REDS OUTLAST QUAKERS IN TOPSY-TURVY VOLLEYBALL MATCH

Tale of two opposite games within the match, but Roland Park prevails 15-9 in fifth

Yesterday�??s Roland Park Country-Friends volleyball match wasn�??t even an IAAM conference match.  Nonetheless, it held plenty of action and excitement for players, coaches and spectators, as the Reds outlasted the Quakers, 3-2, taking the tie-breaker,15-9, in Baltimore.

This cross-conference match was a tale of two distinctly opposite games within the match, so to speak. Visiting Roland Park Country (B-Conference) took the first two games easily, winning 15-13 and 15-13.

It looked like a three-game sweep, but the host Quakers (C-Conference) would not go quietly.  Instead, in front of a boisterous crowd, then went noisily.



Friends battled back to take the next two, in convincing fashion, 25-18 and 25-18, much like Roland Park�??s dominance in the first two.

Said Reds Coach Jim Jarrell, �??We had played Friends in an earlier scrimmage and won 3-0.  When we won the first two yesterday, we may have lost focus and let up.  Friends lost it�??s setter in the second game, and when she returned in the third, she gave them a huge lift and the crowd really got into it as well.  We were fortunate to win in the end.  Friends played very well and pushed us to the limit.�?�

Senior Jasmine Barksdale led Roland Park with 14 kills in 32 attempts, and served at a .947 clip. �??She was a big contributor,�?� said Jarrell, �??especially in the fifth game when she got three straight kills.�?�  Those big points helped propel Roland Park to the 15-9 advantage in the fifth and deciding game.  

Jackie Kell also came up with a big performance, as the junior had 10 kills, nine assists and was 13 of 13 serving.  Senior Nia Clark added seven kills.

A huge key to the Quaker comeback was the play of Elaine Kwon.  The senior setter went down with an injury in Game Two.  With the score knotted at 8-8 in Game Three, Friends Coach Jim Isphording re-inserted Kwon into the game. �??The crowd went crazy,�?� said Isphording, �??and we were able to come back and win and get back in the match.�?�

Isphording also made a couple key adjustments in the line-up.  �??I moved Annie Bancroft, and she responded with a great job blocking in the middle.�?�  He went on to add, �??Kwon was huge serving with five or six aces in a row, and the whole team pulled together.  The crowd really helped, too.�?�

Junior Lizzy Frost came up with 10 kills and fellow junior Hannah Patterson had a crucial dig on a vicious kill attempt in the fifth game that kept the Quakers alive.

Friends is 2-2 overall and 2-1 in the �??C�?� with a pair of 3-1 losses to Catholic and Towson Catholic.  With spirited team play and uplifting crowd support, as evidenced in Monday�??s match, there will be more wins to come for the Quakers.  They will look for that next win on Wednesday, at Glenelg Country.

Roland Park is now 2-3 overall (0-2 in the �??B�?�) and will play at Maryvale Prep on Thursday.

Roland Park Country 3, Friends 2
25-13, 25-13, 18-25, 18-25, 15-9

--Mike Buchanan