunately for East Carter, it didn’t have the same effect. With the set tied at 20, Russell rattled off five straight points to take the first set.

A victory in the first set was all the momentum Russell would need for the rest of the match as the Lady Devils jumped on East Carter early and often in the second set, ending the set on a 13-3 run to capture a 25-10 victory and a spot in the tournament semifinals.

“We just got our serves in and really got rid of the nervousness,” Russell head coach Darrell Adkins said of his team’s improvements between sets. “We didn’t make as many mental mistakes (in the second set), and we just made the simple plays instead of trying to do too much.”

“We just need to play smarter, instead of playing harder,” Adkins added, looking ahead to the semifinal match. “We tend to force a play too hard, try to hit too hard or serve too hard, and we just need to play smarter and keep putting the ball in play.”

Rose Hill followed a similar script in the second match of the night, downing Fleming County in two sets to advance to the semifinals.

The Lady Royals took a 10-4 lead early in the first set, only to have the Lady Panthers come back to tie it up at 14. Rose Hill would never let it get that close again, however, mounting an 11-4 rally to finish with a 25-18 victory in the first set.

The second set began much tighter than the first, with the teams tied at 9 in the early going. Rose Hill would put the nail in the Lady Panthers’ coffin, however, with a 12-4 run to close out a 25-15 win.

“I think our girls really wanted to win, and they were working as a team,” said Rose Hill head coach Rachel Scott following her team’s victory. “In the first set, our serves weren’t that great, but they fixed that in the second set, and that’s what made the difference.”

“The need to stay up,” Scott said about her team’s areas of need heading into the semifinals. “When they mess up, they need to forget about it and just keep each other encouraged.”

Russell and Rose Hill will face each other in tonight’s semifinal match, while the winners from Monday’s quarterfinal matches, Rowan County and Ashland, will face each other in the other match.