Lady Rattlers erase Elgin

By Tyler Mayforth
Daily Record Sports

October 15, 2008 12:24 pm

— Jordan Carswell works with an assassin-like precision on the volleyball court. When she’s inserted into a situation, she does her job quickly and absconds back to the bench.
Carswell was the spark for San Marcos on Tuesday night against Elgin. The freshman’s serve dealt the Ladycats a death blow and paced the Lady Rattlers to a 3-1 win.
San Marcos entered the Snake Pit with a five-match win streak. The Lady Rattlers carried momentum from a five-set win over Del Valle last Friday.
“Friday was a huge match for us because we didn’t want to drop to third,” SMHS head coach Michelle Moreno said. “Tonight, the girls just wanted to continue the momentum and they did just that.”
San Marcos took an early 9-5 lead behind Carswell. She sent two dipping serves into the ground in front of Elgin defenders. Carswell finished the first set with four aces and the Lady Rattlers won 25-20.
After a three-minute break, San Marcos struggled to find consistency in the second and third set. The Lady Rattlers became shaken in the second due to attack errors.
San Marcos took an 18-14 lead, but the home team’s errors allowed the Ladycats back into the game. Soon, the mistakes cost the Lady Rattlers a win and Elgin won 25-22.
“We did have some struggles, but they worked through it,” Moreno said. “The girls are doing well even when they struggled. They stay aggressive.”
After going through a battle in the third set, San Marcos ended up on top, winning 25-22. Elgin overcame a four-point deficit and forced Moreno to take a timeout midway through the game.
Once the fourth set began, Carswell took over. The Lady Rattlers led 5-4 when Carswell stepped on to the court. Two aces later, San Marcos had an 8-4 lead and began pulling away.
Carswell was removed and put back in with the Lady Rattlers leading 20-16. As she began serving, the Ladycats got a look on their faces, as if to say, “Great, she just was warming up.”
Carswell connected on three-consecutive aces and San Marcos never looked back, winning 25-18. Carswell finished the match with seven aces.
“I try to place my serves, but I usually hit them so hard from frustration from mistakes and so I take it out on the ball,” Carswell said.
The Lady Rattlers hope she continues her hot serving and doesn’t need to take out too many mistakes against Hays on Friday.

Hays def. Manor, 3-0
MANOR — The Hays volleyball machine continued its roll against Manor on Tuesday night. The Lady Rebels swept the Lady Mustangs 25-16, 25-20 and 25-13.
Becky Swann led Hays (21-15, 9-0 District 17-4A) with 10 kills, six digs and two aces, while Kellie Trinkaus added eight kills and 11 digs. Stephanie Malay filled the stat sheet with three kills, four aces and two blocks. Malay also had seven digs.
The Lady Rebels return to the court on Friday night to play San Marcos in a battle between the top-two teams in District 17-4A.

Lehman def. Lockhart, 3-1.
KYLE — The Lehman volleyball team came into the match against Lockhart needing a win. Last Friday, the Lady Lobos put up a fight against Hays, but fell in straight sets.
Lehman put the loss behind them and handled business against the Lady Lions. The Lady Lobos took the pride from Lockhart, winning 3-1.
In the first set, Lehman made it look easy, taking out the Lady Lions 25-13. The Lady Lobos continued in the second set, winning 25-18, but struggled in the third, losing 25-17.
When the teams came out for the fourth, Lehman made the necessary adjustments and shut down Lockhart. The Lady Lobos earned a 25-13 win.
Ashley Fernandez led Lehman with 21 kills, 10 digs and three blocks. She also had two aces. Nicole Morales had 12 kills and 14 digs.

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