Lady Ranger spikers succumb to Spartans
by Jesse Phelps

As Frontier League Champs, the Nordhoff Lady Rangers volleyball team made its first trip to the CIF playoffs in quite sometime on Thursday night, taking on the La Cañada Lady Spartans at Nordhoff.
Middle blocker Alison Bennett and outside hitter Whitney Featherstone led Nordhoff, which was defeated in four sets, 10-15, 15-11, 12-15, 12-15.
The first game belonged to La Cañada, as senior Rachel Zackrison reeled off six points on her first service opportunity.
The momentum seemed to shift in the second game, as Bennett took command of the middle.
She and Featherstone had several kills and Nordhoff looked to be in command. Bennett stopped a three-point La Cañada run with a tap-spike to give Nordhoff the side-out with the score at 8-7. Amy Cresto then came in to serve and Nordhoff took an 11-7 lead.
La Cañada's Kasey Hurlbutt came up with several digs, two kills and a service ace to pull La Cañada to within 11-10.
Senior Blair Waycasey earned another side-out for Nordhoff with a powerful kill.
Brittney Ferro's kill made it 12-10 and Bennett came up with a block and kill to give Nordhoff its first game point. Nordhoff took the game as Hurlbutt hit the ball into the net.
In the third game, La Cañada established a 5-1 lead behind Haley Frame's excellent service. Nordhoff battled back behind Ferro and Bennett, trimming the lead first to 11-8, then 14-12. But La Cañada outside hitter Kiting Kolar ended the game with a service ace.
In the fourth game, the Lady Rangers faced an onslaught of powerful kills by Kiting Kolar, Hurlbutt and Suzanne Swenson. Still, a kill by Featherstone and a block by Bennett gave the Lady Rangers a 7-5 advantage.
Waycasey and Featherstone showed their senior leadership, each notching kills to bring Nordhoff back to within 12-11 after a Spartan run.
From there, Hurlbutt's service ace and Swenson's kill gave match point to the Spartans. Featherstone saved tha,t but La Cañada earned another side-out moments later and Kolar finished things with a big kill.
Nordhoff coach Renee Nakao-Mauch said, "We just didn't do some of the things we should have done, as far as our blocking. But I give my girls a lot of credit because they didn't give up."

© 2002 The Ojai Valley News

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