Sarah Schumacher served 12 straight points in the opening game and had some key hits, including this kill, in the decisive fifth game in Pinny's victory over Standish-Sterling on Monday.
The Panthers' Christina Proulx tips one over a pair of Pinny blockers.
SSC's Kiersten Sanch uncoils with a kill against Pinconning on Monday.
Brent Baker
Pinny sophomore Chelsea Adcock came up big in the decisive fifth game victory.

STANDISH-STERLING - Sep. 15, 2008 - Standish-Sterling's volleyball had trouble getting off to a strong start in each set of its five-game match with Pinconning on Monday, and the Spartans were only too eager to take advantage.

Pinny, which has started playing much more consistently than at the start of the season, came from behind to defeat the Panthers 25-19, 23-25, 25-27, 25-12, 15-10 to stay in the NEMC title chase and knock SSC from the ranks of the league unbeatens.

"That was exhilarating, to say the least," said first-year Pinny coach Brandon Little. "That was quite a match.

"It all started for us with not missing our serves."

Serving helped Pinny get off to big leads in each of the five games, though nothing was quite as impressive as the 13-1 run to start the opening game behind the arm of Sarah Schumacher. She served 12 straight points, including six aces, to get things going.

Pinny (5-13-2, 1-1 NEMC) took leads of 6-0, 14-5 and 14-5 in the other three 25-point games, and 7-2 in the first-to-15 deciding game.

"We've kind of been playing like that," said SSC coach Kristi Yenna. "We haven't really been able to get off to good starts against anyone but Ogemaw, and that was a game the girls really wanted.

"But winning that game put a bit of a target on us since they are expected to be so strong, and our intensity hasn't been there until we get down."

The Panthers had been coming back from big deficits all night, and in the penultimate game seemed on the verge after cutting the Spartans' lead from 7-2 to 9-6. But that was when sophomore Chelsea Adcock stepped up, coming through with a pair of emphatic kills and an ace, while Schumacher added another kill and a tip for the winning point.

"There was just a lot of great teamwork out there tonight," Little said. "We've gotten to where the girls are working very well together as a team."

SSC (2-1 NEMC) rebounded in the first game with a 16-8 run that pulled the Panthers to within 21-17, but the Spartans got points off the front line by Devyn Podsiadlik, Kelsey Beck and Chelsea Gruszynski to finish things off.

SSC also bounced back from a 6-0 deficit in the second game to take a 15-11 lead before Pinny reclaimed the lead at 20-17. Cassandra Roehm's block and kill, followed by an Ellen Walderzak kill, quickly tied it back up, and the Panthers finished it off on Christina Proulx's tip and Kiersten Sanch's kill.

Pinny used a 10-2 run to apparently take control of the third game, but the Panthers roared back to tie it at 19-19. Pinny was on the verge of wrapping it up at 24-22, but Proulx's kill and Roehm's block tied it at 24. Schumacher put Pinny back ahead, but two Spartan errors gave SSC the lead, and SSC's Terra Hartley tipped the ball into open space for the winning point.

The Spartans never let the lead get away in Game 4, getting contributions from all corners. Pinny never led by less than four after building an 8-3 lead.

"I didn't think we played particularly well," Yenna said. "And I thought Pinny played great. This was the kind of game I think we needed. Other teams are going to come after us; Pinny did, and they outplayed us tonight."

 

Pinny Stats: Kelsey Beck 17 digs, .933 serve rec.; Emme Duranczyk 17 digs, 9 kills, 2 aces; Chelsea Adcock 6 kills, 15 digs, 7 aces, .947 serve rec.; Chelsea Gruszynski 5 kills, 10 digs, 2 blks, 42 asst; Ashley Hribek 2 aces; Sarah Lijewski 19 digs, 1.000 serve rec; Sarah Schumacher 18 kills, 2 blk, 30 digs, 9 aces; Devyn Podsiadlik 8 kills, 2 blk.