Published: October 28, 2009 05:07 am      

Camanche refuses to back down in volleyball

No. 5 Indians reach Friday’s regional semis

By Scott McNeish

Herald Assistant Sports Editor

CAMANCHE — For the first time in over a month the No. 5-ranked Camanche volleyball team received a push.

Even a game loss.

Yet the Indians pushed back and past Cascade for a four-game victory in Tuesday night's Iowa Class 2A regional quarterfinal at Camanche High School.

“We're never going to give up,” Camanche hitter Ashtyn Dixon said. “When they need one point, they still have to get that one point.”

Camanche's 26-24, 23-25, 25-22, 25-20 win earned it a spot in Friday's semifinal against Dyersville Beckman at Maquoketa High School. Beckman swept Maquoketa Valley in another Tuesday quarterfinal.

The Indians (39-3) seek their fourth state tournament trip and first since 1996.

Clutch finishes against Cascade (23-15) kept that dream alive.

Camanche trailed 24-16 in Game 1, but the Indians stunned the Cougars with a 10-0, game-winning run. After losing Game 2, the Indians faced a 21-20 deficit in the third game, but again they sizzled down the stretch to seize control of the match.

“When we get behind, we don't have girls saying, 'Don't pass me the ball,'” said Camanche setter Tiana Bark, who had 41 assists. “They want the ball.”

The match's final point ignited a crowd eruption.

As a Camanche blast smacked vacant hardwood, the home bleachers roared at a frenzied volume to celebrate the Indians surviving their first true test since Labor Day.

“This is the kind of match you'd expect in a regional final, not the second round,” Cascade coach Mary Frake said.

The Indians attempted to slow Cougars middle hitter Holly Hosch, whose season kill total ranks fifth in 2A. She landed eight kills in Game 1. But the 6-foot-tall high-flyer managed just 13 over the next three games.

“We got blockers up to the net,” said Dixon, who had 19 kills and 31 digs. “They did a real nice job of keeping her under control.”

Camanche's Chelsea Moore went 25-for-27 serving with two aces and added nine kills, 22 digs and two blocks.

Haley Pulse had 13 kills, and Ashley Gonzalez had eight kills and three blocks.

“People always seem to say we're a two-star team,” Camanche coach Mark Cremer said. “They say that if you stop Moore and Dixon, then you'll stop us. But I think we showed we have other people teams have to worry about.”

In Game 1, Cascade used a 6-0 run to open a seven-point advantage, and then five Hosch kills helped the Cougars take a 24-16 lead.

One point from victory.

For Camanche, one miscue from defeat.

“Right there,” Cremer said, “I was thinking about what to say in the huddle to get them fired up for Game 2. But they came through.”

Gonzalez sparked the comeback with a point. Three consecutive Dixon kills made it 24-20, and four straight Cascade errors tied it, forcing a Cougars timeout. Two more Cascade attack errors gave Camanche a thrilling triumph.

“We just got stuck in a rut,” Frake said.

The Indians lost Game 2 to snap a 76-game win streak that began Sept. 10.

In Game 3, Camanche trailed 21-20 with the match tied 1-1. Dixon rocketed a kill to make it 21-all, and the Indians closed the game on a quick 4-1 run.

They trailed 9-2 early in Game 4 before making yet another comeback.

“I think maybe we needed to be pushed,” Cremer said. “It was good for us. We needed to respond to some adversity, and we responded well, kept fighting and didn't give up.”



CAMANCHE 26-23-25-25

CASCADE 24-25-22-20

Individual leaders

Kills — Cascade, Holly Hosch 21, Brittany Green 10; Camanche, Ashtyn Dixon 19, Haley Pulse 13, Chelsea Moore 9, Ashley Gonzalez 8. Assists — Cascade, Amber Meyer 34; Camanche, Tiana Bark 41. Digs — Cascade, Green 36, Meyer 33; Camanche, Dixon 31, Moore 22. Aces — Camanche, Moore 2, Sarah Thornton 2. Blocks — Cascade, Allison Gibbs 5; Camanche, Gonzalez 3, Moore 2, Samantha Drury 2.