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LP Falls To John Carroll In Regional Volleyball

Kathy Waters/Highlands Today

John Carroll swept past Lake Placid, 25-16, 25-16, 25-15 in the Class 3A regional quarterfinal volleyball match.

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By Mark  Pinson | Highlands Today

Published: November 1, 2007

LAKE PLACID — An exciting season of blocks, sets and spikes came to an end for the Lake Placid volleyball team on Tuesday night.

The Green Dragons played well, but ultimately the height and firepower of John Carroll (Fort Pierce) proved too much, as the Golden Rams swept past Lake Placid, 25-16, 25-16, 25-15 in a Class 3A regional quarterfinal match.

"I'm proud of the girls because they played hard every point and gave it all they had," Green Dragon coach Marilyn Jones said. "John Carroll is a good team and their quick serves and sets gave us fits.
"We had trouble with our serving tonight and you can't make those kind of mistakes against good teams and expect to win."

John Carroll, which improved to 17-11 on the season, used the strong serving and sets of Libero, Kelsey Bona, and the dynamic combination of senior outside hitters, Crystal Bell and Aubrey Parker, to hold off a determined effort by Lake Placid.

The first game was a see-saw affair until the Golden Rams, led by Bell's six kills, and four aces by Bona, pulled ahead 16-12.

The Green Dragons, led by senior Kristen Massung's team-high 10 kills and 11 blocks, fought back to within two points, but Bell and Parker reestablished their dominance at the net to help John Carroll pull away for the win.

Lake Placid grabbed the early lead in game two behind the strong serves of senior Darby Underwood.
The Golden Rams battled back to take an 8-5 lead behind the net play of Lindsey Falkenburg and great team hustle.

Unforced errors hurt the Green Dragons, and Katie Clark ripped off a number of points with strong serves to give John Carroll an 18-10 advantage.
Massung once again rallied Lake Placid with some outstanding blocks, but uncharacteristic errors derailed the Green Dragons.

"Kristen had an awesome game with her blocks and spikes" Jones said. "She is a senior and we're going to miss her."

Bell ended the game with a vicious cross-court spike to put the Golden Rams up two games to none.
The final game was close with Lake Placid down 14-12, but Parker and Bell took turns blasting one kill shot after another into the open court to seal the victory.

The Green Dragons, who finished the season at 16-4, displayed the grit and determination that fueled their season with one more rally.
Kaneisha Hamilton and Jessica Wantuck combined for a block and Tiffany Bisby blasted a kill shot to pull Lake Placid within 18-15.

John Carroll refused to fold and went on a 6-0 run to reach match point.
A dink shot by Nicole Noonan sealed the win and ended the season for the Green Dragons.

"We were in every game, but things just didn't work out for us," a teary-eyed Massung said. "I'm sad because this was the last match of my high school career.
"The season was fun, but I can't believe it's over."

Despite the loss, Jones was pleased with the effort from her team.

"There were a lot of fast balls coming over the net and we just couldn't return them all," the Lake Placid coach said. "We had an awesome year, it's just a shame it didn't end like we wanted. "We wanted to get past the first round of regionals, but John Carroll is a very good team and they deserved to win.
"I'm so proud of the girls because they played with a lot of heart and that's all I can ask for."

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